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Balbay MG, Shlafstein MD, Cockell C, Cady SL, Prescott RD, Lim DSS, Chain PSG, Donachie SP, Decho AW, Saw JH. Metabolic versatility of Caldarchaeales from geothermal features of Hawai'i and Chile as revealed by five metagenome-assembled genomes. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1216591. [PMID: 37799600 PMCID: PMC10547907 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1216591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the archaeal order Caldarchaeales (previously the phylum Aigarchaeota) are poorly sampled and are represented in public databases by relatively few genomes. Additional representative genomes will help resolve their placement among all known members of Archaea and provide insights into their roles in the environment. In this study, we analyzed 16S rRNA gene amplicons belonging to the Caldarchaeales that are available in public databases, which demonstrated that archaea of the order Caldarchaeales are diverse, widespread, and most abundant in geothermal habitats. We also constructed five metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Caldarchaeales from two geothermal features to investigate their metabolic potential and phylogenomic position in the domain Archaea. Two of the MAGs were assembled from microbial community DNA extracted from fumarolic lava rocks from Mauna Ulu, Hawai'i, and three were assembled from DNA obtained from hot spring sinters from the El Tatio geothermal field in Chile. MAGs from Hawai'i are high quality bins with completeness >95% and contamination <1%, and one likely belongs to a novel species in a new genus recently discovered at a submarine volcano off New Zealand. MAGs from Chile have lower completeness levels ranging from 27 to 70%. Gene content of the MAGs revealed that these members of Caldarchaeales are likely metabolically versatile and exhibit the potential for both chemoorganotrophic and chemolithotrophic lifestyles. The wide array of metabolic capabilities exhibited by these members of Caldarchaeales might help them thrive under diverse harsh environmental conditions. All the MAGs except one from Chile harbor putative prophage regions encoding several auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) that may confer a fitness advantage on their Caldarchaeales hosts by increasing their metabolic potential and make them better adapted to new environmental conditions. Phylogenomic analysis of the five MAGs and over 3,000 representative archaeal genomes showed the order Caldarchaeales forms a monophyletic group that is sister to the clade comprising the orders Geothermarchaeales (previously Candidatus Geothermarchaeota), Conexivisphaerales and Nitrososphaerales (formerly known as Thaumarchaeota), supporting the status of Caldarchaeales members as a clade distinct from the Thaumarchaeota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manolya Gul Balbay
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | | | - Charles Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sherry L. Cady
- Department of Geology, Portland State University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Rebecca D. Prescott
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, United States
| | | | | | - Stuart P. Donachie
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Alan W. Decho
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Jimmy H. Saw
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
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2
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Bacterial Communities in a Gradient of Abiotic Factors Near a Sulfide Thermal Spring in Northern Baikal. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
The structure and diversity of microbial communities developing in the combined gradient of temperature (44–19 °C), as well as concentration of oxygen (0–10 mg/L) and hydrogen sulfide (33–0.7 mg/L), were studied in the thermal sulfide spring on the coast of Northern Lake Baikal. The predominance of bacteria participating in sulfur and nitrogen cycles and significant changes in the composition of microbial communities were noted at changing physicochemical conditions. Thiovirga sp. (sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, up to 37%) and Azonexus sp. (nitrogen-fixing bacteria, up to 43%) were dominant at high temperatures and concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in two hydrotherms. In addition, a significant contribution of the Rhodocyclaceae family (up to 51%) which is involved in the denitrification processes, and Acetoanaerobium sp. (up to 20%) fixing carbon oxide were found in the spring water. In the stream, mainly oxygenic cyanobacteria (up to 56%) developed at a temperature of 33 °C, in the presence of hydrogen sulfide and oxygen. In addition, sulfur bacteria of the genus Thiothrix (up to 48%) found in epibiotic communities of benthic animals of Lake Baikal were present here. Thiothrix sp. formed massive fouling in the zone of mixing lake and thermal waters with a significant contribution of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria of the genus Hydrogenophaga (up to 22.5%). As well as chemolitho- and phototrophic bacteria, chemoorganotrophs (phyla Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Desulfobacterota, Nitrospirota, Fibrobacterota, etc.) have been identified in all communities. The chemical parameters of water in spring and coastal zones indicate a significant change in the composition of thermal waters occurring with the participation of diverse microbial communities that contribute to the assimilation of inorganic components of mineral thermal waters.
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3
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Peach JT, Mueller RC, Skorupa DJ, Mesle MM, Kanta S, Boltinghouse E, Sharon B, Copié V, Bothner B, Peyton BM. Longitudinal analysis of the Five Sisters hot springs in Yellowstone National Park reveals a dynamic thermoalkaline environment. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18707. [PMID: 36333441 PMCID: PMC9636164 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22047-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Research focused on microbial populations of thermoalkaline springs has been driven in a large part by the lure of discovering functional enzymes with industrial applications in high-pH and high temperature environments. While several studies have focused on understanding the fundamental ecology of these springs, the small molecule profiles of thermoalkaline springs have largely been overlooked. To better understand how geochemistry, small molecule composition, and microbial communities are connected, we conducted a three-year study of the Five Sisters (FS) springs that included high-resolution geochemical measurements, 16S rRNA sequencing of the bacterial and archaeal community, and mass spectrometry-based metabolite and extracellular small molecule characterization. Integration of the four datasets facilitated a comprehensive analysis of the interwoven thermoalkaline spring system. Over the course of the study, the microbial population responded to changing environmental conditions, with archaeal populations decreasing in both relative abundance and diversity compared to bacterial populations. Decreases in the relative abundance of Archaea were associated with environmental changes that included decreased availability of specific nitrogen- and sulfur-containing extracellular small molecules and fluctuations in metabolic pathways associated with nitrogen cycling. This multi-factorial analysis demonstrates that the microbial community composition is more closely correlated with pools of extracellular small molecules than with the geochemistry of the thermal springs. This is a novel finding and suggests that a previously overlooked component of thermal springs may have a significant impact on microbial community composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse T. Peach
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Rebecca C. Mueller
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Dana J. Skorupa
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Margaux M. Mesle
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Sutton Kanta
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Eric Boltinghouse
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Bailey Sharon
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Valerie Copié
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Brian Bothner
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Brent M. Peyton
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
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4
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Kohtz AJ, Jay ZJ, Lynes MM, Krukenberg V, Hatzenpichler R. Culexarchaeia, a novel archaeal class of anaerobic generalists inhabiting geothermal environments. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:86. [PMID: 37938354 PMCID: PMC9723716 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00175-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Geothermal environments, including terrestrial hot springs and deep-sea hydrothermal sediments, often contain many poorly understood lineages of archaea. Here, we recovered ten metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from geothermal sediments and propose that they constitute a new archaeal class within the TACK superphylum, "Candidatus Culexarchaeia", named after the Culex Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Culexarchaeia harbor distinct sets of proteins involved in key cellular processes that are either phylogenetically divergent or are absent from other closely related TACK lineages, with a particular divergence in cell division and cytoskeletal proteins. Metabolic reconstruction revealed that Culexarchaeia have the capacity to metabolize a wide variety of organic and inorganic substrates. Notably, Culexarchaeia encode a unique modular, membrane associated, and energy conserving [NiFe]-hydrogenase complex that potentially interacts with heterodisulfide reductase (Hdr) subunits. Comparison of this [NiFe]-hydrogenase complex with similar complexes from other archaea suggests that interactions between membrane associated [NiFe]-hydrogenases and Hdr may be more widespread than previously appreciated in both methanogenic and non-methanogenic lifestyles. The analysis of Culexarchaeia further expands our understanding of the phylogenetic and functional diversity of lineages within the TACK superphylum and the ecology, physiology, and evolution of these organisms in extreme environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Kohtz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mackenzie M Lynes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Viola Krukenberg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
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5
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Buessecker S, Palmer M, Lai D, Dimapilis J, Mayali X, Mosier D, Jiao JY, Colman DR, Keller LM, St John E, Miranda M, Gonzalez C, Gonzalez L, Sam C, Villa C, Zhuo M, Bodman N, Robles F, Boyd ES, Cox AD, St Clair B, Hua ZS, Li WJ, Reysenbach AL, Stott MB, Weber PK, Pett-Ridge J, Dekas AE, Hedlund BP, Dodsworth JA. An essential role for tungsten in the ecology and evolution of a previously uncultivated lineage of anaerobic, thermophilic Archaea. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3773. [PMID: 35773279 PMCID: PMC9246946 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31452-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Trace metals have been an important ingredient for life throughout Earth's history. Here, we describe the genome-guided cultivation of a member of the elusive archaeal lineage Caldarchaeales (syn. Aigarchaeota), Wolframiiraptor gerlachensis, and its growth dependence on tungsten. A metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) of W. gerlachensis encodes putative tungsten membrane transport systems, as well as pathways for anaerobic oxidation of sugars probably mediated by tungsten-dependent ferredoxin oxidoreductases that are expressed during growth. Catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in-situ hybridization (CARD-FISH) and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) show that W. gerlachensis preferentially assimilates xylose. Phylogenetic analyses of 78 high-quality Wolframiiraptoraceae MAGs from terrestrial and marine hydrothermal systems suggest that tungsten-associated enzymes were present in the last common ancestor of extant Wolframiiraptoraceae. Our observations imply a crucial role for tungsten-dependent metabolism in the origin and evolution of this lineage, and hint at a relic metabolic dependence on this trace metal in early anaerobic thermophiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Buessecker
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Marike Palmer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
| | - Dengxun Lai
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Joshua Dimapilis
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Xavier Mayali
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Damon Mosier
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jian-Yu Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Daniel R Colman
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Lisa M Keller
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Emily St John
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Michelle Miranda
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Cristina Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Lizett Gonzalez
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Christian Sam
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Christopher Villa
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Madeline Zhuo
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Nicholas Bodman
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Fernando Robles
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Alysia D Cox
- Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT, USA
| | - Brian St Clair
- Department of Chemistry and Geochemistry, Montana Technological University, Butte, MT, USA
| | - Zheng-Shuang Hua
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, PR China
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China
- College of Fisheries, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, PR China
| | | | - Matthew B Stott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Peter K Weber
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Pett-Ridge
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
- Life & Environmental Sciences Department, University of Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Anne E Dekas
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Jeremy A Dodsworth
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
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6
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Shu WS, Huang LN. Microbial diversity in extreme environments. Nat Rev Microbiol 2022; 20:219-235. [PMID: 34754082 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-021-00648-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
A wide array of microorganisms, including many novel, phylogenetically deeply rooted taxa, survive and thrive in extreme environments. These unique and reduced-complexity ecosystems offer a tremendous opportunity for studying the structure, function and evolution of natural microbial communities. Marker gene surveys have resolved patterns and ecological drivers of these extremophile assemblages, revealing a vast uncultured microbial diversity and the often predominance of archaea in the most extreme conditions. New omics studies have uncovered linkages between community function and environmental variables, and have enabled discovery and genomic characterization of major new lineages that substantially expand microbial diversity and change the structure of the tree of life. These efforts have significantly advanced our understanding of the diversity, ecology and evolution of microorganisms populating Earth's extreme environments, and have facilitated the exploration of microbiota and processes in more complex ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Sheng Shu
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
| | - Li-Nan Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
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7
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Pereira AC, Tenreiro A, Cunha MV. When FLOW-FISH met FACS: Combining multiparametric, dynamic approaches for microbial single-cell research in the total environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:150682. [PMID: 34600998 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In environmental microbiology, the ability to assess, in a high-throughput way, single-cells within microbial communities is key to understand their heterogeneity. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) uses fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide probes to detect, identify, and quantify single cells of specific taxonomic groups. The combination of Flow Cytometry (FLOW) with FISH (FLOW-FISH) enables high-throughput quantification of complex whole cell populations, which when associated with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) enables sorting of target microorganisms. These sorted cells may be investigated in many ways, for instance opening new avenues for cytomics at a single-cell scale. In this review, an overview of FISH and FLOW methodologies is provided, addressing conventional methods, signal amplification approaches, common fluorophores for cell physiology parameters evaluation, and model variation techniques as well. The coupling of FLOW-FISH-FACS is explored in the context of different downstream applications of sorted cells. Current and emerging applications in environmental microbiology to outline the interactions and processes of complex microbial communities within soil, water, animal microbiota, polymicrobial biofilms, and food samples, are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- André C Pereira
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Tenreiro
- Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mónica V Cunha
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute (BioISI), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
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8
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Chuckran PF, Hungate BA, Schwartz E, Dijkstra P. Variation in genomic traits of microbial communities among ecosystems. FEMS MICROBES 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtab020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Free-living bacteria in nutrient limited environments often exhibit traits which may reduce the cost of reproduction, such as smaller genome size, low GC content and fewer sigma (σ) factor and 16S rRNA gene copies. Despite the potential utility of these traits to detect relationships between microbial communities and ecosystem-scale properties, few studies have assessed these traits on a community-scale. Here, we analysed these traits from publicly available metagenomes derived from marine, soil, host-associated and thermophilic communities. In marine and thermophilic communities, genome size and GC content declined in parallel, consistent with genomic streamlining, with GC content in thermophilic communities generally higher than in marine systems. In contrast, soil communities averaging smaller genomes featured higher GC content and were often from low-carbon environments, suggesting unique selection pressures in soil bacteria. The abundance of specific σ-factors varied with average genome size and ecosystem type. In oceans, abundance of fliA, a σ-factor controlling flagella biosynthesis, was positively correlated with community average genome size—reflecting known trade-offs between nutrient conservation and chemotaxis. In soils, a high abundance of the stress response σ-factor gene rpoS was associated with smaller average genome size and often located in harsh and/or carbon-limited environments—a result which tracks features observed in culture and indicates an increased capacity for stress response in nutrient-poor soils. This work shows how ecosystem-specific constraints are associated with trade-offs which are embedded in the genomic features of bacteria in microbial communities, and which can be detected at the community level, highlighting the importance of genomic features in microbial community analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter F Chuckran
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Bruce A Hungate
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Egbert Schwartz
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Paul Dijkstra
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (ECOSS) and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
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9
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Mueller RC, Peach JT, Skorupa DJ, Copié V, Bothner B, Peyton BM. An emerging view of the diversity, ecology and function of Archaea in alkaline hydrothermal environments. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6021323. [PMID: 33501490 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The described diversity within the domain Archaea has recently expanded due to advances in sequencing technologies, but many habitats that likely harbor novel lineages of archaea remain understudied. Knowledge of archaea within natural and engineered hydrothermal systems, such as hot springs and engineered subsurface habitats, has been steadily increasing, but the majority of the work has focused on archaea living in acidic or circumneutral environments. The environmental pressures exerted by the combination of high temperatures and high pH likely select for divergent communities and distinct metabolic pathways from those observed in acidic or circumneutral systems. In this review, we examine what is currently known about the archaea found in thermoalkaline environments, focusing on the detection of novel lineages and knowledge of the ecology, metabolic pathways and functions of these populations and communities. We also discuss the potential of emerging multi-omics approaches, including proteomics and metabolomics, to enhance our understanding of archaea within extreme thermoalkaline systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca C Mueller
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University,Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173920, USA.,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173142, USA
| | - Jesse T Peach
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173400, USA
| | - Dana J Skorupa
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University,Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173920, USA.,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173142, USA
| | - Valerie Copié
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173400, USA.,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173142, USA
| | - Brian Bothner
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173400, USA.,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173142, USA
| | - Brent M Peyton
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University,Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173920, USA.,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, PO Box 173142, USA
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10
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Ancestral Reconstructions Decipher Major Adaptations of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea upon Radiation into Moderate Terrestrial and Marine Environments. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.02371-20. [PMID: 33051370 PMCID: PMC7554672 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02371-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike all other archaeal lineages, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread and abundant in all moderate and oxic environments on Earth. The evolutionary adaptations that led to such unprecedented ecological success of a microbial clade characterized by highly conserved energy and carbon metabolisms have, however, remained underexplored. Here, we reconstructed the genomic content and growth temperature of the ancestor of all AOA, as well as the ancestors of the marine and soil lineages, based on 39 available complete or nearly complete genomes of AOA. Our evolutionary scenario depicts an extremely thermophilic, autotrophic, aerobic ancestor from which three independent lineages of a marine and two terrestrial groups radiated into moderate environments. Their emergence was paralleled by (i) a continuous acquisition of an extensive collection of stress tolerance genes mostly involved in redox maintenance and oxygen detoxification, (ii) an expansion of regulatory capacities in transcription and central metabolic functions, and (iii) an extended repertoire of cell appendages and modifications related to adherence and interactions with the environment. Our analysis provides insights into the evolutionary transitions and key processes that enabled the conquest of the diverse environments in which contemporary AOA are found.
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11
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Podar PT, Yang Z, Björnsdóttir SH, Podar M. Comparative Analysis of Microbial Diversity Across Temperature Gradients in Hot Springs From Yellowstone and Iceland. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1625. [PMID: 32760379 PMCID: PMC7372906 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Geothermal hot springs are a natural setting to study microbial adaptation to a wide range of temperatures reaching up to boiling. Temperature gradients lead to distinct microbial communities that inhabit their optimum niches. We sampled three alkaline, high temperature (80-100°C) hot springs in Yellowstone and Iceland that had cooling outflows and whose microbial communities had not been studied previously. The microbial composition in sediments and mats was determined by DNA sequencing of rRNA gene amplicons. Over three dozen phyla of Archaea and Bacteria were identified, representing over 1700 distinct organisms. We observed a significant non-linear reduction in the number of microbial taxa as the temperature increased from warm (38°C) to boiling. At high taxonomic levels, the community structure was similar between the Yellowstone and Iceland hot springs. We identified potential endemism at the genus level, especially in thermophilic phototrophs, which may have been potentially driven by distinct environmental conditions and dispersal limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter T. Podar
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Zamin Yang
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | | | - Mircea Podar
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
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12
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Oren A, Garrity GM, Parker CT, Chuvochina M, Trujillo ME. Lists of names of prokaryotic Candidatus taxa. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:3956-4042. [DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.003789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 782] [Impact Index Per Article: 195.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
We here present annotated lists of names of Candidatus taxa of prokaryotes with ranks between subspecies and class, proposed between the mid-1990s, when the provisional status of Candidatus taxa was first established, and the end of 2018. Where necessary, corrected names are proposed that comply with the current provisions of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes and its Orthography appendix. These lists, as well as updated lists of newly published names of Candidatus taxa with additions and corrections to the current lists to be published periodically in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, may serve as the basis for the valid publication of the Candidatus names if and when the current proposals to expand the type material for naming of prokaryotes to also include gene sequences of yet-uncultivated taxa is accepted by the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aharon Oren
- The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - George M. Garrity
- NamesforLife, LLC, PO Box 769, Okemos MI 48805-0769, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Biomedical Physical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-4320, USA
| | | | - Maria Chuvochina
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia QLD 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Martha E. Trujillo
- Departamento de Microbiología y Genética, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain
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13
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Diversity, ecology and evolution of Archaea. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:887-900. [PMID: 32367054 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0715-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Compared to bacteria, our knowledge of archaeal biology is limited. Historically, microbiologists have mostly relied on culturing and single-gene diversity surveys to understand Archaea in nature. However, only six of the 27 currently proposed archaeal phyla have cultured representatives. Advances in genomic sequencing and computational approaches are revolutionizing our understanding of Archaea. The recovery of genomes belonging to uncultured groups from the environment has resulted in the description of several new phyla, many of which are globally distributed and are among the predominant organisms on the planet. In this Review, we discuss how these genomes, together with long-term enrichment studies and elegant in situ measurements, are providing insights into the metabolic capabilities of the Archaea. We also debate how such studies reveal how important Archaea are in mediating an array of ecological processes, including global carbon and nutrient cycles, and how this increase in archaeal diversity has expanded our view of the tree of life and early archaeal evolution, and has provided new insights into the origin of eukaryotes.
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14
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Stokke R, Reeves EP, Dahle H, Fedøy AE, Viflot T, Lie Onstad S, Vulcano F, Pedersen RB, Eijsink VGH, Steen IH. Tailoring Hydrothermal Vent Biodiversity Toward Improved Biodiscovery Using a Novel in situ Enrichment Strategy. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:249. [PMID: 32153535 PMCID: PMC7046548 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are amongst the most extreme environments on Earth and represent interesting targets for marine bioprospecting and biodiscovery. The microbial communities in hydrothermal vents are often dominated by chemolithoautotrophs utilizing simple chemical compounds, though the full extent of their heterotrophic abilities is still being explored. In the bioprocessing industry, where degradation of complex organic materials often is a major challenge, new microbial solutions are heavily needed. To meet these needs, we have developed novel in situ incubators and tested if deployment of recalcitrant materials from fish farming and wood-pulping industries introduced changes in the microbial community structure in hot marine hydrothermal sediments. The incubation chambers were deployed in sediments at the Bruse vent site located within the Jan Mayen vent field for 1 year, after which the microbial populations in the chambers were profiled by 16S rRNA Ion Torrent amplicon sequencing. A total of 921 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were assigned into 74 different phyla where differences in community structure were observed depending on the incubated material, chamber depth below the sea floor and/or temperature. A high fraction of putative heterotrophic microbial lineages related to cultivated members within the Thermotogales were observed. However, considerable fractions of previously uncultivated and novel Thermotogales and Bacteroidetes were also identified. Moreover, several novel lineages (e.g., members within the DPANN superphylum, unidentified archaeal lineages, unclassified Thermoplasmatales and Candidatus division BRC-1 bacterium) of as-yet uncultivated thermophilic archaea and bacteria were identified. Overall, our data illustrate that amendment of hydrothermal vent communities by in situ incubation of biomass induces shifts in community structure toward increased fractions of heterotrophic microorganisms. The technologies utilized here could aid in subsequent metagenomics-based enzyme discovery for diverse industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runar Stokke
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Eoghan P Reeves
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Håkon Dahle
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anita-Elin Fedøy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Thomas Viflot
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Solveig Lie Onstad
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Francesca Vulcano
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rolf B Pedersen
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Vincent G H Eijsink
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway
| | - Ida H Steen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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15
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Boyer GM, Schubotz F, Summons RE, Woods J, Shock EL. Carbon Oxidation State in Microbial Polar Lipids Suggests Adaptation to Hot Spring Temperature and Redox Gradients. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:229. [PMID: 32153529 PMCID: PMC7044123 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The influence of oxidation-reduction (redox) potential on the expression of biomolecules is a topic of ongoing exploration in geobiology. In this study, we investigate the novel possibility that structures and compositions of lipids produced by microbial communities are sensitive to environmental redox conditions. We extracted lipids from microbial biomass collected along the thermal and redox gradients of four alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and investigated patterns in the average oxidation state of carbon (ZC), a metric calculated from the chemical formulae of lipid structures. Carbon in intact polar lipids (IPLs) and their alkyl chains becomes more oxidized (higher ZC) with increasing distance from each of the four hot spring sources. This coincides with decreased water temperature and increased concentrations of oxidized inorganic solutes, such as dissolved oxygen, sulfate, and nitrate. Carbon in IPLs is most reduced (lowest ZC) in the hot, reduced conditions upstream, with abundance-weighted ZC values between −1.68 and −1.56. These values increase gradually downstream to around −1.36 to −1.33 in microbial communities living between 29.0 and 38.1°C. This near-linear increase in ZC can be attributed to a shift from ether-linked to ester-linked alkyl chains, a decrease in average aliphatic carbons per chain (nC), an increase in average degree of unsaturation per chain (nUnsat), and increased cyclization in tetraether lipids. The ZC of lipid headgroups and backbones did not change significantly downstream. Expression of lipids with relatively reduced carbon under reduced conditions and oxidized lipids under oxidized conditions may indicate microbial adaptation across environmental gradients in temperature and electron donor/acceptor supply.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grayson M Boyer
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Florence Schubotz
- MARUM and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Roger E Summons
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jade Woods
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States
| | - Everett L Shock
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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16
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Colman DR, Lindsay MR, Amenabar MJ, Boyd ES. The Intersection of Geology, Geochemistry, and Microbiology in Continental Hydrothermal Systems. ASTROBIOLOGY 2019; 19:1505-1522. [PMID: 31592688 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Decompressional boiling of ascending hydrothermal waters and separation into a vapor (gas) and a liquid phase drive extensive variation in the geochemical composition of hot spring waters. Yet little is known of how the process of phase separation influences the distribution of microbial metabolisms in springs. Here, we determined the variation in protein coding genes in 51 metagenomes from chemosynthetic hot spring communities that span geochemical gradients in Yellowstone National Park. The 51 metagenomes could be divided into 5 distinct groups that correspond to low and high temperatures and acidic and circumneutral/alkaline springs. A fifth group primarily comprised metagenomes from springs with moderate acidity and that are influenced by elevated volcanic gas input. Protein homologs putatively involved in the oxidation of sulfur compounds, a process that leads to acidification of spring waters, in addition to those involved in the reduction of sulfur compounds were enriched in metagenomes from acidic springs sourced by vapor phase gases. Metagenomes from springs with evidence for elevated volcanic gas input were enriched in protein homologs putatively involved in oxidation of those gases, including hydrogen and methane. Finally, metagenomes from circumneutral/alkaline springs sourced by liquid phase waters were enriched in protein homologs putatively involved in heterotrophy and respiration of oxidized nitrogen compounds and oxygen. These results indicate that the geological process of phase separation shapes the ecology of thermophilic communities through its influence on the availability of nutrients in the form of gases, solutes, and minerals. Microbial acidification of hot spring waters further influences the kinetic and thermodynamic stabilities of nutrients and their bioavailability. These data therefore provide an important framework to understand how geological processes have shaped the evolutionary history of chemosynthetic thermophiles and how these organisms, in turn, have shaped their geochemical environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Colman
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
| | - Melody R Lindsay
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
| | | | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
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17
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Li J, Wang T, Yu S, Bai J, Qin S. Community characteristics and ecological roles of bacterial biofilms associated with various algal settlements on coastal reefs. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 250:109459. [PMID: 31479939 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial biofilms, which are a group of bacteria attaching to and ultimately forming communities on reefs, perform essential ecological functions in coastal ecosystems. Particularly, they may attract or repulse the settling down of opportunistic algae. However, this phenomenon and the interaction mechanism are not fully understood. This study investigated reefs from the Changdao coastal zone to determine the structures and functions of bacterial biofilms symbiosing with various algae using high-throughput sequencing analysis. The Shannon diversity index of microbiota with algal symbiosis reached 5.34, which was higher than that of microbiota wherein algae were absent (4.80). The beta diversity results for 11 samples revealed that there existed a separation between bacterial communities on reefs with and without attached algae, while communities with similar algae clustered together. The taxa mostly associated with algae-symbiotic microbiota are the Actinobacteria phylum, and the Flavobacteriia and Gammaproteobacteria classes. The Cyanobacteria phylum was not associated with algae-symbiotic microbiota. As revealed by functional analysis, the bacteria mostly involved in the metabolism of sulfur were represented by brown and red algae in the biofilm symbiosis. Bacteria related to the metabolism of certain trace elements were observed only in specific groups. Moreover, phototrophy-related bacteria were less abundant in samples coexisting with algae. This study established the link between bacterial biofilms and algal settlements on costal reefs, and revealed the possible holobiont relationship between them. This may provide new technical directions toward realizing algal cultivation and management during the construction of artificial reef ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialin Li
- Key Lab of Coastal Biology and Biological Resource Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264000, Shandong, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Ting Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China; Key Lab of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China
| | - Shuxian Yu
- Key Lab of Coastal Biology and Biological Resource Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264000, Shandong, China
| | - Jie Bai
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China; Key Lab of Marine Environmental Science and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China.
| | - Song Qin
- Key Lab of Coastal Biology and Biological Resource Utilization, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264000, Shandong, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
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18
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Ward LM, Idei A, Nakagawa M, Ueno Y, Fischer WW, McGlynn SE. Geochemical and Metagenomic Characterization of Jinata Onsen, a Proterozoic-Analog Hot Spring, Reveals Novel Microbial Diversity including Iron-Tolerant Phototrophs and Thermophilic Lithotrophs. Microbes Environ 2019; 34:278-292. [PMID: 31413226 PMCID: PMC6759342 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me19017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrothermal systems, including terrestrial hot springs, contain diverse geochemical conditions that vary over short spatial scales due to progressive interactions between reducing hydrothermal fluids, the oxygenated atmosphere, and, in some cases, seawater. At Jinata Onsen on Shikinejima Island, Japan, an intertidal, anoxic, iron-rich hot spring mixes with the oxygenated atmosphere and seawater over short spatial scales, creating diverse chemical potentials and redox pairs over a distance of ~10 m. We characterized geochemical conditions along the outflow of Jinata Onsen as well as the microbial communities present in biofilms, mats, and mineral crusts along its traverse using 16S rRNA gene amplicon and genome-resolved shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Microbial communities significantly changed downstream as temperatures and dissolved iron concentrations decreased and dissolved oxygen increased. Biomass was more limited near the spring source than downstream, and primary productivity appeared to be fueled by the oxidation of ferrous iron and molecular hydrogen by members of Zetaproteobacteria and Aquificae. The microbial community downstream was dominated by oxygenic Cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are abundant and active even at ferrous iron concentrations of ~150 μM, which challenges the idea that iron toxicity limited cyanobacterial expansion in Precambrian oceans. Several novel lineages of Bacteria are also present at Jinata Onsen, including previously uncharacterized members of the phyla Chloroflexi and Calditrichaeota, positioning Jinata Onsen as a valuable site for the future characterization of these clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewis M Ward
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University.,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology.,Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology
| | - Airi Idei
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University
| | | | - Yuichiro Ueno
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology.,Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology.,Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
| | - Woodward W Fischer
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology
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19
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Thomas SC, Tamadonfar KO, Seymour CO, Lai D, Dodsworth JA, Murugapiran SK, Eloe-Fadrosh EA, Dijkstra P, Hedlund BP. Position-Specific Metabolic Probing and Metagenomics of Microbial Communities Reveal Conserved Central Carbon Metabolic Network Activities at High Temperatures. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1427. [PMID: 31333598 PMCID: PMC6624737 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Temperature is a primary driver of microbial community composition and taxonomic diversity; however, it is unclear to what extent temperature affects characteristics of central carbon metabolic pathways (CCMPs) at the community level. In this study, 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenome sequencing were combined with 13C-labeled metabolite probing of the CCMPs to assess community carbon metabolism along a temperature gradient (60–95°C) in Great Boiling Spring, NV. 16S rRNA gene amplicon diversity was inversely proportional to temperature, and Archaea were dominant at higher temperatures. KO richness and diversity were also inversely proportional to temperature, yet CCMP genes were similarly represented across the temperature gradient and many individual metagenome-assembled genomes had complete pathways. In contrast, genes encoding cellulosomes and many genes involved in plant matter degradation and photosynthesis were absent at higher temperatures. In situ13C-CO2 production from labeled isotopomer pairs of glucose, pyruvate, and acetate suggested lower relative oxidative pentose phosphate pathway activity and/or fermentation at 60°C, and a stable or decreased maintenance energy demand at higher temperatures. Catabolism of 13C-labeled citrate, succinate, L-alanine, L-serine, and L-cysteine was observed at 85°C, demonstrating broad heterotrophic activity and confirming functioning of the TCA cycle. Together, these results suggest that temperature-driven losses in biodiversity and gene content in geothermal systems may not alter CCMP function or maintenance energy demands at a community level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott C Thomas
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Kevin O Tamadonfar
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Cale O Seymour
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Dengxun Lai
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Jeremy A Dodsworth
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA, United States
| | | | - Emiley A Eloe-Fadrosh
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, United States
| | - Paul Dijkstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center of Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States.,Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
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20
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Ren M, Feng X, Huang Y, Wang H, Hu Z, Clingenpeel S, Swan BK, Fonseca MM, Posada D, Stepanauskas R, Hollibaugh JT, Foster PG, Woyke T, Luo H. Phylogenomics suggests oxygen availability as a driving force in Thaumarchaeota evolution. ISME JOURNAL 2019; 13:2150-2161. [PMID: 31024152 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0418-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in marine and terrestrial habitats, playing a major role in the global nitrogen cycle. However, their evolutionary history remains unexplored, which limits our understanding of their adaptation mechanisms. Here, our comprehensive phylogenomic tree of Thaumarchaeota supports three sequential events: origin of AOA from terrestrial non-AOA ancestors, colonization of the shallow ocean, and expansion to the deep ocean. Careful molecular dating suggests that these events coincided with the Great Oxygenation Event around 2300 million years ago (Mya), and oxygenation of the shallow and deep ocean around 800 and 635-560 Mya, respectively. The first transition was likely enabled by the gain of an aerobic pathway for energy production by ammonia oxidation and biosynthetic pathways for cobalamin and biotin that act as cofactors in aerobic metabolism. The first transition was also accompanied by the loss of dissimilatory nitrate and sulfate reduction, loss of oxygen-sensitive pyruvate oxidoreductase, which reduces pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, and loss of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for anaerobic carbon fixation. The second transition involved gain of a K+ transporter and of the biosynthetic pathway for ectoine, which may function as an osmoprotectant. The third transition was accompanied by the loss of the uvr system for repairing ultraviolet light-induced DNA lesions. We conclude that oxygen availability drove the terrestrial origin of AOA and their expansion to the photic and dark oceans, and that the stressors encountered during these events were partially overcome by gene acquisitions from Euryarchaeota and Bacteria, among other sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minglei Ren
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 518000, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Feng
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Yongjie Huang
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 518000, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Biology Department, College of Science, Shantou University, 515063, Shantou, China
| | - Zhong Hu
- Biology Department, College of Science, Shantou University, 515063, Shantou, China
| | | | - Brandon K Swan
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, 04544, USA.,National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Miguel M Fonseca
- CINBIO and Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| | - David Posada
- CINBIO and Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, University of Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain
| | | | - James T Hollibaugh
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Peter G Foster
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | - Haiwei Luo
- Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong. .,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 518000, Shenzhen, China.
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21
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Mu DS, Liang QY, Wang XM, Lu DC, Shi MJ, Chen GJ, Du ZJ. Metatranscriptomic and comparative genomic insights into resuscitation mechanisms during enrichment culturing. MICROBIOME 2018; 6:230. [PMID: 30587241 PMCID: PMC6307301 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0613-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The pure culture of prokaryotes remains essential to elucidating the role of these organisms. Scientists have reasoned that hard to cultivate microorganisms might grow in pure culture if provided with the chemical components of their natural environment. However, most microbial species in the biosphere that would otherwise be "culturable" may fail to grow because of their growth state in nature, such as dormancy. That means even if scientist would provide microorganisms with the natural environment, such dormant microorganisms probably still remain in a dormant state. RESULTS We constructed an enrichment culture system for high-efficiency isolation of uncultured strains from marine sediment. Degree of enrichment analysis, dormant and active taxa calculation, viable but non-culturable bacteria resuscitation analysis, combined with metatranscriptomic and comparative genomic analyses of the interactions between microbial communications during enrichment culture showed that the so-called enrichment method could culture the "uncultured" not only through enriching the abundance of "uncultured," but also through the resuscitation mechanism. In addition, the enrichment culture was a complicated mixed culture system, which contains the competition, cooperation, or coordination among bacterial communities, compared with pure cultures. CONCLUSIONS Considering that cultivation techniques must evolve further-from axenic to mixed cultures-for us to fully understand the microbial world, we should redevelop an understanding of the classic enrichment culture method. Enrichment culture methods can be developed and used to construct a model for analyzing mixed cultures and exploring microbial dark matter. This study provides a new train of thought to mining marine microbial dark matter based on mixed cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Shuai Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
- College of Marine Science, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi-Yun Liang
- College of Marine Science, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Man Wang
- College of Marine Science, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China
| | - De-Chen Lu
- College of Marine Science, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming-Jing Shi
- College of Marine Science, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China
| | - Guan-Jun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
- College of Marine Science, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China
| | - Zong-Jun Du
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China.
- College of Marine Science, Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China.
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22
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Hua ZS, Qu YN, Zhu Q, Zhou EM, Qi YL, Yin YR, Rao YZ, Tian Y, Li YX, Liu L, Castelle CJ, Hedlund BP, Shu WS, Knight R, Li WJ. Genomic inference of the metabolism and evolution of the archaeal phylum Aigarchaeota. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2832. [PMID: 30026532 PMCID: PMC6053391 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05284-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes of the phylum Aigarchaeota are widely distributed in geothermal environments, but their physiological and ecological roles are poorly understood. Here we analyze six Aigarchaeota metagenomic bins from two circumneutral hot springs in Tengchong, China, to reveal that they are either strict or facultative anaerobes, and most are chemolithotrophs that can perform sulfide oxidation. Applying comparative genomics to the Thaumarchaeota and Aigarchaeota, we find that they both originated from thermal habitats, sharing 1154 genes with their common ancestor. Horizontal gene transfer played a crucial role in shaping genetic diversity of Aigarchaeota and led to functional partitioning and ecological divergence among sympatric microbes, as several key functional innovations were endowed by Bacteria, including dissimilatory sulfite reduction and possibly carbon monoxide oxidation. Our study expands our knowledge of the possible ecological roles of the Aigarchaeota and clarifies their evolutionary relationship to their sister lineage Thaumarchaeota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng-Shuang Hua
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan-Ni Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiyun Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - En-Min Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan-Ling Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi-Rui Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yang-Zhi Rao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ye Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Xian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cindy J Castelle
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA.,Nevada Institute of Personalized Medicine, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA
| | - Wen-Sheng Shu
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rob Knight
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.,Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.,Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, China. .,College of Fisheries, Henan Normal University, 453007, Xinxiang, China.
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23
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Abstract
Twenty-five years ago this month, Thomas Gold published a seminal manuscript suggesting the presence of a "deep, hot biosphere" in the Earth's crust. Since this publication, a considerable amount of attention has been given to the study of deep biospheres, their role in geochemical cycles, and their potential to inform on the origin of life and its potential outside of Earth. Overwhelming evidence now supports the presence of a deep biosphere ubiquitously distributed on Earth in both terrestrial and marine settings. Furthermore, it has become apparent that much of this life is dependent on lithogenically sourced high-energy compounds to sustain productivity. A vast diversity of uncultivated microorganisms has been detected in subsurface environments, and we show that H2, CH4, and CO feature prominently in many of their predicted metabolisms. Despite 25 years of intense study, key questions remain on life in the deep subsurface, including whether it is endemic and the extent of its involvement in the anaerobic formation and degradation of hydrocarbons. Emergent data from cultivation and next-generation sequencing approaches continue to provide promising new hints to answer these questions. As Gold suggested, and as has become increasingly evident, to better understand the subsurface is critical to further understanding the Earth, life, the evolution of life, and the potential for life elsewhere. To this end, we suggest the need to develop a robust network of interdisciplinary scientists and accessible field sites for long-term monitoring of the Earth's subsurface in the form of a deep subsurface microbiome initiative.
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24
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Kato S, Sakai S, Hirai M, Tasumi E, Nishizawa M, Suzuki K, Takai K. Long-Term Cultivation and Metagenomics Reveal Ecophysiology of Previously Uncultivated Thermophiles Involved in Biogeochemical Nitrogen Cycle. Microbes Environ 2018; 33:107-110. [PMID: 29459499 PMCID: PMC5877337 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me17165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many thermophiles thriving in a natural high-temperature environment remain uncultivated, and their ecophysiological functions in the biogeochemical cycle remain unclear. In the present study, we performed long-term continuous cultivation at 65°C and 70°C using a microbial mat sample, collected from a subsurface geothermal stream, as the inoculum, and reconstructed the whole genome of the maintained populations using metagenomics. Some metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), affiliated into phylum-level bacterial and archaeal clades without cultivated representatives, contained genes involved in nitrogen metabolism including nitrification and denitrification. Our results show genetic components and their potential interactions for the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle in a subsurface geothermal environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shingo Kato
- Ore Genesis Research Unit, Project Team for Development of New-generation Research Protocol for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).,Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, JAMSTEC
| | - Sanae Sakai
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research, JAMSTEC
| | - Miho Hirai
- Research and Development Center for Marine Biosciences, JAMSTEC
| | - Eiji Tasumi
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research, JAMSTEC
| | - Manabu Nishizawa
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research, JAMSTEC
| | - Katsuhiko Suzuki
- Ore Genesis Research Unit, Project Team for Development of New-generation Research Protocol for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).,Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, JAMSTEC
| | - Ken Takai
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research, JAMSTEC
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25
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Abby SS, Melcher M, Kerou M, Krupovic M, Stieglmeier M, Rossel C, Pfeifer K, Schleper C. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:28. [PMID: 29434576 PMCID: PMC5797428 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally at 68°C under chemolithoautotrophic conditions on ammonia or urea converting ammonia stoichiometrically into nitrite with a generation time of approximately 23 h. Phylogenetic analyses based on ribosomal proteins place the organism as a sister group to all known mesophilic AOA. The 1.58 Mb genome of Ca. N. cavascurensis harbors an amoAXCB gene cluster encoding ammonia monooxygenase and genes for a 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway for autotrophic carbon fixation, but also genes that indicate potential alternative energy metabolisms. Although a bona fide gene for nitrite reductase is missing, the organism is sensitive to NO-scavenging, underlining the potential importance of this compound for AOA metabolism. Ca. N. cavascurensis is distinct from all other AOA in its gene repertoire for replication, cell division and repair. Its genome has an impressive array of mobile genetic elements and other recently acquired gene sets, including conjugative systems, a provirus, transposons and cell appendages. Some of these elements indicate recent exchange with the environment, whereas others seem to have been domesticated and might convey crucial metabolic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie S Abby
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Laboratoire Techniques de l'Ingénierie Médicale et de la Complexité - Informatique, Mathématiques et Applications, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Michael Melcher
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Melina Kerou
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Unité Biologie Moléculaire du Gène chez les Extrêmophiles, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Michaela Stieglmeier
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Rossel
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kevin Pfeifer
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christa Schleper
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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26
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Yu Z, Beck DAC, Chistoserdova L. Natural Selection in Synthetic Communities Highlights the Roles of Methylococcaceae and Methylophilaceae and Suggests Differential Roles for Alternative Methanol Dehydrogenases in Methane Consumption. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2392. [PMID: 29259591 PMCID: PMC5723320 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe experiments that follow species dynamics and gene expression patterns in synthetic bacterial communities including species that compete for the single carbon substrate supplied, methane, and species unable to consume methane, which could only succeed through cooperative interactions. We demonstrate that these communities mostly select for two functional guilds, methanotrophs of the family Methylococcaceae and non-methanotrophic methylotrophs of the family Methylophilaceae, these taxonomic guilds outcompeting all other species included in the synthetic mix. The metatranscriptomics analysis uncovered that in both Methylococcaceae and Methylophilaceae, some of the most highly transcribed genes were the ones encoding methanol dehydrogenases (MDH). Remarkably, expression of alternative MDH genes (mxaFI versus xoxF), previously shown to be subjects to the rare Earth element switch, was found to depend on environmental conditions such as nitrogen source and methane and O2 partial pressures, and also to be species-specific. Along with the xoxF genes, genes encoding divergent cytochromes were highly expressed in both Methylophilaceae and Methylococcaceae, suggesting their function in methanol metabolism, likely encoding proteins serving as electron acceptors from XoxF enzymes. The research presented tested a synthetic community model that is much simplified compared to natural communities consuming methane, but more complex than the previously utilized two-species model. The performance of this model identifies prominent species for future synthetic ecology experiments and highlights both advantages of this approach and the challenges that it presents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Yu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - David A C Beck
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States.,eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Ludmila Chistoserdova
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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27
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The growing tree of Archaea: new perspectives on their diversity, evolution and ecology. ISME JOURNAL 2017; 11:2407-2425. [PMID: 28777382 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 220] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The Archaea occupy a key position in the Tree of Life, and are a major fraction of microbial diversity. Abundant in soils, ocean sediments and the water column, they have crucial roles in processes mediating global carbon and nutrient fluxes. Moreover, they represent an important component of the human microbiome, where their role in health and disease is still unclear. The development of culture-independent sequencing techniques has provided unprecedented access to genomic data from a large number of so far inaccessible archaeal lineages. This is revolutionizing our view of the diversity and metabolic potential of the Archaea in a wide variety of environments, an important step toward understanding their ecological role. The archaeal tree is being rapidly filled up with new branches constituting phyla, classes and orders, generating novel challenges for high-rank systematics, and providing key information for dissecting the origin of this domain, the evolutionary trajectories that have shaped its current diversity, and its relationships with Bacteria and Eukarya. The present picture is that of a huge diversity of the Archaea, which we are only starting to explore.
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28
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Yang Y, Mu Y, Zeng XC, Wu W, Yuan J, Liu Y, Guoji E, Luo F, Chen X, Li H, Wang J. Functional genes and thermophilic microorganisms responsible for arsenite oxidation from the shallow sediment of an untraversed hot spring outlet. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:490-501. [PMID: 28251437 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-017-1779-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Hot Springs have unique geochemical features. Microorganisms-mediated arsenite oxidation is one of the major biogeochemical processes occurred in some hot springs. This study aimed to understand the diversities of genes and microorganisms involved in arsenite oxidation from the outlet of an untraversed hot spring located at an altitude of 4226 m. Microcosm assay indicated that the microbial community from the hot spring was able to efficiently oxidize As(III) using glucose, lactic acid, yeast extract or sodium bicarbonate as the sole carbon source. The microbial community contained 7 phyla of microorganisms, of which Proteobacteria and Firmicutes are largely dominant; this composition is unique and differs significantly from those of other described hot springs. Twenty one novel arsenite oxidase genes were identified from the samples, which are affiliated with the arsenite oxidase families of α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria or Archaea; this highlights the high diversity of the arsenite-oxidizing microorganisms from the hot spring. A cultivable arsenite-oxidizer Chelatococcu sp. GHS311 was also isolated from the sample using enrichment technique. It can completely convert 75.0 mg/L As(III) into As(V) in 18 days at 45 °C. The arsenite oxidase of GHS311 shares the maximal sequence identity (84.7%) to that of Hydrogenophaga sp. CL3, a non-thermotolerant bacterium. At the temperature lower than 30 °C or higher than 65 °C, the growth of this strain was completely inhibited. These data help us to better understand the diversity and functional features of the thermophilic arsenite-oxidizing microorganisms from hot springs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Yao Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Xian-Chun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weiwei Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Yichen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - E Guoji
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Luo
- School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaoming Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
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29
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Hays LE, Graham HV, Des Marais DJ, Hausrath EM, Horgan B, McCollom TM, Parenteau MN, Potter-McIntyre SL, Williams AJ, Lynch KL. Biosignature Preservation and Detection in Mars Analog Environments. ASTROBIOLOGY 2017; 17:363-400. [PMID: 28177270 PMCID: PMC5478115 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2016.1627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
This review of material relevant to the Conference on Biosignature Preservation and Detection in Mars Analog Environments summarizes the meeting materials and discussions and is further expanded upon by detailed references to the published literature. From this diverse source material, there is a detailed discussion on the habitability and biosignature preservation potential of five primary analog environments: hydrothermal spring systems, subaqueous environments, subaerial environments, subsurface environments, and iron-rich systems. Within the context of exploring past habitable environments on Mars, challenges common to all of these key environments are laid out, followed by a focused discussion for each environment regarding challenges to orbital and ground-based observations and sample selection. This leads into a short section on how these challenges could influence our strategies and priorities for the astrobiological exploration of Mars. Finally, a listing of urgent needs and future research highlights key elements such as development of instrumentation as well as continued exploration into how Mars may have evolved differently from Earth and what that might mean for biosignature preservation and detection. Key Words: Biosignature preservation-Biosignature detection-Mars analog environments-Conference report-Astrobiological exploration. Astrobiology 17, 363-400.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay E. Hays
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California
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30
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Jennings RDM, Moran JJ, Jay ZJ, Beam JP, Whitmore LM, Kozubal MA, Kreuzer HW, Inskeep WP. Integration of Metagenomic and Stable Carbon Isotope Evidence Reveals the Extent and Mechanisms of Carbon Dioxide Fixation in High-Temperature Microbial Communities. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:88. [PMID: 28217111 PMCID: PMC5289995 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the biological fixation of CO2 by chemolithoautotrophs provides a diverse suite of organic compounds utilized by chemoorganoheterotrophs as a carbon and energy source, the relative amounts of autotrophic C in chemotrophic microbial communities are not well-established. The extent and mechanisms of CO2 fixation were evaluated across a comprehensive set of high-temperature, chemotrophic microbial communities in Yellowstone National Park by combining metagenomic and stable 13C isotope analyses. Fifteen geothermal sites representing three distinct habitat types (iron-oxide mats, anoxic sulfur sediments, and filamentous “streamer” communities) were investigated. Genes of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate, dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate, and reverse tricarboxylic acid CO2 fixation pathways were identified in assembled genome sequence corresponding to the predominant Crenarchaeota and Aquificales observed across this habitat range. Stable 13C analyses of dissolved inorganic and organic C (DIC, DOC), and possible landscape C sources were used to interpret the 13C content of microbial community samples. Isotope mixing models showed that the minimum fractions of autotrophic C in microbial biomass were >50% in the majority of communities analyzed. The significance of CO2 as a C source in these communities provides a foundation for understanding community assembly and succession, and metabolic linkages among early-branching thermophilic autotrophs and heterotrophs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan de Montmollin Jennings
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | - James J Moran
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratories Richland, WA, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | - Jacob P Beam
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - Mark A Kozubal
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
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31
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Two distinct pools of B12 analogs reveal community interdependencies in the ocean. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 114:364-369. [PMID: 28028206 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1608462114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms within all domains of life require the cofactor cobalamin (vitamin B12), which is produced only by a subset of bacteria and archaea. On the basis of genomic analyses, cobalamin biosynthesis in marine systems has been inferred in three main groups: select heterotrophic Proteobacteria, chemoautotrophic Thaumarchaeota, and photoautotrophic Cyanobacteria. Culture work demonstrates that many Cyanobacteria do not synthesize cobalamin but rather produce pseudocobalamin, challenging the connection between the occurrence of cobalamin biosynthesis genes and production of the compound in marine ecosystems. Here we show that cobalamin and pseudocobalamin coexist in the surface ocean, have distinct microbial sources, and support different enzymatic demands. Even in the presence of cobalamin, Cyanobacteria synthesize pseudocobalamin-likely reflecting their retention of an oxygen-independent pathway to produce pseudocobalamin, which is used as a cofactor in their specialized methionine synthase (MetH). This contrasts a model diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana, which transported pseudocobalamin into the cell but was unable to use pseudocobalamin in its homolog of MetH. Our genomic and culture analyses showed that marine Thaumarchaeota and select heterotrophic bacteria produce cobalamin. This indicates that cobalamin in the surface ocean is a result of de novo synthesis by heterotrophic bacteria or via modification of closely related compounds like cyanobacterially produced pseudocobalamin. Deeper in the water column, our study implicates Thaumarchaeota as major producers of cobalamin based on genomic potential, cobalamin cell quotas, and abundance. Together, these findings establish the distinctive roles played by abundant prokaryotes in cobalamin-based microbial interdependencies that sustain community structure and function in the ocean.
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32
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Fischer MA, Güllert S, Neulinger SC, Streit WR, Schmitz RA. Evaluation of 16S rRNA Gene Primer Pairs for Monitoring Microbial Community Structures Showed High Reproducibility within and Low Comparability between Datasets Generated with Multiple Archaeal and Bacterial Primer Pairs. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1297. [PMID: 27602022 PMCID: PMC4994424 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The application of next-generation sequencing technology in microbial community analysis increased our knowledge and understanding of the complexity and diversity of a variety of ecosystems. In contrast to Bacteria, the archaeal domain was often not particularly addressed in the analysis of microbial communities. Consequently, established primers specifically amplifying the archaeal 16S ribosomal gene region are scarce compared to the variety of primers targeting bacterial sequences. In this study, we aimed to validate archaeal primers suitable for high throughput next generation sequencing. Three archaeal 16S primer pairs as well as two bacterial and one general microbial 16S primer pairs were comprehensively tested by in-silico evaluation and performing an experimental analysis of a complex microbial community of a biogas reactor. The results obtained clearly demonstrate that comparability of community profiles established using different primer pairs is difficult. 16S rRNA gene data derived from a shotgun metagenome of the same reactor sample added an additional perspective on the community structure. Furthermore, in-silico evaluation of primers, especially those for amplification of archaeal 16S rRNA gene regions, does not necessarily reflect the results obtained in experimental approaches. In the latter, archaeal primer pair ArchV34 showed the highest similarity to the archaeal community structure compared to observed by the metagenomic approach and thus appears to be the appropriate for analyzing archaeal communities in biogas reactors. However, a disadvantage of this primer pair was its low specificity for the archaeal domain in the experimental application leading to high amounts of bacterial sequences within the dataset. Overall our results indicate a rather limited comparability between community structures investigated and determined using different primer pairs as well as between metagenome and 16S rRNA gene amplicon based community structure analysis. This finding, previously shown for Bacteria, was as well observed for the archaeal domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin A Fischer
- Department of Biology, Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel Kiel, Germany
| | - Simon Güllert
- Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Institute of Microbiology & Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sven C Neulinger
- Department of Biology, Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu KielKiel, Germany; omics2view.consulting GbRKiel, Germany
| | - Wolfgang R Streit
- Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Institute of Microbiology & Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ruth A Schmitz
- Department of Biology, Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel Kiel, Germany
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33
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Colman DR, Jay ZJ, Inskeep WP, Jennings RD, Maas KR, Rusch DB, Takacs-Vesbach CD. Novel, Deep-Branching Heterotrophic Bacterial Populations Recovered from Thermal Spring Metagenomes. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:304. [PMID: 27014227 PMCID: PMC4791363 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermal spring ecosystems are a valuable resource for the discovery of novel hyperthermophilic Bacteria and Archaea, and harbor deeply-branching lineages that provide insight regarding the nature of early microbial life. We characterized bacterial populations in two circumneutral (pH ~8) Yellowstone National Park thermal (T ~80°C) spring filamentous “streamer” communities using random metagenomic DNA sequence to investigate the metabolic potential of these novel populations. Four de novo assemblies representing three abundant, deeply-branching bacterial phylotypes were recovered. Analysis of conserved phylogenetic marker genes indicated that two of the phylotypes represent separate groups of an uncharacterized phylum (for which we propose the candidate phylum name “Pyropristinus”). The third new phylotype falls within the proposed Calescamantes phylum. Metabolic reconstructions of the “Pyropristinus” and Calescamantes populations showed that these organisms appear to be chemoorganoheterotrophs and have the genomic potential for aerobic respiration and oxidative phosphorylation via archaeal-like V-type, and bacterial F-type ATPases, respectively. A survey of similar phylotypes (>97% nt identity) within 16S rRNA gene datasets suggest that the newly described organisms are restricted to terrestrial thermal springs ranging from 70 to 90°C and pH values of ~7–9. The characterization of these lineages is important for understanding the diversity of deeply-branching bacterial phyla, and their functional role in high-temperature circumneutral “streamer” communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Colman
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Ryan deM Jennings
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Kendra R Maas
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
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