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Chander AM, de Melo Teixeira M, Singh NK, Williams MP, Parker CW, Leo P, Stajich JE, Torok T, Tighe S, Mason CE, Venkateswaran K. Genomic and morphological characterization of Knufia obscura isolated from the Mars 2020 spacecraft assembly facility. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12249. [PMID: 38806503 PMCID: PMC11133487 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61115-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Members of the family Trichomeriaceae, belonging to the Chaetothyriales order and the Ascomycota phylum, are known for their capability to inhabit hostile environments characterized by extreme temperatures, oligotrophic conditions, drought, or presence of toxic compounds. The genus Knufia encompasses many polyextremophilic species. In this report, the genomic and morphological features of the strain FJI-L2-BK-P2 presented, which was isolated from the Mars 2020 mission spacecraft assembly facility located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The identification is based on sequence alignment for marker genes, multi-locus sequence analysis, and whole genome sequence phylogeny. The morphological features were studied using a diverse range of microscopic techniques (bright field, phase contrast, differential interference contrast and scanning electron microscopy). The phylogenetic marker genes of the strain FJI-L2-BK-P2 exhibited highest similarities with type strain of Knufia obscura (CBS 148926T) that was isolated from the gas tank of a car in Italy. To validate the species identity, whole genomes of both strains (FJI-L2-BK-P2 and CBS 148926T) were sequenced, annotated, and strain FJI-L2-BK-P2 was confirmed as K. obscura. The morphological analysis and description of the genomic characteristics of K. obscura FJI-L2-BK-P2 may contribute to refining the taxonomy of Knufia species. Key morphological features are reported in this K. obscura strain, resembling microsclerotia and chlamydospore-like propagules. These features known to be characteristic features in black fungi which could potentially facilitate their adaptation to harsh environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul Munish Chander
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, M/S 89-2, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Marcus de Melo Teixeira
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- School of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasília, DF, Brazil
| | - Nitin K Singh
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, M/S 89-2, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Michael P Williams
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, M/S 89-2, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Ceth W Parker
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, M/S 89-2, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Patrick Leo
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, M/S 89-2, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA
| | - Jason E Stajich
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of CA-Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Tamas Torok
- Ecology Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Scott Tighe
- Vermont Integrative Genomics Lab, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Christopher E Mason
- WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1305 York Avenue, Room Y-13.15, New York, NY, 10021, USA.
| | - Kasthuri Venkateswaran
- Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, M/S 89-2, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA.
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Cubillos CF, Aguilar P, Moreira D, Bertolino P, Iniesto M, Dorador C, López-García P. Exploring the prokaryote-eukaryote interplay in microbial mats from an Andean athalassohaline wetland. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0007224. [PMID: 38456669 PMCID: PMC10986560 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00072-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial community assembly results from the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors. However, environmental selection is thought to predominantly shape communities in extreme ecosystems. Salar de Huasco, situated in the high-altitude Andean Altiplano, represents a poly-extreme ecosystem displaying spatial gradients of physicochemical conditions. To disentangle the influence of abiotic and biotic factors, we studied prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities from microbial mats and underlying sediments across contrasting areas of this athalassohaline ecosystem. The prokaryotic communities were primarily composed of bacteria, notably including a significant proportion of photosynthetic organisms like Cyanobacteria and anoxygenic photosynthetic members of Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi. Additionally, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Deltaproteobacteria were abundantly represented. Among eukaryotes, photosynthetic organisms (Ochrophyta and Archaeplastida) were predominant, alongside relatively abundant ciliates, cercozoans, and flagellated fungi. Salinity emerged as a key driver for the assembly of prokaryotic communities. Collectively, abiotic factors influenced both prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, particularly those of algae. However, prokaryotic communities strongly correlated with photosynthetic eukaryotes, suggesting a pivotal role of biotic interactions in shaping these communities. Co-occurrence networks suggested potential interactions between different organisms, such as diatoms with specific photosynthetic and heterotrophic bacteria or with protist predators, indicating influences beyond environmental selection. While some associations may be explained by environmental preferences, the robust biotic correlations, alongside insights from other ecosystems and experimental studies, suggest that symbiotic and trophic interactions significantly shape microbial mat and sediment microbial communities in this athalassohaline ecosystem.IMPORTANCEHow biotic and abiotic factors influence microbial community assembly is still poorly defined. Here, we explore their influence on prokaryotic and eukaryotic community assembly within microbial mats and sediments of an Andean high-altitude polyextreme wetland system. We show that, in addition to abiotic elements, mutual interactions exist between prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities. Notably, photosynthetic eukaryotes exhibit a strong correlation with prokaryotic communities, specifically diatoms with certain bacteria and other protists. Our findings underscore the significance of biotic interactions in community assembly and emphasize the necessity of considering the complete microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina F. Cubillos
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pablo Aguilar
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana, Instituto Antofagasta and Centro de Bioingeniería y Biotecnología (CeBiB), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Austral Invasive Salmonids - INVASAL, Concepción, Chile
| | - David Moreira
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Paola Bertolino
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Miguel Iniesto
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Cristina Dorador
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana, Instituto Antofagasta and Centro de Bioingeniería y Biotecnología (CeBiB), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
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Son YE, Park HS. Coordination of two regulators SscA and VosA in Aspergillus nidulans conidia. Fungal Genet Biol 2024; 171:103877. [PMID: 38447800 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2024.103877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Airborne fungal spores are a major cause of fungal diseases in humans, animals, and plants as well as contamination of foods. Previous studies found a variety of regulators including VosA, VelB, WetA, and SscA for sporogenesis and the long-term viability in Aspergillus nidulans. To gain a mechanistic understanding of the complex regulatory mechanisms in asexual spores, here, we focused on the relationship between VosA and SscA using comparative transcriptomic analysis and phenotypic studies. The ΔsscA ΔvosA double-mutant conidia have lower spore viability and stress tolerance compared to the ΔsscA or ΔvosA single mutant conidia. Deletion of sscA or vosA affects chitin levels and mRNA levels of chitin biosynthetic genes in conidia. In addition, SscA and VosA are required for the dormant state of conidia and conidial germination by modulating the mRNA levels of the cytoskeleton and development-associated genes. Overall, these results suggest that SscA and VosA play interdependent roles in governing spore maturation, dormancy, and germination in A. nidulans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye-Eun Son
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Soo Park
- School of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea; Department of Integrative Biology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea.
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Kravchenko I, Rayko M, Sokornova S, Tikhonova E, Konopkin A, Lapidus A. Analysis of rhizosphere fungal community of agricultural crops cultivated in laboratory experiments on Chernevaya taiga soil. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2023; 40:27. [PMID: 38057541 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03827-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Chernevaya taiga of Western Siberia, Russia, is a unique ecosystem characterized by fertile soil, exceptionally large herbaceous plant sizes, and extraordinarily rapid rates of plant residue degradation. We expected that growing crops on soil collected from Chernevaya taiga, which has never been used for agricultural purposes before, would result in a distinct rhizospheric fungal community. This community could potentially yield novel, potent biostimulators and biocontrol fungi for modern agriculture. To check this idea, we used high-throughput ITS sequencing to examine the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of spring wheat and radish grown in greenhouse experiments on Chernevaya and control soils. Additionally, representative fungal strains were isolated and assessed for their ability to promote growth in wheat seedlings. The study revealed that the most abundant phyla in the rhizospheric fungal community were Mortierellomycota, primarily consisting of Mortierella species, and Ascomycota. Mucor and Umbelopsis comprised the majority of Mucoromycota in the control soils. Fusarium and Oidiodendron, two potentially plant-pathogenic fungi, were only found in the rhizosphere of crops grown in the control soil. Conversely, Chernevaya soil contained a diverse range of potential biocontrol fungi for plants. Tested novel fungal isolates showed a stimulating effect on the development of wheat seedlings and positively affected their rate of biomass accumulation. The results of the study demonstrate that the soil of Chernevaya taiga do indeed contain fungi with prominent potential to stimulate agricultural plants growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Kravchenko
- Research Center of Biotechnology, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Mikhail Rayko
- Center for Bioinformatics and Algorithmic Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sophie Sokornova
- Department of Phytotoxicology and Biotechnology, All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection, 196608, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Tikhonova
- Research Center of Biotechnology, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksey Konopkin
- Research Center of Biotechnology, Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alla Lapidus
- Center for Bioinformatics and Algorithmic Biotechnology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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