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Abu Bakar N, Lau BYC, González-Aravena M, Smykla J, Krzewicka B, Karsani SA, Alias SA. Geographical Diversity of Proteomic Responses to Cold Stress in the Fungal Genus Pseudogymnoascus. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 87:11. [PMID: 38060022 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02311-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
In understanding stress response mechanisms in fungi, cold stress has received less attention than heat stress. However, cold stress has shown its importance in various research fields. The following study examined the cold stress response of six Pseudogymnoascus spp. isolated from various biogeographical regions through a proteomic approach. In total, 2541 proteins were identified with high confidence. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed diversity in the cold stress response pathways for all six Pseudogymnoascus spp. isolates, with metabolic and translation-related processes being prominent in most isolates. 25.6% of the proteins with an increase in relative abundance were increased by more than 3.0-fold. There was no link between the geographical origin of the isolates and the cold stress response of Pseudogymnoascus spp. However, one Antarctic isolate, sp3, showed a distinctive cold stress response profile involving increased flavin/riboflavin biosynthesis and methane metabolism. This Antarctic isolate (sp3) was also the only one that showed decreased phospholipid metabolism in cold stress conditions. This work will improve our understanding of the mechanisms of cold stress response and adaptation in psychrotolerant soil microfungi, with specific attention to the fungal genus Pseudogymnoascus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurlizah Abu Bakar
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, C308, Institute of Advanced Studies Building, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- National Antarctic Research Centre, B303, Institute of Advanced Studies Building, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Benjamin Yii Chung Lau
- Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, No. 6, Persiaran Institusi, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Jerzy Smykla
- Department of Biodiversity, Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza 33, 31-120, Krakow, Poland
| | - Beata Krzewicka
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512, Kraków, Poland
| | - Saiful Anuar Karsani
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Siti Aisyah Alias
- Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, C308, Institute of Advanced Studies Building, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- National Antarctic Research Centre, B303, Institute of Advanced Studies Building, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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2
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Couso LL, Soler-Bistué A, Aptekmann AA, Sánchez IE. Ecology theory disentangles microbial dichotomies. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:3052-3063. [PMID: 37658654 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Microbes are often discussed in terms of dichotomies such as copiotrophic/oligotrophic and fast/slow-growing microbes, defined using the characterisation of microbial growth in isolated cultures. The dichotomies are usually qualitative and/or study-specific, sometimes precluding clear-cut results interpretation. We can unravel microbial dichotomies as life history strategies by combining ecology theory with Monod curves, a laboratory mathematical tool of bacterial physiology that relates the specific growth rate of a microbe with the concentration of a limiting nutrient. Fitting of Monod curves provides quantities that directly correspond to key parameters in ecological theories addressing species coexistence and diversity, such as r/K selection theory, resource competition and community structure theory and the CSR triangle of life strategies. The resulting model allows us to reconcile the copiotrophic/oligotrophic and fast/slow-growing dichotomies as different subsamples of a life history strategy triangle that also includes r/K strategists. We also used the number of known carbon sources together with community structure theory to partially explain the diversity of heterotrophic microbes observed in metagenomics experiments. In sum, we propose a theoretical framework for the study of natural microbial communities that unifies several existing proposals. Its application would require the integration of metagenomics, metametabolomics, Monod curves and carbon source data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana L Couso
- Facultad de Agronomía. Cátedra de Genética, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alfonso Soler-Bistué
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas "Rodolfo A. Ugalde", IIB-IIBIO, Universidad Nacional de San Martín-CONICET, San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ariel A Aptekmann
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Fisiología de Proteínas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignacio E Sánchez
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Fisiología de Proteínas, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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3
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Prasad A, Sreedharan S, Bakthavachalu B, Laxman S. Eggs of the mosquito Aedes aegypti survive desiccation by rewiring their polyamine and lipid metabolism. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002342. [PMID: 37874799 PMCID: PMC10597479 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Upon water loss, some organisms pause their life cycles and escape death. While widespread in microbes, this is less common in animals. Aedes mosquitoes are vectors for viral diseases. Aedes eggs can survive dry environments, but molecular and cellular principles enabling egg survival through desiccation remain unknown. In this report, we find that Aedes aegypti eggs, in contrast to Anopheles stephensi, survive desiccation by acquiring desiccation tolerance at a late developmental stage. We uncover unique proteome and metabolic state changes in Aedes embryos during desiccation that reflect reduced central carbon metabolism, rewiring towards polyamine production, and enhanced lipid utilisation for energy and polyamine synthesis. Using inhibitors targeting these processes in blood-fed mosquitoes that lay eggs, we infer a two-step process of desiccation tolerance in Aedes eggs. The metabolic rewiring towards lipid breakdown and dependent polyamine accumulation confers resistance to desiccation. Furthermore, rapid lipid breakdown is required to fuel energetic requirements upon water reentry to enable larval hatching and survival upon rehydration. This study is fundamental to understanding Aedes embryo survival and in controlling the spread of these mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjana Prasad
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) Centre at inStem, Bangalore, India
- Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (DBT-inStem), Bangalore, India
| | - Sreesa Sreedharan
- Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (DBT-inStem), Bangalore, India
- SASTRA University, Thirumalaisamudram, Thanjavur, India
| | - Baskar Bakthavachalu
- Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) Centre at inStem, Bangalore, India
- School of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Mandi, India
| | - Sunil Laxman
- Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (DBT-inStem), Bangalore, India
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Hallsworth JE, Udaondo Z, Pedrós‐Alió C, Höfer J, Benison KC, Lloyd KG, Cordero RJB, de Campos CBL, Yakimov MM, Amils R. Scientific novelty beyond the experiment. Microb Biotechnol 2023; 16:1131-1173. [PMID: 36786388 PMCID: PMC10221578 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Practical experiments drive important scientific discoveries in biology, but theory-based research studies also contribute novel-sometimes paradigm-changing-findings. Here, we appraise the roles of theory-based approaches focusing on the experiment-dominated wet-biology research areas of microbial growth and survival, cell physiology, host-pathogen interactions, and competitive or symbiotic interactions. Additional examples relate to analyses of genome-sequence data, climate change and planetary health, habitability, and astrobiology. We assess the importance of thought at each step of the research process; the roles of natural philosophy, and inconsistencies in logic and language, as drivers of scientific progress; the value of thought experiments; the use and limitations of artificial intelligence technologies, including their potential for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research; and other instances when theory is the most-direct and most-scientifically robust route to scientific novelty including the development of techniques for practical experimentation or fieldwork. We highlight the intrinsic need for human engagement in scientific innovation, an issue pertinent to the ongoing controversy over papers authored using/authored by artificial intelligence (such as the large language model/chatbot ChatGPT). Other issues discussed are the way in which aspects of language can bias thinking towards the spatial rather than the temporal (and how this biased thinking can lead to skewed scientific terminology); receptivity to research that is non-mainstream; and the importance of theory-based science in education and epistemology. Whereas we briefly highlight classic works (those by Oakes Ames, Francis H.C. Crick and James D. Watson, Charles R. Darwin, Albert Einstein, James E. Lovelock, Lynn Margulis, Gilbert Ryle, Erwin R.J.A. Schrödinger, Alan M. Turing, and others), the focus is on microbiology studies that are more-recent, discussing these in the context of the scientific process and the types of scientific novelty that they represent. These include several studies carried out during the 2020 to 2022 lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic when access to research laboratories was disallowed (or limited). We interviewed the authors of some of the featured microbiology-related papers and-although we ourselves are involved in laboratory experiments and practical fieldwork-also drew from our own research experiences showing that such studies can not only produce new scientific findings but can also transcend barriers between disciplines, act counter to scientific reductionism, integrate biological data across different timescales and levels of complexity, and circumvent constraints imposed by practical techniques. In relation to urgent research needs, we believe that climate change and other global challenges may require approaches beyond the experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E. Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological SciencesQueen's University BelfastBelfastUK
| | - Zulema Udaondo
- Department of Biomedical InformaticsUniversity of Arkansas for Medical SciencesLittle RockArkansasUSA
| | - Carlos Pedrós‐Alió
- Department of Systems BiologyCentro Nacional de Biotecnología (CSIC)MadridSpain
| | - Juan Höfer
- Escuela de Ciencias del MarPontificia Universidad Católica de ValparaísoValparaísoChile
| | - Kathleen C. Benison
- Department of Geology and GeographyWest Virginia UniversityMorgantownWest VirginiaUSA
| | - Karen G. Lloyd
- Microbiology DepartmentUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTennesseeUSA
| | - Radamés J. B. Cordero
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and ImmunologyJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Claudia B. L. de Campos
- Institute of Science and TechnologyUniversidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP)São José dos CamposSPBrazil
| | | | - Ricardo Amils
- Department of Molecular Biology, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC‐UAM)Nicolás Cabrera n° 1, Universidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
- Department of Planetology and HabitabilityCentro de Astrobiología (INTA‐CSIC)Torrejón de ArdozSpain
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5
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Martínez AA, Lang GI. Identifying Targets of Selection in Laboratory Evolution Experiments. J Mol Evol 2023; 91:345-355. [PMID: 36810618 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-023-10096-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive evolution navigates a balance between chance and determinism. The stochastic processes of mutation and drift generate phenotypic variation; however, once mutations reach an appreciable frequency in the population, their fate is governed by the deterministic action of selection, enriching for favorable genotypes and purging the less-favorable ones. The net result is that replicate populations will traverse similar-but not identical-pathways to higher fitness. This parallelism in evolutionary outcomes can be leveraged to identify the genes and pathways under selection. However, distinguishing between beneficial and neutral mutations is challenging because many beneficial mutations will be lost due to drift and clonal interference, and many neutral (and even deleterious) mutations will fix by hitchhiking. Here, we review the best practices that our laboratory uses to identify genetic targets of selection from next-generation sequencing data of evolved yeast populations. The general principles for identifying the mutations driving adaptation will apply more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregory I Lang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA.
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6
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Noel D, Hallsworth JE, Gelhaye E, Darnet S, Sormani R, Morel-Rouhier M. Modes-of-action of antifungal compounds: Stressors and (target-site-specific) toxins, toxicants, or Toxin-stressors. Microb Biotechnol 2023. [PMID: 37191200 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Fungi and antifungal compounds are relevant to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. However, the modes-of-action of antifungals-whether they are naturally occurring substances or anthropogenic fungicides-are often unknown or are misallocated in terms of their mechanistic category. Here, we consider the most effective approaches to identifying whether antifungal substances are cellular stressors, toxins/toxicants (that are target-site-specific), or have a hybrid mode-of-action as Toxin-stressors (that induce cellular stress yet are target-site-specific). This newly described 'toxin-stressor' category includes some photosensitisers that target the cell membrane and, once activated by light or ultraviolet radiation, cause oxidative damage. We provide a glossary of terms and a diagrammatic representation of diverse types of stressors, toxic substances, and Toxin-stressors, a classification that is pertinent to inhibitory substances not only for fungi but for all types of cellular life. A decision-tree approach can also be used to help differentiate toxic substances from cellular stressors (Curr Opin Biotechnol 2015 33: 228-259). For compounds that target specific sites in the cell, we evaluate the relative merits of using metabolite analyses, chemical genetics, chemoproteomics, transcriptomics, and the target-based drug-discovery approach (based on that used in pharmaceutical research), focusing on both ascomycete models and the less-studied basidiomycete fungi. Chemical genetic methods to elucidate modes-of-action currently have limited application for fungi where molecular tools are not yet available; we discuss ways to circumvent this bottleneck. We also discuss ecologically commonplace scenarios in which multiple substances act to limit the functionality of the fungal cell and a number of as-yet-unresolved questions about the modes-of-action of antifungal compounds pertaining to the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Eric Gelhaye
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, IAM, Nancy, France
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7
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da Cunha ET, Pedrolo AM, Arisi ACM. Effects of sublethal stress application on the survival of bacterial inoculants: a systematic review. Arch Microbiol 2023; 205:190. [PMID: 37055599 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-023-03542-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
The use of commercial bacterial inoculants formulated with plant-growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) in agriculture has shown significant prominence in recent years due to growth-promotion benefits provided to plants through different mechanisms. However, the survival and viability of bacterial cells in inoculants are affected during use and may decrease their effectiveness. Physiological adaptation strategies have attracted attention to solve the viability problem. This review aims to provide an overview of research on selecting sublethal stress strategies to increase the effectiveness of bacterial inoculants. The searches were performed in November 2021 using Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Proquest databases. The keywords "nitrogen-fixing bacteria", "plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria", "azospirillum", "pseudomonas", "rhizobium", "stress pre-conditioning", "adaptation", "metabolic physiological adaptation", "cellular adaptation", "increasing survival", "protective agent" and "protective strategy" were used in the searches. A total of 2573 publications were found, and 34 studies were selected for a deeper study of the subject. Based on the studies analysis, gaps and potential applications related to sublethal stress were identified. The most used strategies included osmotic, thermal, oxidative, and nutritional stress, and the primary cell response mechanism to stress was the accumulation of osmolytes, phytohormones, and exopolysaccharides (EPS). Under sublethal stress, the inoculant survival showed positive increments after lyophilization, desiccation, and long-term storage processes. The effectiveness of inoculant-plants interaction also had positive increments after sublethal stress, improving plant development, disease control, and tolerance to environmental stresses compared to unappealed inoculants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisandra Triches da Cunha
- CAL CCA UFSC, Food Science and Technology Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346, Florianópolis, SC, 88034-001, Brazil
| | - Ana Marina Pedrolo
- CAL CCA UFSC, Food Science and Technology Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346, Florianópolis, SC, 88034-001, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Maisonnave Arisi
- CAL CCA UFSC, Food Science and Technology Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346, Florianópolis, SC, 88034-001, Brazil.
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Wang L, Huang G, Ma W, Jin G. Preparation and Application of Directed Vat Set Indigenous Freeze-Drying Lentilactobacillus hilgardii Q19 Starter in Winemaking. Foods 2023; 12:foods12051053. [PMID: 36900570 PMCID: PMC10000753 DOI: 10.3390/foods12051053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to prepare a better direct vat set for malolactic fermentation (MLF) in high ethanol and low pH wines, the high-ethanol- and low-temperature-tolerant strain Lentilactobacillus hilgardii Q19, which was isolated from the eastern foothill of the Helan Mountain wine region in China, was used to prepare a direct vat set by vacuum freeze-drying. A superior freeze-dried lyoprotectant was obtained to create the starting culture by selecting, combining, and optimizing numerous lyoprotectants with higher protection for Q19 by using a single-factor experiment and response surface approach. Finally, the Lentilactobacillus hilgardii Q19 direct vat set was inoculated in Cabernet Sauvignon wine to carry out MLF on a pilot scale, with commercial starter culture Oeno1 as control. The volatile compounds, biogenic amines, and ethyl carbamate content were analyzed. The results showed that a combination of 8.5 g/100 mL skimmed milk powder, 14.5 g/100 mL yeast extract powder, and 6.0 g/100 mL sodium hydrogen glutamate offered better protection; with this lyoprotectant, there were (4.36 ± 0.34) × 1011 CFU/g cells after freeze-drying, and it showed an excellent ability to degrade L-malic acid and could successfully finish MLF. In addition, in terms of aroma and wine safety, compared with Oeno1, the quantity and complexity of volatile compounds were increased after MLF, and biogenic amines and ethyl carbamate were produced less during MLF. We conclude that the Lentilactobacillus hilgardii Q19 direct vat set could be applied as a new MLF starter culture in high-ethanol wines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wang
- School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Gang Huang
- School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Wen Ma
- School of Food and Wine, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Grape and Wine, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Gang Jin
- School of Food and Wine, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Grape and Wine, Yinchuan 750021, China
- Correspondence:
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Biologia futura: combinatorial stress responses in fungi. Biol Futur 2022; 73:207-217. [DOI: 10.1007/s42977-022-00121-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn the ever-changing fungal environment, fungi have to cope with a wide array of very different stresses. These stresses frequently act in combination rather than independently, i.e., they quickly follow one another or occur concomitantly. Combinatorial stress response studies revealed that the response of fungi to a stressor is highly dependent on the simultaneous action of other stressors or even on earlier stresses to which the fungi adapted. Several important phenomena were discovered, such as stress pathway interference, acquired stress tolerance, stress response memory or stress cross-protection/sensitization, which cannot be interpreted when we study the consequences of a single stressor alone. Due to the interactions between stressors and stress responses, a stress response that develops under a combined stress is not the simple summation of stress responses observed during single stress treatments. Based on the knowledge collected from single stress treatment experiments, we cannot predict how fungi will respond to a certain combination of stresses or even whether this combination will be more harmful than single stress treatments. This uncertainty warns us that if we want to understand how fungi adapt to a certain habitat (e.g., to the human body) to find a point of weakness in this adaptation, we must understand how the fungi cope with combinations of stresses, rather than with single stressors.
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Designing a Waste-Based Culture Medium for the Production of Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms Based on Cladodes Juice from Opuntia ficus-indica Pruning. FERMENTATION-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation8050225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The production of beneficial microorganisms is the first step to obtain a commercial-based product for application in agriculture. In this study, prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) pruning waste was evaluated as a raw material for the production of large amounts of Plant Growth Promoting Microorganisms (PGPMs) reducing the number of generated wastes. Specifically, five PGPMs constituting a synthetic microbial consortium with complementing plant growth-promoting traits were grown on a laboratory scale and, subsequently, on a pilot scale using a 21-L bioreactor. Primarily, the physical-chemical characterization of the culture medium obtained from the juice of Opuntia cladodes was carried out, revealing the presence of sugars and organic acids with different molar ratios. Compared to conventional media, the waste medium did not show significant differences in bacterial growth efficiency. Instead, the survival rates of the bacteria grown in cladodes juice media, after air-drying on zeolite or freeze-drying, were significantly higher than those observed when they were grown in conventional media. The present work is the first conducted on a pilot-scale that maximizes the production of PGPMs in submerged fermentation using cladodes juice from Opuntia, reducing both economic and environmental impacts associated with the generation of wastes.
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Gila BC, Antal K, Birkó Z, Keserű JS, Pócsi I, Emri T. Strategies Shaping the Transcription of Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme Genes in Aspergillus nidulans. J Fungi (Basel) 2022; 8:jof8010079. [PMID: 35050018 PMCID: PMC8780418 DOI: 10.3390/jof8010079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the coordinated regulation of the hundreds of carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes occurring in the genomes of fungi has great practical importance. We recorded genome-wide transcriptional changes of Aspergillus nidulans cultivated on glucose, lactose, or arabinogalactan, as well as under carbon-starved conditions. We determined both carbon-stress-specific changes (weak or no carbon source vs. glucose) and carbon-source-specific changes (one type of culture vs. all other cultures). Many CAZyme genes showed carbon-stress-specific and/or carbon-source-specific upregulation on arabinogalactan (138 and 62 genes, respectively). Besides galactosidase and arabinan-degrading enzyme genes, enrichment of cellulolytic, pectinolytic, mannan, and xylan-degrading enzyme genes was observed. Fewer upregulated genes, 81 and 107 carbon stress specific, and 6 and 16 carbon source specific, were found on lactose and in carbon-starved cultures, respectively. They were enriched only in galactosidase and xylosidase genes on lactose and rhamnogalacturonanase genes in both cultures. Some CAZyme genes (29 genes) showed carbon-source-specific upregulation on glucose, and they were enriched in β-1,4-glucanase genes. The behavioral ecological background of these characteristics was evaluated to comprehensively organize our knowledge on CAZyme production, which can lead to developing new strategies to produce enzymes for plant cell wall saccharification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barnabás Cs. Gila
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.C.G.); (I.P.)
- Doctoral School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Károly Antal
- Department of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eszterházy tér 1, 3300 Eger, Hungary;
| | - Zsuzsanna Birkó
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (Z.B.); (J.S.K.)
| | - Judit Sz. Keserű
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (Z.B.); (J.S.K.)
| | - István Pócsi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.C.G.); (I.P.)
| | - Tamás Emri
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (B.C.G.); (I.P.)
- Correspondence:
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Timmis K, Hallsworth JE. The darkest microbiome-a post-human biosphere. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:176-185. [PMID: 34843168 PMCID: PMC8719803 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial technology is exceptional among human activities and endeavours in its range of applications that benefit humanity, even exceeding those of chemistry. What is more, microbial technologists are among the most creative scientists, and the scope of the field continuously expands as new ideas and applications emerge. Notwithstanding this diversity of applications, given the dire predictions for the fate of the surface biosphere as a result of current trajectories of global warming, the future of microbial biotechnology research must have a single purpose, namely to help secure the future of life on Earth. Everything else will, by comparison, be irrelevant. Crucially, microbes themselves play pivotal roles in climate (Cavicchioli et al., Nature Revs Microbiol 17: 569-586, 2019). To enable realization of their full potential in humanity's effort to survive, development of new and transformative global warming-relevant technologies must become the lynchpin of microbial biotechnology research and development. As a consequence, microbial biotechnologists must consider constraining their usual degree of freedom, and re-orienting their focus towards planetary-biosphere exigences. And they must actively seek alliances and synergies with others to get the job done as fast as humanly possible; they need to enthusiastically embrace and join the global effort, subordinating where necessary individual aspirations to the common good (the amazing speed with which new COVID-19 diagnostics and vaccines were developed and implemented demonstrates what is possible given creativity, singleness of purpose and funding). In terms of priorities, some will be obvious, others less so, with some only becoming revealed after dedicated effort yields new insights/opens new vistas. We therefore refrain from developing a priority list here. Rather, we consider what is likely to happen to the Earth's biosphere if we (and the rest of humanity) fail to rescue it. We do so with the aim of galvanizing the formulation and implementation of strategic and financial science policy decisions that will maximally stimulate the development of relevant new microbial technologies, and maximally exploit available technologies, to repair existing environmental damage and mitigate against future deterioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Timmis
- Institute of MicrobiologyTechnical University of BraunschweigBraunschweigGermany
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13
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Abstract
Water is the cellular milieu, drives all biochemistry within Earth's biosphere and facilitates microbe-mediated decay processes. Instead of reviewing these topics, the current article focuses on the activities of water as a preservative-its capacity to maintain the long-term integrity and viability of microbial cells-and identifies the mechanisms by which this occurs. Water provides for, and maintains, cellular structures; buffers against thermodynamic extremes, at various scales; can mitigate events that are traumatic to the cell membrane, such as desiccation-rehydration, freeze-thawing and thermal shock; prevents microbial dehydration that can otherwise exacerbate oxidative damage; mitigates against biocidal factors (in some circumstances reducing ultraviolet radiation and diluting solute stressors or toxic substances); and is effective at electrostatic screening so prevents damage to the cell by the intense electrostatic fields of some ions. In addition, the water retained in desiccated cells (historically referred to as 'bound' water) plays key roles in biomacromolecular structures and their interactions even for fully hydrated cells. Assuming that the components of the cell membrane are chemically stable or at least repairable, and the environment is fairly constant, water molecules can apparently maintain membrane geometries over very long periods provided these configurations represent thermodynamically stable states. The spores and vegetative cells of many microbes survive longer in the presence of vapour-phase water (at moderate-to-high relative humidities) than under more-arid conditions. There are several mechanisms by which large bodies of water, when cooled during subzero weather conditions remain in a liquid state thus preventing potentially dangerous (freeze-thaw) transitions for their microbiome. Microbial life can be preserved in pure water, freshwater systems, seawater, brines, ice/permafrost, sugar-rich aqueous milieux and vapour-phase water according to laboratory-based studies carried out over periods of years to decades and some natural environments that have yielded cells that are apparently thousands, or even (for hypersaline fluid inclusions of mineralized NaCl) hundreds of millions, of years old. The term preservative has often been restricted to those substances used to extend the shelf life of foods (e.g. sodium benzoate, nitrites and sulphites) or those used to conserve dead organisms, such as ethanol or formaldehyde. For living microorganisms however, the ultimate preservative may actually be water. Implications of this role are discussed with reference to the ecology of halophiles, human pathogens and other microbes; food science; biotechnology; biosignatures for life and other aspects of astrobiology; and the large-scale release/reactivation of preserved microbes caused by global climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E. Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food SecuritySchool of Biological SciencesQueen’s University Belfast19 Chlorine GardensBelfastBT9 5DLUK
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14
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The Role of Ancestral Duplicated Genes in Adaptation to Growth on Lactate, a Non-Fermentable Carbon Source for the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212293. [PMID: 34830177 PMCID: PMC8622941 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The cell central metabolism has been shaped throughout evolutionary times when facing challenges from the availability of resources. In the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a set of duplicated genes originating from an ancestral whole-genome and several coetaneous small-scale duplication events drive energy transfer through glucose metabolism as the main carbon source either by fermentation or respiration. These duplicates (~a third of the genome) have been dated back to approximately 100 MY, allowing for enough evolutionary time to diverge in both sequence and function. Gene duplication has been proposed as a molecular mechanism of biological innovation, maintaining balance between mutational robustness and evolvability of the system. However, some questions concerning the molecular mechanisms behind duplicated genes transcriptional plasticity and functional divergence remain unresolved. In this work we challenged S. cerevisiae to the use of lactic acid/lactate as the sole carbon source and performed a small adaptive laboratory evolution to this non-fermentative carbon source, determining phenotypic and transcriptomic changes. We observed growth adaptation to acidic stress, by reduction of growth rate and increase in biomass production, while the transcriptomic response was mainly driven by repression of the whole-genome duplicates, those implied in glycolysis and overexpression of ROS response. The contribution of several duplicated pairs to this carbon source switch and acidic stress is also discussed.
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15
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Kaur G, Krol M, Brar SK. Geothermal heating: Is it a boon or a bane for bioremediation? ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 287:117609. [PMID: 34182401 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
There has been a worldwide interest in renewable energy technologies, as a means of decreasing reliance on fossil fuels, minimizing climate change effects, and reducing greenhouse emissions. One such technology is geothermal heating where the constant subsurface temperature is used to cool or heat building interiors via heat pumps. In Canada, the use of geothermal heating has become a popular option for heating and cooling buildings, and it is anticipated that, in the near term, most large buildings will include geothermal heating as part of their climate control strategy. However, little is known about the environmental impacts of geothermal heating on the subsurface environment. The present review will examine the effect of geothermal heating on groundwater flow and remediation efforts, whereby the heat generated by geothermal systems may help with urban pollution. "Geothermal Remediation" could leverage the subsurface heating resulting from geothermal systems to accelerate biodegradation of certain petroleum-based pollutants at brown-field sites, while providing building(s) with sustainable heating and cooling. This idea coincides with the rising momentum towards sustainable and green remediation in Europe and the United States. To ensure that Geothermal Remediation is achievable, the effect of heat on bioremediation needs to be examined. This review provides an insight into what we know about heat effects on bioremediation activities and subsurface transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurpreet Kaur
- Department of Civil Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Magdalena Krol
- Department of Civil Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Satinder Kaur Brar
- Department of Civil Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada.
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16
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Bosch J, Varliero G, Hallsworth JE, Dallas TD, Hopkins D, Frey B, Kong W, Lebre P, Makhalanyane TP, Cowan DA. Microbial anhydrobiosis. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:6377-6390. [PMID: 34347349 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The loss of cellular water (desiccation) and the resulting low cytosolic water activity are major stress factors for life. Numerous prokaryotic and eukaryotic taxa have evolved molecular and physiological adaptions to periods of low water availability or water-limited environments that occur across the terrestrial Earth. The changes within cells during the processes of desiccation and rehydration, from the activation (and inactivation) of biosynthetic pathways to the accumulation of compatible solutes, have been studied in considerable detail. However, relatively little is known on the metabolic status of organisms in the desiccated state; that is, in the sometimes extended periods between the drying and rewetting phases. During these periods, which can extend beyond decades and which we term 'anhydrobiosis', organismal survival could be dependent on a continued supply of energy to maintain the basal metabolic processes necessary for critical functions such as macromolecular repair. Here, we review the state of knowledge relating to the function of microorganisms during the anhydrobiotic state, highlighting substantial gaps in our understanding of qualitative and quantitative aspects of molecular and biochemical processes in desiccated cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Bosch
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Gilda Varliero
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Tiffany D Dallas
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 5DL, UK
| | | | - Beat Frey
- Rhizosphere Processes Group, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland
| | - Weidong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System Science (LATPES), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Pedro Lebre
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Thulani P Makhalanyane
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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17
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Oliveira LA, Macedo MM, Rodrigues JLS, Lima ES, Hamill PG, Dallas TD, Lima MP, Souza ES, Hallsworth JE, Souza JVB. Plant metabolite 5-pentadecyl resorcinol is produced by the Amazonian fungus Penicillium sclerotiorum LM 5679. BRAZ J BIOL 2021; 82:e241863. [PMID: 34133562 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.241863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the classic studies of Alexander Flemming, Penicillium strains have been known as a rich source of antimicrobial substances. Recent studies have identified novel metabolites produced by Penicillium sclerotiorum that have antibacterial, antifouling and pharmaceutical activities. Here, we report the isolation of a P. sclerotiorum (LM 5679) from Amazonian soil and carry out a culture-based study to determine whether it can produce any novel secondary metabolite(s) that are not thus-far reported for this genus. Using a submerged culture system, secondary metabolites were recovered by solvent extract followed by thin-layer chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectroscopy. One novel secondary metabolite was isolated from P. sclerotiorum (LM 5679); the phenolic compound 5-pentadecyl resorcinol widely known as an antifungal, that is produced by diverse plant species. This metabolite was not reported previously in any Penicillium species and was only found once before in fungi (that time, in a Fusarium). Here, we discuss the known activities of 5-pentadecyl resorcinol in the context of its mode-of-action as a hydrophobic (chaotropicity-mediated) stressor.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A Oliveira
- Universidade do Estado do Amazonas - UEA, Manaus, AM, Brasil
| | - M M Macedo
- Centro Universitário do Norte - UNINORTE, Manaus, AM, Brasil
| | - J L S Rodrigues
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Departamento de Produtos Naturais, Manaus, AM, Brasil
| | - E S Lima
- Universidade Federal do Amazonas - UFAM, Manaus, AM, Brasil
| | - P G Hamill
- Queen's University Belfast, Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, UK
| | - T D Dallas
- Queen's University Belfast, Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, UK
| | - M P Lima
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Departamento de Produtos Naturais, Manaus, AM, Brasil
| | - E S Souza
- Universidade do Estado do Amazonas - UEA, Manaus, AM, Brasil
| | - J E Hallsworth
- Queen's University Belfast, Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, UK
| | - J V B Souza
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - INPA, Laboratório de Micologia, Manaus, AM, Brasil
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18
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Bitencourt TA, Neves-da-Rocha J, Martins MP, Sanches PR, Lang EAS, Bortolossi JC, Rossi A, Martinez-Rossi NM. StuA-Regulated Processes in the Dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum: Transcription Profile, Cell-Cell Adhesion, and Immunomodulation. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:643659. [PMID: 34169004 PMCID: PMC8218993 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.643659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fungal infections represent a significant concern worldwide, contributing to human morbidity and mortality. Dermatophyte infections are among the most significant mycoses, and Trichophyton rubrum appears to be the principal causative agent. Thus, an understanding of its pathophysiology is urgently required. Several lines of evidence have demonstrated that the APSES family of transcription factors (Asm1p, Phd1p, Sok2p, Efg1p, and StuA) is an important point of vulnerability in fungal pathogens and a potential therapeutic target. These transcription factors are unique to fungi, contributing to cell differentiation and adaptation to environmental cues and virulence. It has recently been demonstrated that StuA plays a pleiotropic role in dermatophyte pathophysiology. It was suggested that it functions as a mediator of crosstalk between different pathways that ultimately contribute to adaptive responses and fungal-host interactions. The complex regulation of StuA and its interaction pathways are yet to be unveiled. Thus, this study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of StuA-regulated processes in T. rubrum by assessing global gene expression following growth on keratin or glucose sources. The data showed the involvement of StuA in biological processes related to central carbon metabolism and glycerol catabolism, reactive oxygen species metabolism, and cell wall construction. Changes in carbohydrate metabolism may be responsible for the significant alteration in cell wall pattern and consequently in cell-cell interaction and adhesion. Loss of StuA led to impaired biofilm production and promoted proinflammatory cytokine secretion in a human keratinocyte cell line. We also observed the StuA-dependent regulation of catalase genes. Altogether, these data demonstrate the multitude of regulatory targets of StuA with a critical role in central metabolism that may ultimately trigger a cascade of secondary effects with substantial impact on fungal physiology and virulence traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamires A Bitencourt
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - João Neves-da-Rocha
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Maira P Martins
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Pablo R Sanches
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Elza A S Lang
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Julio C Bortolossi
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Antonio Rossi
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Nilce M Martinez-Rossi
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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19
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Zandalinas SI, Fritschi FB, Mittler R. Global Warming, Climate Change, and Environmental Pollution: Recipe for a Multifactorial Stress Combination Disaster. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 26:588-599. [PMID: 33745784 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2021.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 62.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Global warming, climate change, and environmental pollution present plants with unique combinations of different abiotic and biotic stresses. Although much is known about how plants acclimate to each of these individual stresses, little is known about how they respond to a combination of many of these stress factors occurring together, namely a multifactorial stress combination. Recent studies revealed that increasing the number of different co-occurring multifactorial stress factors causes a severe decline in plant growth and survival, as well as in the microbiome biodiversity that plants depend upon. This effect should serve as a dire warning to our society and prompt us to decisively act to reduce pollutants, fight global warming, and augment the tolerance of crops to multifactorial stress combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara I Zandalinas
- Division of Plant Sciences and Interdisciplinary Plant Group, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, 1201 Rollins Street, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Felix B Fritschi
- Division of Plant Sciences and Interdisciplinary Plant Group, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, 1201 Rollins Street, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Ron Mittler
- Division of Plant Sciences and Interdisciplinary Plant Group, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, 1201 Rollins Street, Columbia, MO 65201, USA; Department of Surgery, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, 1201 Rollins Street, Columbia, MO 65201, USA.
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20
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Thompson TP, Kelly SA, Skvortsov T, Plunkett G, Ruffell A, Hallsworth JE, Hopps J, Gilmore BF. Microbiology of a
NaCl
stalactite ‘salticle’ in Triassic halite. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:3881-3895. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas P. Thompson
- Biofilm Research Group, School of Pharmacy Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre Belfast BT9 7BL UK
| | - Stephen A. Kelly
- Biofilm Research Group, School of Pharmacy Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre Belfast BT9 7BL UK
| | - Timofey Skvortsov
- Biofilm Research Group, School of Pharmacy Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre Belfast BT9 7BL UK
| | - Gill Plunkett
- School of Natural and Built Environment, Department of Archaeology, Geography and Palaeoecology Queen's University Belfast Belfast BT7 1NN UK
| | - Alastair Ruffell
- School of Natural and Built Environment, Department of Archaeology, Geography and Palaeoecology Queen's University Belfast Belfast BT7 1NN UK
| | - John E. Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast Belfast BT9 5DL UK
| | - Jason Hopps
- Irish Salt Mining & Exploration Company Ltd. Carrickfergus BT38 9BT UK
| | - Brendan F. Gilmore
- Biofilm Research Group, School of Pharmacy Queen's University Belfast, Medical Biology Centre Belfast BT9 7BL UK
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast Belfast BT9 5DL UK
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21
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Hallsworth JE. Mars' surface is not universally biocidal. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:3345-3350. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John E. Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences Queen's University Belfast 19 Chlorine Gardens Belfast BT9 7BL UK
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22
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Hallsworth JE, Mancinelli RL, Conley CA, Dallas TD, Rinaldi T, Davila AF, Benison KC, Rapoport A, Cavalazzi B, Selbmann L, Changela H, Westall F, Yakimov MM, Amils R, Madigan MT. Astrobiology of life on Earth. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:3335-3344. [PMID: 33817931 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Astrobiology is mistakenly regarded by some as a field confined to studies of life beyond Earth. Here, we consider life on Earth through an astrobiological lens. Whereas classical studies of microbiology historically focused on various anthropocentric sub-fields (such as fermented foods or commensals and pathogens of crop plants, livestock and humans), addressing key biological questions via astrobiological approaches can further our understanding of all life on Earth. We highlight potential implications of this approach through the articles in this Environmental Microbiology special issue 'Ecophysiology of Extremophiles'. They report on the microbiology of places/processes including low-temperature environments and chemically diverse saline- and hypersaline habitats; aspects of sulphur metabolism in hypersaline lakes, dysoxic marine waters, and thermal acidic springs; biology of extremophile viruses; the survival of terrestrial extremophiles on the surface of Mars; biological soils crusts and rock-associated microbes of deserts; subsurface and deep biosphere, including a salticle formed within Triassic halite; and interactions of microbes with igneous and sedimentary rocks. These studies, some of which we highlight here, contribute to our understanding of the spatiotemporal reach of Earth'sfunctional biosphere, and the tenacity of terrestrial life. Their findings will help set the stage for future work focused on the constraints for life, and how organisms adapt and evolve to circumvent these constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Rocco L Mancinelli
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA, 94035, USA
| | | | - Tiffany D Dallas
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Teresa Rinaldi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy
| | | | - Kathleen C Benison
- Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506-6300, USA
| | - Alexander Rapoport
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str., 1-537, Riga, LV-1004, Latvia
| | - Barbara Cavalazzi
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy
| | - Laura Selbmann
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, 01100, Italy.,Italian Antarctic National Museum (MNA), Mycological Section, Genoa, 16128, Italy
| | - Hitesh Changela
- Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China.,Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Frances Westall
- CNRS, Ctr Biophys Mol UPR 4301, Rue Charles Sadron, CS 80054, Orleans, F-45071, France
| | - Michail M Yakimov
- Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology, IRBIM-CNR, Messina, 98122, Italy
| | - Ricardo Amils
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (CBMSO, CSICUAM), Cantoblanco, Madrid, 28049, Spain.,Centro de Astrobiología (CAB, INTA-CSIC), Torrejón de Ardoz, 28055, Spain
| | - Michael T Madigan
- School of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
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23
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Han YC, Zeng XG, Guo C, Zhang QH, Chen FY, Ren L, Chen WD, Qin L. Reproduction response of Colletotrichum fungi under the fungicide stress reveals new aspects of chemical control of fungal diseases. Microb Biotechnol 2021; 15:431-441. [PMID: 33470538 PMCID: PMC8867994 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic fungicides and antifungals are used as frontline treatments for fungal diseases in plants and humans. It is generally accepted that fungicides will bring significant negative side‐effects to the environment and result in fungicide resistance in the pathogenic fungi. Although previous research has focused on fungicide application rates and fungal resistance for a long time, little attention has been paid to fungicide residues after treatment, especially their potential role in fungal growth and sporulation. Here we investigated the effect of fungicides at sublethal concentrations on fungal sporulation. The results showed that two kinds of 14α‐demethylase inhibitors (DMIs) fungicides increased the number of isolates of Colletotrichum spp. to sporulate on PDA. Both on PDA medium and plant tissue, low concentration of DMI fungicides could promote spore production of Colletotrichum spp., whereas pyraclostrobin, a quinone outside inhibitor (QoIs), had no significant effects on sporulation of Colletotrichum spp. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that the DMIs fungicide stress signal may be transmitted to the central regulatory pathway through the FluG‐mediated signalling pathway, and further confirmed the morphological effect of DMI fungicide on promoting sporulation of Colletotrichum. To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide insights into the reproductive response of fungi in response to fungicide stress. Our findings indicate that fungicides have two‐way effects on the growth and reproduction of pathogenic fungi and provide a new basis for the scientific and rational use of fungicides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Chao Han
- Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Enhancement and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Industrial Crops, Wuhan, 430064, China
| | - Xiang-Guo Zeng
- Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Enhancement and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Industrial Crops, Wuhan, 430064, China
| | - Cong Guo
- Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Enhancement and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Industrial Crops, Wuhan, 430064, China
| | - Qing-Hua Zhang
- Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Enhancement and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Industrial Crops, Wuhan, 430064, China
| | - Feng-Ying Chen
- Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Enhancement and Genetic Improvement, Institute of Industrial Crops, Wuhan, 430064, China
| | - Li Ren
- Oil Crops Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, 430062, China
| | - Wei-Dong Chen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Li Qin
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
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Valette N, Renou J, Boutilliat A, Fernández-González AJ, Gautier V, Silar P, Guyeux C, Charr JC, Cuenot S, Rose C, Gelhaye E, Morel-Rouhier M. OSIP1 is a self-assembling DUF3129 protein required to protect fungal cells from toxins and stressors. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:1594-1607. [PMID: 33393164 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Secreted proteins are key players in fungal physiology and cell protection against external stressing agents and antifungals. Oak stress-induced protein 1 (OSIP1) is a fungal-specific protein with unknown function. By using Podospora anserina and Phanerochaete chrysosporium as models, we combined both in vivo functional approaches and biophysical characterization of OSIP1 recombinant protein. The P. anserina OSIP1Δ mutant showed an increased sensitivity to the antifungal caspofungin compared to the wild type. This correlated with the production of a weakened extracellular exopolysaccharide/protein matrix (ECM). Since the recombinant OSIP1 from P. chrysosporium self-assembled as fibers and was capable of gelation, it is likely that OSIP1 is linked to ECM formation that acts as a physical barrier preventing drug toxicity. Moreover, compared to the wild type, the OSIP1Δ mutant was more sensitive to oak extractives including chaotropic phenols and benzenes. It exhibited a strongly modified secretome pattern and an increased production of proteins associated to the cell-wall integrity signalling pathway, when grown on oak sawdust. This demonstrates that OSIP1 has also an important role in fungal resistance to extractive-induced stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Valette
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, Interactions Arbres/Micro-organismes (IAM), UMR 1136, Nancy, 54000, France
| | - Julien Renou
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, Interactions Arbres/Micro-organismes (IAM), UMR 1136, Nancy, 54000, France
| | - Alexis Boutilliat
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, Interactions Arbres/Micro-organismes (IAM), UMR 1136, Nancy, 54000, France
| | | | - Valérie Gautier
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), Paris, 75205, France
| | - Philippe Silar
- Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Energies de Demain (LIED), Paris, 75205, France
| | - Christophe Guyeux
- Computer Science Department, FEMTO-ST Institute, UMR 6174 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, Besançon, 25030, France
| | - Jean-Claude Charr
- Computer Science Department, FEMTO-ST Institute, UMR 6174 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 16 route de Gray, Besançon, 25030, France
| | - Stéphane Cuenot
- Institut des Matériaux Jean Rouxel, Université de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssinière, Nantes Cedex 3, 44322, France
| | - Christophe Rose
- Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, UMR Silva, Nancy, 54000, France
| | - Eric Gelhaye
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, Interactions Arbres/Micro-organismes (IAM), UMR 1136, Nancy, 54000, France
| | - Mélanie Morel-Rouhier
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, Interactions Arbres/Micro-organismes (IAM), UMR 1136, Nancy, 54000, France
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Haloadaptative Responses of Aspergillus sydowii to Extreme Water Deprivation: Morphology, Compatible Solutes, and Oxidative Stress at NaCl Saturation. J Fungi (Basel) 2020; 6:jof6040316. [PMID: 33260894 PMCID: PMC7711451 DOI: 10.3390/jof6040316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Water activity (aw) is critical for microbial growth, as it is severely restricted at aw < 0.90. Saturating NaCl concentrations (~5.0 M) induce extreme water deprivation (aw ≅ 0.75) and cellular stress responses. Halophilic fungi have cellular adaptations that enable osmotic balance and ionic/oxidative stress prevention to grow at high salinity. Here we studied the morphology, osmolyte synthesis, and oxidative stress defenses of the halophile Aspergillus sydowii EXF-12860 at 1.0 M and 5.13 M NaCl. Colony growth, pigmentation, exudate, and spore production were inhibited at NaCl-saturated media. Additionally, hyphae showed unpolarized growth, lower diameter, and increased septation, multicellularity and branching compared to optimal NaCl concentration. Trehalose, mannitol, arabitol, erythritol, and glycerol were produced in the presence of both 1.0 M and 5.13 M NaCl. Exposing A. sydowii cells to 5.13 M NaCl resulted in oxidative stress evidenced by an increase in antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation biomarkers. Also, genes involved in cellular antioxidant defense systems were upregulated. This is the most comprehensive study that investigates the micromorphology and the adaptative cellular response of different non-enzymatic and enzymatic oxidative stress biomarkers in halophilic filamentous fungi.
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26
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Pavankumar TL, Mittal P, Hallsworth JE. Molecular insights into the ecology of a psychrotolerant
Pseudomonas syringae. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:3665-3681. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Theetha L. Pavankumar
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Briggs Hall, One Shields Avenue University of California Davis CA USA
| | - Pragya Mittal
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine University of Edinburgh Crewe Road South, Edinburgh, EH42XU, Scotland UK
| | - John E. Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences Queen's University Belfast 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL Northern Ireland UK
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27
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Leandro MR, Vespoli LDS, Andrade LF, Soares FS, Boechat AL, Pimentel VR, Moreira JR, Passamani LZ, Silveira V, de Souza Filho GA. DegP protease is essential for tolerance to salt stress in the plant growth-promoting bacterium Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus PAL5. Microbiol Res 2020; 243:126654. [PMID: 33285429 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2020.126654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The use of plant growth-promoting bacteria represents an alternative to the massive use of mineral fertilizers in agriculture. However, some abiotic stresses commonly found in the environment, like salinity, can affect the efficiency of this approach. Here, we investigated the key mechanisms involved in the response of the plant growth-promoting bacterium Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus to salt stress by using morphological and cell viability analyses, comparative proteomics, and reverse genetics. Our results revealed that the bacteria produce filamentous cells in response to salt at 100 mM and 150 mM NaCl. However, such a response was not observed at higher concentrations, where cell viability was severely affected. Proteomic analysis showed that salt stress modulates proteins involved in several pathways, including iron uptake, outer membrane efflux, osmotic adjustment, cell division and elongation, and protein transport and quality control. Proteomic data also revealed the repression of several extracytoplasmic proteins, especially those located at periplasm and outer membrane. The role of such pathways in the tolerance to salt stress was analyzed by the use of mutant defectives for Δtbdr (iron uptake), ΔmtlK and ΔotsA (compatible solutes synthesis), and ΔdegP (quality control of nascent extracytoplasmic proteins). ΔdegP presented the highest sensitivity to salt stress, Δtbdr, andΔmtlK also showed increased sensitivity, but ΔotsA was not affected. This is the first demonstration that DegP protein, a protease with minor chaperone activity, is essential for tolerance to salt stress in G. diazotrophicus. Our data contribute to a better understanding of the molecular bases that control the bacterial response/tolerance to salt stress, shedding light on quality control of nascent extracytoplasmic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Ramos Leandro
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciano de Souza Vespoli
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leandro Fernandes Andrade
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiano Silva Soares
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Laura Boechat
- Instituto de Química (Departamento de Bioquímica), Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 748, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Vivian Ribeiro Pimentel
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Julia Rosa Moreira
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lucas Zanchetta Passamani
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vanildo Silveira
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gonçalo Apolinário de Souza Filho
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia (Setor de Biologia Integrativa), Universidade Estadual do Norte, Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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28
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Abstract
Bioethanol is the largest biotechnology product and the most dominant biofuel globally. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the most favored microorganism employed for its industrial production. However, obtaining maximum yields from an ethanol fermentation remains a technical challenge, since cellular stresses detrimentally impact on the efficiency of yeast cell growth and metabolism. Ethanol fermentation stresses potentially include osmotic, chaotropic, oxidative, and heat stress, as well as shifts in pH. Well-developed stress responses and tolerance mechanisms make S. cerevisiae industrious, with bioprocessing techniques also being deployed at industrial scale for the optimization of fermentation parameters and the effective management of inhibition issues. Overlap exists between yeast responses to different forms of stress. This review outlines yeast fermentation stresses and known mechanisms conferring stress tolerance, with their further elucidation and improvement possessing the potential to improve fermentation efficiency.
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29
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Lang EAS, Bitencourt TA, Peres NTA, Lopes L, Silva LG, Cazzaniga RA, Rossi A, Martinez-Rossi NM. The stuA gene controls development, adaptation, stress tolerance, and virulence of the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum. Microbiol Res 2020; 241:126592. [PMID: 33002720 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2020.126592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The APSES family, comprising of the transcriptional regulators Asm1p, Phd1p, Sok2p, Efg1p, and StuA, is found exclusively in fungi and has been reported to control several cellular processes in these organisms. However, its function in dermatophytes has not yet been completely understood. Here, we generated two null mutant strains by deleting the stuA gene in the dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum, the most common clinical isolate obtained from human skin and nail mycoses. The functional characterization of the knocked-out strains revealed the involvement of stuA in germination, morphogenesis of conidia and hyphae, pigmentation, stress responses, and virulence. Although the mutant strains could grow under several nutritional conditions, growth on the keratin medium, human nails, and skin was impaired. The co-culture of stuA mutants with human keratinocytes revealed enhanced development. Moreover, a stuA mutant grown on the keratin substrate showed a marked decrease in the transcript numbers of the hydrophobin encoding gene (hypA), suggesting the involvement of stuA in the molecular mechanisms underlying mechanosensing during the fungi-host interaction. In addition, bioinformatics analyses revealed the potential involvement of StuA in different biological processes such as oxidation-reduction, phosphorylation, proteolysis, transcription/translation regulation, and carbohydrate metabolism. Cumulatively, the present study suggested that StuA is a crosstalk mediator of many pathways and is an integral component of the infection process, implying that it could be a potential target for antifungal therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elza A S Lang
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tamires A Bitencourt
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nalu T A Peres
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Lucia Lopes
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Larissa G Silva
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A Cazzaniga
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Antonio Rossi
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nilce M Martinez-Rossi
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
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30
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Paul K, Hartmann T, Posch C, Behrens D, Herwig C. Investigation of cell line specific responses to pH inhomogeneity and consequences for process design. Eng Life Sci 2020; 20:412-421. [PMID: 32944016 PMCID: PMC7481767 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202000034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With increasing bioreactor volumes, the mixing time of the reactor increases as well, which creates an inhomogeneous environment for the cells. This can result in impaired process performance in large-scale production reactors. Particularly the addition of base through the reactor headspace can be problematic, since it creates an area, where cells are repeatedly exposed to an increased pH. The aim of this study is to simulate this large-scale phenomenon at lab-scale and investigate its impact. Two different cell lines were exposed to pH amplitudes of a maximal magnitude of 0.05 units (pH of 6.95). Both cell lines showed similar responses, like decreased viable cell counts, but unaffected lactate levels. However, cell line B showed an initially increased specific productivity in response to the introduced amplitudes, whereas cell line A showed a consistently lower specific productivity. Furthermore, the time point at which base addition is started influences the impact, which pH amplitudes have on process performance. When pH control was started earlier in the process, maximal viable cell counts decreased and the lactate metabolic shift was less pronounced. These results show that the potential negative impact of pH amplitudes can be minimized by strategic process design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Paul
- Institute of ChemicalEnvironmental and Bioscience EngineeringTU WienViennaAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mechanistic and Physiological Methods for Improved BioprocessesTU WienViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Hartmann
- Institute of ChemicalEnvironmental and Bioscience EngineeringTU WienViennaAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mechanistic and Physiological Methods for Improved BioprocessesTU WienViennaAustria
| | | | | | - Christoph Herwig
- Institute of ChemicalEnvironmental and Bioscience EngineeringTU WienViennaAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mechanistic and Physiological Methods for Improved BioprocessesTU WienViennaAustria
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31
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Timson DJ, Eardley J. Destressing Yeast for Higher Biofuel Yields: Can Excess Chaotropicity Be Mitigated? Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2020; 192:1368-1375. [PMID: 32803494 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-020-03406-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Biofuels have the capacity to contribute to carbon dioxide emission reduction and to energy security as oil reserves diminish and/or become concentrated in politically unstable regions. However, challenges exist in obtaining the maximum yield from industrial fermentations. One challenge arises from the nature of alcohols. These compounds are chaotropic (i.e. causes disorder in the system) which causes stress in the microbes producing the biofuel. Brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) typically cannot grow at ethanol concentration much above 17% (v/v). Mitigation of these properties has the potential to increase yield. Previously, we have explored the effects of chaotropes on model enzyme systems and attempted (largely unsuccessfully) to offset these effects by kosmotropes (compounds which increase the order of the system, i.e. the "opposite" of chaotropes). Here we present some theoretical results which suggest that high molecular mass polyethylene glycols may be the most effective kosmotropic additives in terms of both efficacy and cost. The assumptions and limitations of these calculations are also presented. A deeper understanding of the effects of chaotropes on biofuel-producing microbes is likely to inform improvements in bioethanol yields and enable more rational approaches to the "neutralisation" of chaotropicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Timson
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Huxley Building, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK.
| | - Joshua Eardley
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Huxley Building, Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 4GJ, UK
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32
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Effects of Deoxynivalenol and Zearalenone on the Histology and Ultrastructure of Pig Liver. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12070463. [PMID: 32698427 PMCID: PMC7404993 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12070463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of single and combined administrations of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) on the histology and ultrastructure of pig liver. The study was performed on immature gilts, which were divided into four equal groups. Animals in the experimental groups received DON at a dose of 12 μg/kg body weight (BW) per day, ZEN at 40 μg/kg BW per day, or a mixture of DON (12 μg/kg BW per day) and ZEN (40 μg/kg BW). The control group received vehicle. The animals were killed after 1, 3, and 6 weeks of experiment. Treatment with mycotoxins resulted in several changes in liver histology and ultrastructure, including: (1) an increase in the thickness of the perilobular connective tissue and its penetration to the lobules in gilts receiving DON and DON + ZEN; (2) an increase in the total microscopic liver score (histology activity index (HAI)) in pigs receiving DON and DON + ZEN; (3) dilatation of hepatic sinusoids in pigs receiving ZEN, DON and DON + ZEN; (4) temporary changes in glycogen content in all experimental groups; (5) an increase in iron accumulation in the hepatocytes of gilts treated with ZEN and DON + ZEN; (6) changes in endoplasmic reticulum organization in the hepatocytes of pigs receiving toxins; (7) changes in morphology of Browicz-Kupffer cells after treatment with ZEN, DON, and DON + ZEN. The results show that low doses of mycotoxins used in the present study, even when applied for a short period, affected liver morphology.
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33
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Rath H, Sappa PK, Hoffmann T, Gesell Salazar M, Reder A, Steil L, Hecker M, Bremer E, Mäder U, Völker U. Impact of high salinity and the compatible solute glycine betaine on gene expression of Bacillus subtilis. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:3266-3286. [PMID: 32419322 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is frequently exposed to hyperosmotic conditions. In addition to the induction of genes involved in the accumulation of compatible solutes, high salinity exerts widespread effects on B. subtilis physiology, including changes in cell wall metabolism, induction of an iron limitation response, reduced motility and suppression of sporulation. We performed a combined whole-transcriptome and proteome analysis of B. subtilis 168 cells continuously cultivated at low or high (1.2 M NaCl) salinity. Our study revealed significant changes in the expression of more than one-fourth of the protein-coding genes and of numerous non-coding RNAs. New aspects in understanding the impact of high salinity on B. subtilis include a sustained low-level induction of the SigB-dependent general stress response and strong repression of biofilm formation under high-salinity conditions. The accumulation of compatible solutes such as glycine betaine aids the cells to cope with water stress by maintaining physiologically adequate levels of turgor and also affects multiple cellular processes through interactions with cellular components. Therefore, we additionally analysed the global effects of glycine betaine on the transcriptome and proteome of B. subtilis and revealed that it influences gene expression not only under high-salinity, but also under standard growth conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermann Rath
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Praveen K Sappa
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tamara Hoffmann
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Manuela Gesell Salazar
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alexander Reder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Leif Steil
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Michael Hecker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V. (IMaB), Greifswald, Germany
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Mäder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V. (IMaB), Greifswald, Germany
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34
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Microbiome and ecology of a hot spring-microbialite system on the Trans-Himalayan Plateau. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5917. [PMID: 32246033 PMCID: PMC7125080 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62797-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about life in the boron-rich hot springs of Trans-Himalayas. Here, we explore the geomicrobiology of a 4438-m-high spring which emanates ~70 °C-water from a boratic microbialite called Shivlinga. Due to low atmospheric pressure, the vent-water is close to boiling point so can entropically destabilize biomacromolecular systems. Starting from the vent, Shivlinga’s geomicrobiology was revealed along the thermal gradients of an outflow-channel and a progressively-drying mineral matrix that has no running water; ecosystem constraints were then considered in relation to those of entropically comparable environments. The spring-water chemistry and sinter mineralogy were dominated by borates, sodium, thiosulfate, sulfate, sulfite, sulfide, bicarbonate, and other macromolecule-stabilizing (kosmotropic) substances. Microbial diversity was high along both of the hydrothermal gradients. Bacteria, Eukarya and Archaea constituted >98%, ~1% and <1% of Shivlinga’s microbiome, respectively. Temperature constrained the biodiversity at ~50 °C and ~60 °C, but not below 46 °C. Along each thermal gradient, in the vent-to-apron trajectory, communities were dominated by Aquificae/Deinococcus-Thermus, then Chlorobi/Chloroflexi/Cyanobacteria, and finally Bacteroidetes/Proteobacteria/Firmicutes. Interestingly, sites of >45 °C were inhabited by phylogenetic relatives of taxa for which laboratory growth is not known at >45 °C. Shivlinga’s geomicrobiology highlights the possibility that the system’s kosmotrope-dominated chemistry mitigates against the biomacromolecule-disordering effects of its thermal water.
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35
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Hamill PG, Stevenson A, McMullan PE, Williams JP, Lewis ADR, S S, Stevenson KE, Farnsworth KD, Khroustalyova G, Takemoto JY, Quinn JP, Rapoport A, Hallsworth JE. Microbial lag phase can be indicative of, or independent from, cellular stress. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5948. [PMID: 32246056 PMCID: PMC7125082 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62552-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Measures of microbial growth, used as indicators of cellular stress, are sometimes quantified at a single time-point. In reality, these measurements are compound representations of length of lag, exponential growth-rate, and other factors. Here, we investigate whether length of lag phase can act as a proxy for stress, using a number of model systems (Aspergillus penicillioides; Bacillus subtilis; Escherichia coli; Eurotium amstelodami, E. echinulatum, E. halophilicum, and E. repens; Mrakia frigida; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Xerochrysium xerophilum; Xeromyces bisporus) exposed to mechanistically distinct types of cellular stress including low water activity, other solute-induced stresses, and dehydration-rehydration cycles. Lag phase was neither proportional to germination rate for X. bisporus (FRR3443) in glycerol-supplemented media (r2 = 0.012), nor to exponential growth-rates for other microbes. In some cases, growth-rates varied greatly with stressor concentration even when lag remained constant. By contrast, there were strong correlations for B. subtilis in media supplemented with polyethylene-glycol 6000 or 600 (r2 = 0.925 and 0.961), and for other microbial species. We also analysed data from independent studies of food-spoilage fungi under glycerol stress (Aspergillus aculeatinus and A. sclerotiicarbonarius); mesophilic/psychrotolerant bacteria under diverse, solute-induced stresses (Brochothrix thermosphacta, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus); and fungal enzymes under acid-stress (Terfezia claveryi lipoxygenase and Agaricus bisporus tyrosinase). These datasets also exhibited diversity, with some strong- and moderate correlations between length of lag and exponential growth-rates; and sometimes none. In conclusion, lag phase is not a reliable measure of stress because length of lag and growth-rate inhibition are sometimes highly correlated, and sometimes not at all.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip G Hamill
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Andrew Stevenson
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Phillip E McMullan
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - James P Williams
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Abiann D R Lewis
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Sudharsan S
- Department of Chemistry, PGP College of Arts and Science, NH-7, Karur Main Road, Paramathi, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, 637 207, India
| | - Kath E Stevenson
- Special Collections and Archives, McClay Library, Queen's University Belfast, 10 College Park Avenue, Belfast, BT7 1LP, Northern Ireland
| | - Keith D Farnsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Galina Khroustalyova
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str., 1-537, LV-1004, Riga, Latvia
| | - Jon Y Takemoto
- Utah State University, Department of Biology, 5305 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - John P Quinn
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland
| | - Alexander Rapoport
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Str., 1-537, LV-1004, Riga, Latvia
| | - John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland.
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36
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Wang CN, Wu RL, Li YY, Qin YF, Li YL, Meng FQ, Wang LG, Xu FL. Effects of pesticide residues on bacterial community diversity and structure in typical greenhouse soils with increasing cultivation years in Northern China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 710:136321. [PMID: 31923679 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The understanding of soil microbiome is important for sustainable cultivation, especially under greenhouse conditions. Here, we investigated the changes in soil pesticide residues and microbial diversity and community structure at different cultivation years under a greenhouse system. The 9-to-14 years sites were found to have the least diversity/rich microbial population as compared to sites under 8 years and over 16 years, as analyzed with alpha diversity index. In total, 42 bacterial phyla were identified across soils with different pesticide residues and cultivation ages. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes represented the dominant phyla, that accounted for 34.2-43.4%, 9.7-19.3% and 9.2-16.5% of the total population, respectively. Our data prove that certain pesticides contribute to variation in soil microbial community and that soil bacteria respond differently to cultivation years under greenhouse conditions. Thus, this study provides an insight into microbial community structure changes by pesticides under greenhouse systems and natural biodegradation may have an important part in pesticides soil decontamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao-Nan Wang
- MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Rui-Lin Wu
- MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yu-Yan Li
- MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yi-Fan Qin
- MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yi-Long Li
- MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Fan-Qiao Meng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Organic Farming, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Li-Gang Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Agricultural Non-point Source Pollution Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Fu-Liu Xu
- MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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37
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Alder-Rangel A, Idnurm A, Brand AC, Brown AJP, Gorbushina A, Kelliher CM, Campos CB, Levin DE, Bell-Pedersen D, Dadachova E, Bauer FF, Gadd GM, Braus GH, Braga GUL, Brancini GTP, Walker GM, Druzhinina I, Pócsi I, Dijksterhuis J, Aguirre J, Hallsworth JE, Schumacher J, Wong KH, Selbmann L, Corrochano LM, Kupiec M, Momany M, Molin M, Requena N, Yarden O, Cordero RJB, Fischer R, Pascon RC, Mancinelli RL, Emri T, Basso TO, Rangel DEN. The Third International Symposium on Fungal Stress - ISFUS. Fungal Biol 2020; 124:235-252. [PMID: 32389286 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2020.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Stress is a normal part of life for fungi, which can survive in environments considered inhospitable or hostile for other organisms. Due to the ability of fungi to respond to, survive in, and transform the environment, even under severe stresses, many researchers are exploring the mechanisms that enable fungi to adapt to stress. The International Symposium on Fungal Stress (ISFUS) brings together leading scientists from around the world who research fungal stress. This article discusses presentations given at the third ISFUS, held in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil in 2019, thereby summarizing the state-of-the-art knowledge on fungal stress, a field that includes microbiology, agriculture, ecology, biotechnology, medicine, and astrobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexander Idnurm
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Alexandra C Brand
- Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Exeter, England, UK
| | - Alistair J P Brown
- Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology at the University of Exeter, Exeter, England, UK
| | - Anna Gorbushina
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Materials and the Environment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christina M Kelliher
- Department of Molecular & Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Claudia B Campos
- Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - David E Levin
- Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Deborah Bell-Pedersen
- Center for Biological Clocks Research, Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Ekaterina Dadachova
- College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Florian F Bauer
- Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
| | - Geoffrey M Gadd
- Geomicrobiology Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK
| | - Gerhard H Braus
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics and Goettingen Center for Molecular Biosciences, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gilberto U L Braga
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Guilherme T P Brancini
- Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Graeme M Walker
- School of Applied Sciences, Abertay University, Dundee, Scotland, UK
| | | | - István Pócsi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Jan Dijksterhuis
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jesús Aguirre
- Departamento de Biología Celular y del Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Julia Schumacher
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, Materials and the Environment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Koon Ho Wong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR, China
| | - Laura Selbmann
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy; Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA), Mycological Section, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Martin Kupiec
- School of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michelle Momany
- Fungal Biology Group & Plant Biology Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Mikael Molin
- Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Natalia Requena
- Molecular Phytopathology Department, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Oded Yarden
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jeruslaem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Radamés J B Cordero
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Reinhard Fischer
- Department of Microbiology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Renata C Pascon
- Biological Sciences Department, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Diadema, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Tamas Emri
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Thiago O Basso
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Escola Politécnica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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38
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Baricz A, Chiriac CM, Andrei AȘ, Bulzu PA, Levei EA, Cadar O, Battes KP, Cîmpean M, Șenilă M, Cristea A, Muntean V, Alexe M, Coman C, Szekeres EK, Sicora CI, Ionescu A, Blain D, O'Neill WK, Edwards J, Hallsworth JE, Banciu HL. Spatio-temporal insights into microbiology of the freshwater-to-hypersaline, oxic-hypoxic-euxinic waters of Ursu Lake. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:3523-3540. [PMID: 31894632 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Ursu Lake is located in the Middle Miocene salt deposit of Central Romania. It is stratified, and the water column has three distinct water masses: an upper freshwater-to-moderately saline stratum (0-3 m), an intermediate stratum exhibiting a steep halocline (3-3.5 m), and a lower hypersaline stratum (4 m and below) that is euxinic (i.e. anoxic and sulphidic). Recent studies have characterized the lake's microbial taxonomy and given rise to intriguing ecological questions. Here, we explore whether the communities are dynamic or stable in relation to taxonomic composition, geochemistry, biophysics, and ecophysiological functions during the annual cycle. We found: (i) seasonally fluctuating, light-dependent communities in the upper layer (≥0.987-0.990 water-activity), a stable but phylogenetically diverse population of heterotrophs in the hypersaline stratum (water activities down to 0.762) and a persistent plate of green sulphur bacteria that connects these two (0.958-0.956 water activity) at 3-3.5 to 4 m; (ii) communities that might be involved in carbon- and sulphur-cycling between and within the lake's three main water masses; (iii) uncultured lineages including Acetothermia (OP1), Cloacimonetes (WWE1), Marinimicrobia (SAR406), Omnitrophicaeota (OP3), Parcubacteria (OD1) and other Candidate Phyla Radiation bacteria, and SR1 in the hypersaline stratum (likely involved in the anaerobic steps of carbon- and sulphur-cycling); and (iv) that species richness and habitat stability are associated with high redox-potentials. Ursu Lake has a unique and complex ecology, at the same time exhibiting dynamic fluctuations and stability, and can be used as a modern analogue for ancient euxinic water bodies and comparator system for other stratified hypersaline systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Baricz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cecilia Maria Chiriac
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Institute of Biological Research, 48 Republicii Str., 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Adrian-Ștefan Andrei
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,Department of Aquatic Microbial Ecology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Biology Centre CAS, Na Sádkách 702/7, 370 05 České, Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Paul-Adrian Bulzu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Bio-Nano-Sciences, 42 A. Treboniu Laurian Str., Babeş-Bolyai University, 400271, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Erika Andrea Levei
- INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Str., 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Oana Cadar
- INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Str., 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Karina Paula Battes
- Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Mirela Cîmpean
- Department of Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Marin Șenilă
- INCDO-INOE 2000, Research Institute for Analytical Instrumentation, 67 Donath Str., 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Adorján Cristea
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Bio-Nano-Sciences, 42 A. Treboniu Laurian Str., Babeş-Bolyai University, 400271, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Vasile Muntean
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Mircea Alexe
- Department of Physical and Technical Geography, Faculty of Geography, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristian Coman
- National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Institute of Biological Research, 48 Republicii Str., 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Edina Kriszta Szekeres
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, Institute of Biological Research, 48 Republicii Str., 400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cosmin Ionel Sicora
- Biological Research Center Jibou, 16 Wesselenyi Miklos Str., 455200, Jibou, Romania
| | - Artur Ionescu
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, 30 Fantanele Str., 400294, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - David Blain
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - William Kenneth O'Neill
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Jessica Edwards
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - John Edward Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Horia Leonard Banciu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, 5-7 Clinicilor Str., 400006, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Bio-Nano-Sciences, 42 A. Treboniu Laurian Str., Babeş-Bolyai University, 400271, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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39
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Brown AJP, Larcombe DE, Pradhan A. Thoughts on the evolution of Core Environmental Responses in yeasts. Fungal Biol 2020; 124:475-481. [PMID: 32389310 PMCID: PMC7232023 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2020.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The model yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe, display Core Environmental Responses (CERs) that include the induction of a core set of stress genes in response to diverse environmental stresses. CERs underlie the phenomenon of stress cross-protection, whereby exposure to one type of stress can provide protection against subsequent exposure to a second type of stress. CERs have probably arisen through the accumulation, over evolutionary time, of protective anticipatory responses (“adaptive prediction”). CERs have been observed in other evolutionarily divergent fungi but, interestingly, not in the pathogenic yeast, Candida albicans. We argue that this is because we have not looked in the right place. In response to specific host inputs, C. albicans does activate anticipatory responses that protect it against impending attack from the immune system. Therefore, we suggest that C. albicans has evolved a CER that reflects the environmental challenges it faces in host niches. We review Core Environmental Responses (CERs) in domesticated and pathogenic yeasts. CERs probably evolved through the accumulation of protective anticipatory responses. Evolutionarily diverse yeasts display CERs, but the pathogen, Candida albicans, does not. C. albicans has evolved an alternative CER that protects against immune clearance. This has implications for the investigation of CERs in other fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair J P Brown
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Department of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
| | - Daniel E Larcombe
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Department of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Arnab Pradhan
- MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, University of Exeter, Department of Biosciences, Geoffrey Pope Building, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
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40
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Antal K, Gila BC, Pócsi I, Emri T. General stress response or adaptation to rapid growth in Aspergillus nidulans? Fungal Biol 2019; 124:376-386. [PMID: 32389300 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2019.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide transcriptional changes in Aspergillus nidulans induced by nine different stress conditions were evaluated to reveal the general environmental stress response gene set showing unidirectional expressional changes under various types of stress. Clustering the genes by their transcriptional changes was a useful technique for identifying large groups of co-regulated genes. Altogether, 1642 co-upregulated and 3916 co-downregulated genes were identified. Nevertheless, the co-regulated genes describe the difference between the transcriptomes recorded under the stress conditions tested and one chosen reference culture condition which is designated as the "unstressed" condition. Obviously, the corresponding transcriptional differences may be attributed to either the general stress response or the reference condition. Accordingly, reduced growth and increased transcription of certain antioxidative enzymes observed under stress may be interpreted as elements of the general stress response or as a feature of the "optimal growth" reference condition and decreased antioxidative protection due to "rapid growth" stress. Reversing the many to one comparison underlying the identification of co-regulated gene sets allows the same procedure to highlight changes under a single condition with respect to a set of other "background" conditions. As an example, we compared menadione treatment to our other conditions and identified downregulation of endoplasmic reticulum dependent processes and upregulation of iron-sulfur cluster assembly as well as glutathione-S-transferase genes as changes characteristic of MSB-treated cultures. Deletion of the atfA gene markedly altered the co-regulated gene sets primarily by changing the reference transcriptome; not by changing the stress responsiveness of genes. The functional characterization of AtfA-dependent co-regulated genes demonstrated the involvement of AtfA in the regulation of both vegetative growth and conidiogenesis in untreated cultures. Our data also suggested that the diverse effects of atfA gene deletion on the transcriptome under different stress conditions were the consequence of the altered transcription of several phosphorelay signal transduction system genes, including fphA, nikA, phkA, srrB, srrC, sskA and tcsB. Hopefully, this study will draw further attention to the importance of the proper selection of reference cultures in fungal transcriptomics studies especially when elements of specific stress responses are mapped.
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Affiliation(s)
- Károly Antal
- Department of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly University, Eszterházy tér 1, Eger, 3300, Hungary
| | - Barnabás Cs Gila
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary; University of Debrecen, Doctoral School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - István Pócsi
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary
| | - Tamás Emri
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, Debrecen, 4032, Hungary.
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41
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Rapid Growth and Metabolism of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli in Relation to Urine Composition. Clin Microbiol Rev 2019; 33:33/1/e00101-19. [PMID: 31619395 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00101-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains cause a majority of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Since UPEC strains can become antibiotic resistant, adjunct or alternate therapies are urgently needed. UPEC strains grow extremely rapidly in patients with UTIs. Thus, this review focuses on the relation between urine composition and UPEC growth and metabolism. Compilation of urinary components from two major data sources suggests the presence of sufficient amino acids and carbohydrates as energy sources and abundant phosphorus, sulfur, and nitrogen sources. In a mouse UTI model, mutants lacking enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, gluconeogenesis, and the nonoxidative branch of the pentose cycle are less competitive than the corresponding parental strains, which is consistent with amino acids as major energy sources. Other evidence suggests that carbohydrates are required energy sources. UPEC strains in urine ex vivo and in vivo express transporters for peptides, amino acids, carbohydrates, and iron and genes associated with nitrogen limitation, amino acid synthesis, nucleotide synthesis, and nucleotide salvage. Mouse models confirm the requirement for many, but not all, of these genes. Laboratory evolution studies suggest that rapid nutrient uptake without metabolic rewiring is sufficient to account for rapid growth. Proteins and pathways required for rapid growth should be considered potential targets for alternate or adjunct therapies.
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42
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Osmotolerance as a determinant of microbial ecology: A study of phylogenetically diverse fungi. Fungal Biol 2019; 124:273-288. [PMID: 32389289 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2019.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Osmotic stress induced by high solute concentration can prevent fungal metabolism and growth due to alterations in properties of the cytosol, changes in turgor, and the energy required to synthesize and retain compatible solutes. We used germination to quantify tolerance/sensitivity to the osmolyte KCl (0.1-4.5 M, in 0.1 M increments) for 71 strains (40 species) of ecologically diverse fungi. These include 11 saprotrophic species (17 strains, including two xerophilic species), five mycoparasitic species (five strains), six plant-pathogenic species (13 strains), and 19 entomopathogenic species (36 strains). A dendrogram obtained from cluster analyses, based on KCl inhibitory concentrations 50 % and 90 % calculated by Probit Analysis, revealed three groups of fungal isolates accordingly to their osmotolerance. The most-osmotolerant group (Group 3) contained the majority of saprotrophic fungi, and Aspergillus niger (F19) was the most tolerant. The highly xerophilic Aspergillus montevidense and Aspergillus pseudoglaucus were the second- and third-most tolerant species, respectively. All Aspergillus and Cladosporium species belonged to Group 3, followed by the entomopathogens Colletotrichum fioriniae, Simplicillium lanosoniveum, and Trichothecium roseum. Group 2 exhibited a moderate osmotolerance, and included plant-pathogens such as Colletotrichum and Fusarium, mycoparasites such as Clonostachys spp, some saprotrophs such as Mucor and Penicillium spp., and some entomopathogens such as Isaria, Lecanicillium, Mariannaea, Simplicillium, and Torrubiella. Group 1 contained the osmo-sensitive strains: the rest of the entomopathogens and the mycoparasitic Gliocladium and Trichoderma. Although stress tolerance did not correlate with their primary ecological niche, classification of these 71 fungal strains was more closely aligned with their ecology than with their phylogenetic relatedness. We discuss the implications for both microbial ecology and fungal taxonomy.
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Metabolomics Studies To Decipher Stress Responses in Mycobacterium smegmatis Point to a Putative Pathway of Methylated Amine Biosynthesis. J Bacteriol 2019; 201:JB.00707-18. [PMID: 31138627 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00707-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium smegmatis, the saprophytic soil mycobacterium, is routinely used as a surrogate system to study the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis It has also been reported as an opportunistic pathogen in immunocompromised hosts. In addition, it can exist in several ecological setups, thereby suggesting its capacity to adapt to a variety of environmental cues. In this study, we employed untargeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR)-based metabolomics to identify metabolites and metabolic pathways critical for early adaptive responses to acidic stress, oxidative stress, and nutrient starvation in Mycobacterium smegmatis We identified 31, 20, and 46 metabolites that showed significant changes in levels in response to acidic, oxidative, and nutrient starvation stresses, respectively. Pathway analyses showed significant perturbations in purine-pyrimidine, amino-acid, nicotinate-nicotinamide, and energy metabolism pathways. Besides these, differential levels of intermediary metabolites involved in α-glucan biosynthesis pathway were observed. We also detected high levels of organic osmolytes, methylamine, and betaine during nutrient starvation and oxidative stress. Further, tracing the differential levels of these osmolytes through computational search tools, gene expression studies (using reverse transcription-PCR [RT-PCR]), and enzyme assays, we detected the presence of a putative pathway of biosynthesis of betaine, methylamine, and dimethylamine previously unreported in Mycobacterium smegmatis IMPORTANCE Alterations in metabolite levels provide fast and direct means to regulate enzymatic reactions and, therefore, metabolic pathways. This study documents, for the first time, the metabolic changes that occur in Mycobacterium smegmatis as a response to three stresses, namely, acidic stress, oxidative stress, and nutrient starvation. These stresses are also faced by intracellular mycobacteria during infection and therefore may be extended to frame therapeutic interventions for pathogenic mycobacteria. In addition to the purine-pyrimidine, amino acid, nicotinate-nicotinamide, and energy metabolism pathways that were found to be affected in response to different stresses, a novel putative methylamine biosynthesis pathway was identified to be present in Mycobacterium smegmatis.
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Hallsworth JE. Wooden owl that redefines Earth's biosphere may yet catapult a fungus into space. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:2202-2211. [PMID: 30588723 PMCID: PMC6618284 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, MBC, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
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Rapoport A, Golovina EA, Gervais P, Dupont S, Beney L. Anhydrobiosis: Inside yeast cells. Biotechnol Adv 2019; 37:51-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Lee CJD, McMullan PE, O'Kane CJ, Stevenson A, Santos IC, Roy C, Ghosh W, Mancinelli RL, Mormile MR, McMullan G, Banciu HL, Fares MA, Benison KC, Oren A, Dyall-Smith ML, Hallsworth JE. NaCl-saturated brines are thermodynamically moderate, rather than extreme, microbial habitats. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018; 42:672-693. [PMID: 29893835 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuy026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
NaCl-saturated brines such as saltern crystalliser ponds, inland salt lakes, deep-sea brines and liquids-of-deliquescence on halite are commonly regarded as a paradigm for the limit of life on Earth. There are, however, other habitats that are thermodynamically more extreme. Typically, NaCl-saturated environments contain all domains of life and perform complete biogeochemical cycling. Despite their reduced water activity, ∼0.755 at 5 M NaCl, some halophiles belonging to the Archaea and Bacteria exhibit optimum growth/metabolism in these brines. Furthermore, the recognised water-activity limit for microbial function, ∼0.585 for some strains of fungi, lies far below 0.755. Other biophysical constraints on the microbial biosphere (temperatures of >121°C; pH > 12; and high chaotropicity; e.g. ethanol at >18.9% w/v (24% v/v) and MgCl2 at >3.03 M) can prevent any cellular metabolism or ecosystem function. By contrast, NaCl-saturated environments contain biomass-dense, metabolically diverse, highly active and complex microbial ecosystems; and this underscores their moderate character. Here, we survey the evidence that NaCl-saturated brines are biologically permissive, fertile habitats that are thermodynamically mid-range rather than extreme. Indeed, were NaCl sufficiently soluble, some halophiles might grow at concentrations of up to 8 M. It may be that the finite solubility of NaCl has stabilised the genetic composition of halophile populations and limited the action of natural selection in driving halophile evolution towards greater xerophilicity. Further implications are considered for the origin(s) of life and other aspects of astrobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum J D Lee
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
| | - Phillip E McMullan
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
| | - Callum J O'Kane
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
| | - Andrew Stevenson
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
| | - Inês C Santos
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - Chayan Roy
- Department of Microbiology, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VIIM, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Wriddhiman Ghosh
- Department of Microbiology, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VIIM, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Rocco L Mancinelli
- BAER Institute, Mail Stop 239-4, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - Melanie R Mormile
- Department of Biological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65401, USA
| | - Geoffrey McMullan
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
| | - Horia L Banciu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babes-Bolyai University, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Mario A Fares
- Department of Abiotic Stress, Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Valencia 46022, Spain.,Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat de Valencia (CSIC-UV), Valencia, 46980, Spain.,Department of Genetics, Smurfit Institute of Genetics, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kathleen C Benison
- Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6300, USA
| | - Aharon Oren
- Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Mike L Dyall-Smith
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
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Ruhl IA, Grasby SE, Haupt ES, Dunfield PF. Analysis of microbial communities in natural halite springs reveals a domain-dependent relationship of species diversity to osmotic stress. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2018; 10:695-703. [PMID: 30246403 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Microbial species diversity may peak at certain optimal environmental conditions and decrease toward more extreme conditions. Indeed, bell-shaped relationships of species diversity against pH and temperature have been demonstrated, but diversity patterns across other environmental conditions are less well reported. In this study, we investigated the impact of salinity on the diversity of microorganisms from all three domains in a large set of natural springs with salinities ranging from freshwater to halite saturated. Habitat salinity was found to be linearly and inversely related to diversity of all three domains. The relationship was strongest in the bacteria, where salinity explained up to 44% of the variation in different diversity metrics (OTUs, Shannon index, and Phylogenetic Diversity). However, the relationship was weaker for Eukarya and Archaea. The known salt-in strategist Archaea of the Halobacteriaceae even showed the opposite trend, with increasing diversity at higher salinity. We propose that high energetic requirements constrain species diversity at high salinity but that the diversity of taxa with energetically less expensive osmotolerance strategies is less affected. Declining diversity with increasing osmotic stress may be a general rule for microbes as well as plants and animals, but the strength of this relationship varies greatly across microbial taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona A Ruhl
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Stephen E Grasby
- Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, 3303 33rd St. NW, Calgary, AB, T2L 2A7, Canada
| | - Evan S Haupt
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Peter F Dunfield
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
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Onofri S, Selbmann L, Pacelli C, de Vera JP, Horneck G, Hallsworth JE, Zucconi L. Integrity of the DNA and Cellular Ultrastructure of Cryptoendolithic Fungi in Space or Mars Conditions: A 1.5-Year Study at the International Space Station. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:E23. [PMID: 29921763 PMCID: PMC6027225 DOI: 10.3390/life8020023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The black fungi Cryomyces antarcticus and Cryomyces minteri are highly melanized and are resilient to cold, ultra-violet, ionizing radiation and other extreme conditions. These microorganisms were isolated from cryptoendolithic microbial communities in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica) and studied in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), using the EXPOSE-E facility on the International Space Station (ISS). Previously, it was demonstrated that C. antarcticus and C. minteri survive the hostile conditions of space (vacuum, temperature fluctuations, and the full spectrum of extraterrestrial solar electromagnetic radiation), as well as Mars conditions that were simulated in space for a 1.5-year period. Here, we qualitatively and quantitatively characterize damage to DNA and cellular ultrastructure in desiccated cells of these two species, within the frame of the same experiment. The DNA and cells of C. antarcticus exhibited a higher resistance than those of C. minteri. This is presumably attributable to the thicker (melanized) cell wall of the former. Generally, DNA was readily detected (by PCR) regardless of exposure conditions or fungal species, but the C. minteri DNA had been more-extensively mutated. We discuss the implications for using DNA, when properly shielded, as a biosignature of recently extinct or extant life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvano Onofri
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Laura Selbmann
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
- Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA), Mycological Section, 16166 Genoa, Italy.
| | - Claudia Pacelli
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Jean Pierre de Vera
- German Aerospace Center (DLR) Berlin, Institute of Planetary Research, Rutherfordstreet 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Gerda Horneck
- German Aerospace Centre, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Linder Hoehe, D 51170 Köln, Germany.
| | - John E Hallsworth
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, MBC, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK.
| | - Laura Zucconi
- Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
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Pittis L, Rodrigues de Oliveira D, Vega Gutierrez SM, Robinson SC. Alternative Carrier Solvents for Pigments Extracted from Spalting Fungi. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2018; 11:E897. [PMID: 29861469 PMCID: PMC6025569 DOI: 10.3390/ma11060897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of both naturally occurring and synthetic pigmented wood has been prevalent in woodcraft for centuries. Modern manifestations generally involve either woodworkers' aniline dyes, or pigments derived from a special class of fungi known as spalting fungi. While fungal pigments are more renewable than anilines and pose less of an environmental risk, the carrier required for these pigments-dichloromethane (DCM)-is both problematic for humans and tends to only deposit the pigments on the surface of wood instead of evenly within the material. Internal coloration of wood is key to adoption of a pigmenting system by woodworkers. To address this issue, five solvents that had moderate solubility with the pigments extracted from Chlorociboria aeruginosa and Scytalidium cuboideum were identified, in the hopes that a reduction in solubility would result in a greater amount of the pigment deposited inside the wood. Of the tested solvents, acetonitrile was found to produce the highest internal color in ash, Douglas-fir, madrone, mountain hemlock, Port-Orford cedar, Pacific silver fir, red alder and sugar maple. While these carrier solvents are not ideal for extracting the pigments from the fungi, acetonitrile in particular does appear to allow for more pigment to be deposited within wood. The use of acetonitrile over DCM offers new opportunities for possible industrial spalting applications, in which larger pieces of wood could be uniformly pigmented and sold to the end user in larger quantities than are currently available with spalted wood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Pittis
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
| | | | | | - Seri C Robinson
- Wood Science & Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
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