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Ferchiou S, Caza F, Villemur R, Betoulle S, St-Pierre Y. From shells to sequences: A proof-of-concept study for on-site analysis of hemolymphatic circulating cell-free DNA from sentinel mussels using Nanopore technology. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 934:172969. [PMID: 38754506 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Blue mussels are often abundant and widely distributed in polar marine coastal ecosystems. Because of their wide distribution, ecological importance, and relatively stationary lifestyle, bivalves have long been considered suitable indicators of ecosystem health and changes. Monitoring the population dynamics of blue mussels can provide information on the overall biodiversity, species interactions, and ecosystem functioning. In the present work, we combined the concept of liquid biopsy (LB), an emerging concept in medicine based on the sequencing of free circulating DNA, with the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platform using a portable laboratory in a remote area. Our results demonstrate that this platform is ideally suited for sequencing hemolymphatic circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) fragments found in blue mussels. The percentage of non-self ccfDNA accounted for >50 % of ccfDNA at certain sampling Sites, allowing the quick, on-site acquisition of a global view of the biodiversity of a coastal marine ecosystem. These ccfDNA fragments originated from viruses, bacteria, plants, arthropods, algae, and multiple Chordata. Aside from non-self ccfDNA, we found DNA fragments from all 14 blue mussel chromosomes, as well as those originating from the mitochondrial genomes. However, the distribution of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA was significantly different between Sites. Similarly, analyses between various sampling Sites showed that the biodiversity varied significantly within microhabitats. Our work shows that the ONT platform is well-suited for LB in sentinel blue mussels in remote and challenging conditions, enabling faster fieldwork for conservation strategies and resource management in diverse settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Ferchiou
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Technologie, 531 Boul. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - France Caza
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Technologie, 531 Boul. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Richard Villemur
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Technologie, 531 Boul. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Stéphane Betoulle
- Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, UMR-I 02 SEBIO Stress environnementaux et Biosurveillance des milieux aquatiques, Campus Moulin de la Housse, 51687 Reims, France
| | - Yves St-Pierre
- INRS-Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Technologie, 531 Boul. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada.
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Hou S, Tang T, Cheng S, Liu Y, Xia T, Chen T, Fuhrman J, Sun F. DeepMicroClass sorts metagenomic contigs into prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae044. [PMID: 38711860 PMCID: PMC11071121 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Sequence classification facilitates a fundamental understanding of the structure of microbial communities. Binary metagenomic sequence classifiers are insufficient because environmental metagenomes are typically derived from multiple sequence sources. Here we introduce a deep-learning based sequence classifier, DeepMicroClass, that classifies metagenomic contigs into five sequence classes, i.e. viruses infecting prokaryotic or eukaryotic hosts, eukaryotic or prokaryotic chromosomes, and prokaryotic plasmids. DeepMicroClass achieved high performance for all sequence classes at various tested sequence lengths ranging from 500 bp to 100 kbps. By benchmarking on a synthetic dataset with variable sequence class composition, we showed that DeepMicroClass obtained better performance for eukaryotic, plasmid and viral contig classification than other state-of-the-art predictors. DeepMicroClass achieved comparable performance on viral sequence classification with geNomad and VirSorter2 when benchmarked on the CAMI II marine dataset. Using a coastal daily time-series metagenomic dataset as a case study, we showed that microbial eukaryotes and prokaryotic viruses are integral to microbial communities. By analyzing monthly metagenomes collected at HOT and BATS, we found relatively higher viral read proportions in the subsurface layer in late summer, consistent with the seasonal viral infection patterns prevalent in these areas. We expect DeepMicroClass will promote metagenomic studies of under-appreciated sequence types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengwei Hou
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Marine and Environmental Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Tianqi Tang
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Siliangyu Cheng
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Yuanhao Liu
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tian Xia
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Ting Chen
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, Institute of Artificial Intelligence & BNRist, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jed A Fuhrman
- Marine and Environmental Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Fengzhu Sun
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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Liu Q, Peng Y, Liao J, Liu X, Peng J, Wang JH, Shao Z. Broad-spectrum hydrocarbon-degrading microbes in the global ocean metagenomes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 926:171746. [PMID: 38521276 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the diversity and functions of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms in marine environments is crucial for both advancing knowledge of biogeochemical processes and improving bioremediation methods. In this study, we leveraged nearly 20,000 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), recovered from a wide array of marine samples across the global oceans, to map the diversity of aerobic hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms. A broad bacterial diversity was uncovered, with a notable preference for degrading aliphatic hydrocarbons over aromatic ones, primarily within Proteobacteria and Actinobacteriota. Three types of broad-spectrum hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were identified for their ability to degrade various hydrocarbons and possession of multiple copies of hydrocarbon biodegradation genes. These bacteria demonstrate extensive metabolic versatility, aiding their survival and adaptability in diverse environmental conditions. Evidence of gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer in these microbes suggested a potential enhancement in the diversity of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. Positive correlations were observed between the abundances of hydrocarbon-degrading genes and environmental parameters such as temperature (-5 to 35 °C) and salinity (20 to 42 PSU). Overall, our findings offer valuable insights into marine hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms and suggest considerations for selecting microbial strains for oil pollution remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
| | - Yongyi Peng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
| | - Jing Liao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Xinyue Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Jiaxue Peng
- Institute of Environmental Systems Biology, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
| | - Jiang-Hai Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China.
| | - Zongze Shao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519099, China.
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4
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Cerk K, Ugalde‐Salas P, Nedjad CG, Lecomte M, Muller C, Sherman DJ, Hildebrand F, Labarthe S, Frioux C. Community-scale models of microbiomes: Articulating metabolic modelling and metagenome sequencing. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14396. [PMID: 38243750 PMCID: PMC10832553 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Building models is essential for understanding the functions and dynamics of microbial communities. Metabolic models built on genome-scale metabolic network reconstructions (GENREs) are especially relevant as a means to decipher the complex interactions occurring among species. Model reconstruction increasingly relies on metagenomics, which permits direct characterisation of naturally occurring communities that may contain organisms that cannot be isolated or cultured. In this review, we provide an overview of the field of metabolic modelling and its increasing reliance on and synergy with metagenomics and bioinformatics. We survey the means of assigning functions and reconstructing metabolic networks from (meta-)genomes, and present the variety and mathematical fundamentals of metabolic models that foster the understanding of microbial dynamics. We emphasise the characterisation of interactions and the scaling of model construction to large communities, two important bottlenecks in the applicability of these models. We give an overview of the current state of the art in metagenome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, focusing on the reconstruction of genomes in microbial communities. Metagenomics benefits tremendously from third-generation sequencing, and we discuss the opportunities of long-read sequencing, strain-level characterisation and eukaryotic metagenomics. We aim at providing algorithmic and mathematical support, together with tool and application resources, that permit bridging the gap between metagenomics and metabolic modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Cerk
- Quadram Institute BioscienceNorwichUK
- Earlham InstituteNorwichUK
| | | | - Chabname Ghassemi Nedjad
- Inria, University of Bordeaux, INRAETalenceFrance
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LaBRI, UMR 5800TalenceFrance
| | - Maxime Lecomte
- Inria, University of Bordeaux, INRAETalenceFrance
- INRAE STLO¸University of RennesRennesFrance
| | | | | | - Falk Hildebrand
- Quadram Institute BioscienceNorwichUK
- Earlham InstituteNorwichUK
| | - Simon Labarthe
- Inria, University of Bordeaux, INRAETalenceFrance
- INRAE, University of Bordeaux, BIOGECO, UMR 1202CestasFrance
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5
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Clark MS, Hoffman JI, Peck LS, Bargelloni L, Gande D, Havermans C, Meyer B, Patarnello T, Phillips T, Stoof-Leichsenring KR, Vendrami DLJ, Beck A, Collins G, Friedrich MW, Halanych KM, Masello JF, Nagel R, Norén K, Printzen C, Ruiz MB, Wohlrab S, Becker B, Dumack K, Ghaderiardakani F, Glaser K, Heesch S, Held C, John U, Karsten U, Kempf S, Lucassen M, Paijmans A, Schimani K, Wallberg A, Wunder LC, Mock T. Multi-omics for studying and understanding polar life. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7451. [PMID: 37978186 PMCID: PMC10656552 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43209-y] [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: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Polar ecosystems are experiencing amongst the most rapid rates of regional warming on Earth. Here, we discuss 'omics' approaches to investigate polar biodiversity, including the current state of the art, future perspectives and recommendations. We propose a community road map to generate and more fully exploit multi-omics data from polar organisms. These data are needed for the comprehensive evaluation of polar biodiversity and to reveal how life evolved and adapted to permanently cold environments with extreme seasonality. We argue that concerted action is required to mitigate the impact of warming on polar ecosystems via conservation efforts, to sustainably manage these unique habitats and their ecosystem services, and for the sustainable bioprospecting of novel genes and compounds for societal gain.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Clark
- British Antarctic Survey, UKRI-NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.
| | - J I Hoffman
- British Antarctic Survey, UKRI-NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.
- Universität Bielefeld, VHF, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - L S Peck
- British Antarctic Survey, UKRI-NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.
| | - L Bargelloni
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, Università degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, I-35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - D Gande
- Microbial Ecophysiology Group, Faculty of Biology/Chemistry & MARUM, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße 3, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - C Havermans
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - B Meyer
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg (HIFMB), 23129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - T Patarnello
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, Università degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell'Università 16, I-35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - T Phillips
- British Antarctic Survey, UKRI-NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
| | - K R Stoof-Leichsenring
- Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - D L J Vendrami
- Universität Bielefeld, VHF, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - A Beck
- Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns, Botanische Staatssammlung München (SNSB-BSM), Menzinger Str. 67, 80638, München, Germany
| | - G Collins
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre & Loewe-Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, 231 Morrin Road St Johns, Auckland, 1072, New Zealand
| | - M W Friedrich
- Microbial Ecophysiology Group, Faculty of Biology/Chemistry & MARUM, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße 3, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - K M Halanych
- Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina, 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane, Wilmington, NC, 28409, USA
| | - J F Masello
- Universität Bielefeld, VHF, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
- Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Giessen, Germany
| | - R Nagel
- Universität Bielefeld, VHF, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
| | - K Norén
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C Printzen
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre & Loewe-Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - M B Ruiz
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Universität Duisburg-Essen, Universitätstrasse 5, 45151, Essen, Germany
| | - S Wohlrab
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg (HIFMB), 23129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - B Becker
- Universität zu Köln, Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 60674, Köln, Germany
| | - K Dumack
- Universität zu Köln, Terrestrische Ökologie, Zülpicher Str. 47b, 60674, Köln, Germany
| | - F Ghaderiardakani
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Lessingstraße 8, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - K Glaser
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Applied Ecology and Phycology, University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - S Heesch
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Applied Ecology and Phycology, University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - C Held
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - U John
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - U Karsten
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Applied Ecology and Phycology, University of Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - S Kempf
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - M Lucassen
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - A Paijmans
- Universität Bielefeld, VHF, Konsequenz 45, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - K Schimani
- Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Wallberg
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, 751 23, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - L C Wunder
- Microbial Ecophysiology Group, Faculty of Biology/Chemistry & MARUM, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße 3, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - T Mock
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
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Alexander H, Hu SK, Krinos AI, Pachiadaki M, Tully BJ, Neely CJ, Reiter T. Eukaryotic genomes from a global metagenomic data set illuminate trophic modes and biogeography of ocean plankton. mBio 2023; 14:e0167623. [PMID: 37947402 PMCID: PMC10746220 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01676-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Metagenomics is a powerful method for interpreting the ecological roles and physiological capabilities of mixed microbial communities. Yet, many tools for processing metagenomic data are neither designed to consider eukaryotes nor are they built for an increasing amount of sequence data. EukHeist is an automated pipeline to retrieve eukaryotic and prokaryotic metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from large-scale metagenomic sequence data sets. We developed the EukHeist workflow to specifically process large amounts of both metagenomic and/or metatranscriptomic sequence data in an automated and reproducible fashion. Here, we applied EukHeist to the large-size fraction data (0.8-2,000 µm) from Tara Oceans to recover both eukaryotic and prokaryotic MAGs, which we refer to as TOPAZ (Tara Oceans Particle-Associated MAGs). The TOPAZ MAGs consisted of >900 environmentally relevant eukaryotic MAGs and >4,000 bacterial and archaeal MAGs. The bacterial and archaeal TOPAZ MAGs expand upon the phylogenetic diversity of likely particle- and host-associated taxa. We use these MAGs to demonstrate an approach to infer the putative trophic mode of the recovered eukaryotic MAGs. We also identify ecological cohorts of co-occurring MAGs, which are driven by specific environmental factors and putative host-microbe associations. These data together add to a number of growing resources of environmentally relevant eukaryotic genomic information. Complementary and expanded databases of MAGs, such as those provided through scalable pipelines like EukHeist, stand to advance our understanding of eukaryotic diversity through increased coverage of genomic representatives across the tree of life.IMPORTANCESingle-celled eukaryotes play ecologically significant roles in the marine environment, yet fundamental questions about their biodiversity, ecological function, and interactions remain. Environmental sequencing enables researchers to document naturally occurring protistan communities, without culturing bias, yet metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing approaches cannot separate individual species from communities. To more completely capture the genomic content of mixed protistan populations, we can create bins of sequences that represent the same organism (metagenome-assembled genomes [MAGs]). We developed the EukHeist pipeline, which automates the binning of population-level eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes from metagenomic reads. We show exciting insight into what protistan communities are present and their trophic roles in the ocean. Scalable computational tools, like EukHeist, may accelerate the identification of meaningful genetic signatures from large data sets and complement researchers' efforts to leverage MAG databases for addressing ecological questions, resolving evolutionary relationships, and discovering potentially novel biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harriet Alexander
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sarah K. Hu
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Arianna I. Krinos
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
- MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, Cambridge and Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maria Pachiadaki
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Benjamin J. Tully
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Christopher J. Neely
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Taylor Reiter
- Population Health and Reproduction, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
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Seong HJ, Kim JJ, Sul WJ. ACR: metagenome-assembled prokaryotic and eukaryotic genome refinement tool. Brief Bioinform 2023; 24:bbad381. [PMID: 37889119 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbad381] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial genome recovery from metagenomes can further explain microbial ecosystem structures, functions and dynamics. Thus, this study developed the Additional Clustering Refiner (ACR) to enhance high-purity prokaryotic and eukaryotic metagenome-assembled genome (MAGs) recovery. ACR refines low-quality MAGs by subjecting them to iterative k-means clustering predicated on contig abundance and increasing bin purity through validated universal marker genes. Synthetic and real-world metagenomic datasets, including short- and long-read sequences, evaluated ACR's effectiveness. The results demonstrated improved MAG purity and a significant increase in high- and medium-quality MAG recovery rates. In addition, ACR seamlessly integrates with various binning algorithms, augmenting their strengths without modifying core features. Furthermore, its multiple sequencing technology compatibilities expand its applicability. By efficiently recovering high-quality prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes, ACR is a promising tool for deepening our understanding of microbial communities through genome-centric metagenomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoon Je Seong
- Korean Medicine Data Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Ju Kim
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo Jun Sul
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Republic of Korea
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8
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Obiol A, López-Escardó D, Salomaki ED, Wiśniewska MM, Forn I, Sà E, Vaqué D, Kolísko M, Massana R. Gene expression dynamics of natural assemblages of heterotrophic flagellates during bacterivory. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:134. [PMID: 37322519 PMCID: PMC10268365 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01571-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Marine heterotrophic flagellates (HF) are dominant bacterivores in the ocean, where they represent the trophic link between bacteria and higher trophic levels and participate in the recycling of inorganic nutrients for regenerated primary production. Studying their activity and function in the ecosystem is challenging since most of the HFs in the ocean are still uncultured. In the present work, we investigated gene expression of natural HF communities during bacterivory in four unamended seawater incubations. RESULTS The most abundant species growing in our incubations belonged to the taxonomic groups MAST-4, MAST-7, Chrysophyceae, and Telonemia. Gene expression dynamics were similar between incubations and could be divided into three states based on microbial counts, each state displaying distinct expression patterns. The analysis of samples where HF growth was highest revealed some highly expressed genes that could be related to bacterivory. Using available genomic and transcriptomic references, we identified 25 species growing in our incubations and used those to compare the expression levels of these specific genes. Video Abstract CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that several peptidases, together with some glycoside hydrolases and glycosyltransferases, are more expressed in phagotrophic than in phototrophic species, and thus could be used to infer the process of bacterivory in natural assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleix Obiol
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08003, Spain.
| | - David López-Escardó
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08003, Spain
| | - Eric D Salomaki
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Monika M Wiśniewska
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Irene Forn
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08003, Spain
| | - Elisabet Sà
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08003, Spain
| | - Dolors Vaqué
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08003, Spain
| | - Martin Kolísko
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Ramon Massana
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08003, Spain.
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Duncan A, Barry K, Daum C, Eloe-Fadrosh E, Roux S, Schmidt K, Tringe SG, Valentin KU, Varghese N, Salamov A, Grigoriev IV, Leggett RM, Moulton V, Mock T. Dataset of 143 metagenome-assembled genomes from the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, including 21 for eukaryotic organisms. Data Brief 2023; 47:108990. [PMID: 36879606 PMCID: PMC9984783 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2023.108990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
This article presents metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) for both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms originating from the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, along with gene prediction and functional annotation for MAGs from both domains. Eleven samples from the chlorophyll-a maximum layer of the surface ocean were collected during two cruises in 2012; six from the Arctic in June-July on ARK-XXVII/1 (PS80), and five from the Atlantic in November on ANT-XXIX/1 (PS81). Sequencing and assembly was carried out by the Joint Genome Institute (JGI), who provide annotation of the assembled sequences, and 122 MAGs for prokaryotic organisms. A subsequent binning process identified 21 MAGs for eukaryotic organisms, mostly identified as Mamiellophyceae or Bacillariophyceae. The data for each MAG includes sequences in FASTA format, and tables of functional annotation of genes. For eukaryotic MAGs, transcript and protein sequences for predicted genes are available. A spreadsheet is provided summarising quality measures and taxonomic classifications for each MAG. These data provide draft genomes for uncultured marine microbes, including some of the first MAGs for polar eukaryotes, and can provide reference genetic data for these environments, or used in genomics-based comparison between environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Duncan
- School of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR47TJ, UK
| | - Kerrie Barry
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Chris Daum
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Emiley Eloe-Fadrosh
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Simon Roux
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Katrin Schmidt
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR47TJ, UK
| | - Susannah G Tringe
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Klaus U Valentin
- Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Neha Varghese
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Asaf Salamov
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Igor V Grigoriev
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | | | - Vincent Moulton
- School of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR47TJ, UK
| | - Thomas Mock
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR47TJ, UK
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10
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Differential global distribution of marine picocyanobacteria gene clusters reveals distinct niche-related adaptive strategies. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:720-732. [PMID: 36841901 PMCID: PMC10119275 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01386-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/27/2023]
Abstract
The ever-increasing number of available microbial genomes and metagenomes provides new opportunities to investigate the links between niche partitioning and genome evolution in the ocean, especially for the abundant and ubiquitous marine picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Here, by combining metagenome analyses of the Tara Oceans dataset with comparative genomics, including phyletic patterns and genomic context of individual genes from 256 reference genomes, we show that picocyanobacterial communities thriving in different niches possess distinct gene repertoires. We also identify clusters of adjacent genes that display specific distribution patterns in the field (eCAGs) and are thus potentially involved in the same metabolic pathway and may have a key role in niche adaptation. Several eCAGs are likely involved in the uptake or incorporation of complex organic forms of nutrients, such as guanidine, cyanate, cyanide, pyrimidine, or phosphonates, which might be either directly used by cells, for example for the biosynthesis of proteins or DNA, or degraded to inorganic nitrogen and/or phosphorus forms. We also highlight the enrichment of eCAGs involved in polysaccharide capsule biosynthesis in Synechococcus populations thriving in both nitrogen- and phosphorus-depleted areas vs. low-iron (Fe) regions, suggesting that the complexes they encode may be too energy-consuming for picocyanobacteria thriving in the latter areas. In contrast, Prochlorococcus populations thriving in Fe-depleted areas specifically possess an alternative respiratory terminal oxidase, potentially involved in the reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II). Altogether, this study provides insights into how phytoplankton communities populate oceanic ecosystems, which is relevant to understanding their capacity to respond to ongoing climate change.
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11
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Genetic and Structural Diversity of Prokaryotic Ice-Binding Proteins from the Central Arctic Ocean. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14020363. [PMID: 36833289 PMCID: PMC9957290 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020363] [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: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are a group of ecologically and biotechnologically relevant enzymes produced by psychrophilic organisms. Although putative IBPs containing the domain of unknown function (DUF) 3494 have been identified in many taxa of polar microbes, our knowledge of their genetic and structural diversity in natural microbial communities is limited. Here, we used samples from sea ice and sea water collected in the central Arctic Ocean as part of the MOSAiC expedition for metagenome sequencing and the subsequent analyses of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). By linking structurally diverse IBPs to particular environments and potential functions, we reveal that IBP sequences are enriched in interior ice, have diverse genomic contexts and cluster taxonomically. Their diverse protein structures may be a consequence of domain shuffling, leading to variable combinations of protein domains in IBPs and probably reflecting the functional versatility required to thrive in the extreme and variable environment of the central Arctic Ocean.
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12
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Roux S, Fischer MG, Hackl T, Katz LA, Schulz F, Yutin N. Updated Virophage Taxonomy and Distinction from Polinton-like Viruses. Biomolecules 2023; 13:204. [PMID: 36830574 PMCID: PMC9952930 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Virophages are small dsDNA viruses that hijack the machinery of giant viruses during the co-infection of a protist (i.e., microeukaryotic) host and represent an exceptional case of "hyperparasitism" in the viral world. While only a handful of virophages have been isolated, a vast diversity of virophage-like sequences have been uncovered from diverse metagenomes. Their wide ecological distribution, idiosyncratic infection and replication strategy, ability to integrate into protist and giant virus genomes and potential role in antiviral defense have made virophages a topic of broad interest. However, one limitation for further studies is the lack of clarity regarding the nomenclature and taxonomy of this group of viruses. Specifically, virophages have been linked in the literature to other "virophage-like" mobile genetic elements and viruses, including polinton-like viruses (PLVs), but there are no formal demarcation criteria and proper nomenclature for either group, i.e., virophage or PLVs. Here, as part of the ICTV Virophage Study Group, we leverage a large set of genomes gathered from published datasets as well as newly generated protist genomes to propose delineation criteria and classification methods at multiple taxonomic ranks for virophages 'sensu stricto', i.e., genomes related to the prototype isolates Sputnik and mavirus. Based on a combination of comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses, we show that this group of virophages forms a cohesive taxon that we propose to establish at the class level and suggest a subdivision into four orders and seven families with distinctive ecogenomic features. Finally, to illustrate how the proposed delineation criteria and classification method would be used, we apply these to two recently published datasets, which we show include both virophages and other virophage-related elements. Overall, we see this proposed classification as a necessary first step to provide a robust taxonomic framework in this area of the virosphere, which will need to be expanded in the future to cover other virophage-related viruses such as PLVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Roux
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Matthias G. Fischer
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Hackl
- Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, 9700 AB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura A. Katz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA
| | - Frederik Schulz
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Natalya Yutin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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Wang Z, Yang T, Mei X, Wang N, Li X, Yang Q, Dong C, Jiang G, Lin J, Xu Y, Shen Q, Jousset A, Banerjee S. Bio-Organic Fertilizer Promotes Pear Yield by Shaping the Rhizosphere Microbiome Composition and Functions. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0357222. [PMID: 36453930 PMCID: PMC9769518 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03572-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Bio-organic fertilizers (BOF) containing both organic amendments and beneficial microorganisms have been consistently shown to improve soils fertility and yield. However, the exact mechanisms which link amendments and yields remain disputed, and the complexity of bio-organic fertilizers may work in parallel in several ways. BOF may directly improve yield by replenishing soil nutrients or introducing beneficial microbial genes or indirectly by altering the soil microbiome to enrich native beneficial microorganisms. In this work, we aim to disentangle the relative contributions of direct and indirect effects on pear yield. We treated pear trees with either chemical fertilizer or organic fertilizer with/without the plant-beneficial bacterium Bacillus velezensis SQR9. We then assessed, in detail, soil physicochemical and biological properties (metagenome sequencing) as well as pear yield. We then evaluated the relative importance of direct and indirect effects of soil amendments on pear yield. Both organic treatments increased plant yield by up to 20%, with the addition of bacteria tripling the increase driven by organic fertilizer alone. This increase could be linked to alterations in soil physicochemical properties, bacterial community function, and metabolism. Supplementation of organic fertilizer SQR9 increased rhizosphere microbiome richness and functional diversity. Fertilizer-sensitive microbes and functions responded as whole guilds. Pear yield was most positively associated with the Mitsuaria- and Actinoplanes-dominated ecological clusters and with gene clusters involved in ion transport and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Together, these results suggested that bio-organic fertilizers mainly act indirectly on plant yield by creating soil chemical properties which promote a plant-beneficial microbiome. IMPORTANCE Bio-organic fertilization is a widely used, eco-friendly, sustainable approach to increasing plant productivity in the agriculture and fruit industries. However, it remains unclear whether the promotion of fruit productivity is related to specific changes in microbial inoculants, the resident microbiome, and/or the physicochemical properties of rhizosphere soils. We found that bio-organic fertilizers alter soil chemical properties, thus manipulating specific microbial taxa and functions within the rhizosphere microbiome of pear plants to promote yield. Our work unveils the ecological mechanisms which underlie the beneficial impacts of bio-organic fertilizers on yield promotion in fruit orchards, which may help in the design of more efficient biofertilizers to promote sustainable fruit production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghua Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Institute of Pomology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing, China
| | - Tianjie Yang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinlan Mei
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ningqi Wang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaogang Li
- Institute of Pomology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing, China
| | - Qingsong Yang
- Institute of Pomology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing, China
| | - Caixia Dong
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Gaofei Jiang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing Lin
- Institute of Pomology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Genetic Improvement, Nanjing, China
| | - Yangchun Xu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Alexandre Jousset
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, Key Laboratory of Plant immunity, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Samiran Banerjee
- Department of Microbiological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
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Long-Read Sequencing Improves Recovery of Picoeukaryotic Genomes and Zooplankton Marker Genes from Marine Metagenomes. mSystems 2022; 7:e0059522. [PMID: 36448813 PMCID: PMC9765425 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00595-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-read sequencing offers the potential to improve metagenome assemblies and provide more robust assessments of microbial community composition and function than short-read sequencing. We applied Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) CCS (circular consensus sequencing) HiFi shotgun sequencing to 14 marine water column samples and compared the results with those for short-read metagenomes from the corresponding environmental DNA samples. We found that long-read metagenomes varied widely in quality and biological information. The community compositions of the corresponding long- and short-read metagenomes were frequently dissimilar, suggesting higher stochasticity and/or bias associated with PacBio sequencing. Long reads provided few improvements to the assembly qualities, gene annotations, and prokaryotic metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) binning results. However, only long reads produced high-quality eukaryotic MAGs and contigs containing complete zooplankton marker gene sequences. These results suggest that high-quality long-read metagenomes can improve marine community composition analyses and provide important insight into eukaryotic phyto- and zooplankton genetics, but the benefits may be outweighed by the inconsistent data quality. IMPORTANCE Ocean microbes provide critical ecosystem services, but most remain uncultivated. Their communities can be studied through shotgun metagenomic sequencing and bioinformatic analyses, including binning draft microbial genomes. However, most sequencing to date has been done using short-read technology, which rarely yields genome sequences of key microbes like SAR11. Long-read sequencing can improve metagenome assemblies but is hampered by technological shortcomings and high costs. In this study, we compared long- and short-read sequencing of marine metagenomes. We found a wide range of long-read metagenome qualities and minimal improvements to microbiome analyses. However, long reads generated draft genomes of eukaryotic algal species and provided full-length marker gene sequences of zooplankton species, including krill and copepods. These results suggest that long-read sequencing can provide greater genetic insight into the wide diversity of eukaryotic phyto- and zooplankton that interact as part of and with the marine microbiome.
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15
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Abstract
The MOSAiC ice-drift study across the Arctic Ocean is providing unprecedented opportunities to explore one of the least known ecosystems on Earth. In this Community Page, members of the EcoOmics project explain how data from MOSAiC will be used to study unique species, from viruses to multicellular animals.
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16
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Espinoza JL, Dupont CL. VEBA: a modular end-to-end suite for in silico recovery, clustering, and analysis of prokaryotic, microeukaryotic, and viral genomes from metagenomes. BMC Bioinformatics 2022; 23:419. [PMID: 36224545 PMCID: PMC9554839 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-022-04973-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the advent of metagenomics, the importance of microorganisms and how their interactions are relevant to ecosystem resilience, sustainability, and human health has become evident. Cataloging and preserving biodiversity is paramount not only for the Earth's natural systems but also for discovering solutions to challenges that we face as a growing civilization. Metagenomics pertains to the in silico study of all microorganisms within an ecological community in situ, however, many software suites recover only prokaryotes and have limited to no support for viruses and eukaryotes. RESULTS In this study, we introduce the Viral Eukaryotic Bacterial Archaeal (VEBA) open-source software suite developed to recover genomes from all domains. To our knowledge, VEBA is the first end-to-end metagenomics suite that can directly recover, quality assess, and classify prokaryotic, eukaryotic, and viral genomes from metagenomes. VEBA implements a novel iterative binning procedure and hybrid sample-specific/multi-sample framework that yields more genomes than any existing methodology alone. VEBA includes a consensus microeukaryotic database containing proteins from existing databases to optimize microeukaryotic gene modeling and taxonomic classification. VEBA also provides a unique clustering-based dereplication strategy allowing for sample-specific genomes and genes to be directly compared across non-overlapping biological samples. Finally, VEBA is the only pipeline that automates the detection of candidate phyla radiation bacteria and implements the appropriate genome quality assessments. VEBA's capabilities are demonstrated by reanalyzing 3 existing public datasets which recovered a total of 948 MAGs (458 prokaryotic, 8 eukaryotic, and 482 viral) including several uncharacterized organisms and organisms with no public genome representatives. CONCLUSIONS The VEBA software suite allows for the in silico recovery of microorganisms from all domains of life by integrating cutting edge algorithms in novel ways. VEBA fully integrates both end-to-end and task-specific metagenomic analysis in a modular architecture that minimizes dependencies and maximizes productivity. The contributions of VEBA to the metagenomics community includes seamless end-to-end metagenomics analysis but also provides users with the flexibility to perform specific analytical tasks. VEBA allows for the automation of several metagenomics steps and shows that new information can be recovered from existing datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh L. Espinoza
- Department of Environment and Sustainability, J. Craig Venter Institute, 4120 Capricorn Ln, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
- Department of Human Biology and Genomic Medicine, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
| | - Chris L. Dupont
- Department of Environment and Sustainability, J. Craig Venter Institute, 4120 Capricorn Ln, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
- Department of Human Biology and Genomic Medicine, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
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17
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The role of zinc in the adaptive evolution of polar phytoplankton. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:965-978. [PMID: 35654896 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01750-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Zinc is an essential trace metal for oceanic primary producers with the highest concentrations in polar oceans. However, its role in the biological functioning and adaptive evolution of polar phytoplankton remains enigmatic. Here, we have applied a combination of evolutionary genomics, quantitative proteomics, co-expression analyses and cellular physiology to suggest that model polar phytoplankton species have a higher demand for zinc because of elevated cellular levels of zinc-binding proteins. We propose that adaptive expansion of regulatory zinc-finger protein families, co-expanded and co-expressed zinc-binding proteins families involved in photosynthesis and growth in these microalgal species and their natural communities were identified to be responsible for the higher zinc demand. The expression of their encoding genes in eukaryotic phytoplankton metatranscriptomes from pole-to-pole was identified to correlate not only with dissolved zinc concentrations in the upper ocean but also with temperature, suggesting that environmental conditions of polar oceans are responsible for an increased demand of zinc. These results suggest that zinc plays an important role in supporting photosynthetic growth in eukaryotic polar phytoplankton and that this has been critical for algal colonization of low-temperature polar oceans.
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