1
|
Mazzella V, Dell'Anno A, Etxebarría N, González-Gaya B, Nuzzo G, Fontana A, Núñez-Pons L. High microbiome and metabolome diversification in coexisting sponges with different bio-ecological traits. Commun Biol 2024; 7:422. [PMID: 38589605 PMCID: PMC11001883 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06109-5] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Marine Porifera host diverse microbial communities, which influence host metabolism and fitness. However, functional relationships between sponge microbiomes and metabolic signatures are poorly understood. We integrate microbiome characterization, metabolomics and microbial predicted functions of four coexisting Mediterranean sponges -Petrosia ficiformis, Chondrosia reniformis, Crambe crambe and Chondrilla nucula. Microscopy observations reveal anatomical differences in microbial densities. Microbiomes exhibit strong species-specific trends. C. crambe shares many rare amplicon sequence variants (ASV) with the surrounding seawater. This suggests important inputs of microbial diversity acquired by selective horizontal acquisition. Phylum Cyanobacteria is mainly represented in C. nucula and C. crambe. According to putative functions, the microbiome of P. ficiformis and C. reniformis are functionally heterotrophic, while C. crambe and C. nucula are autotrophic. The four species display distinct metabolic profiles at single compound level. However, at molecular class level they share a "core metabolome". Concurrently, we find global microbiome-metabolome association when considering all four sponge species. Within each species still, sets of microbe/metabolites are identified driving multi-omics congruence. Our findings suggest that diverse microbial players and metabolic profiles may promote niche diversification, but also, analogous phenotypic patterns of "symbiont evolutionary convergence" in sponge assemblages where holobionts co-exist in the same area.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Mazzella
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Ischia Marine Centre, 80077, Ischia, Naples, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, Palermo, 90133, Italy
| | - Antonio Dell'Anno
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, Palermo, 90133, Italy.
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131, Ancona, Italy.
| | - Néstor Etxebarría
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
- Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PIE), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plentzia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Belén González-Gaya
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Leioa, Basque Country, Spain
- Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PIE), University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Plentzia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Genoveffa Nuzzo
- Bio-Organic Chemistry Unit, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry-CNR, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Angelo Fontana
- Bio-Organic Chemistry Unit, Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry-CNR, Via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078, Pozzuoli, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia-Bld. 7, 80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - Laura Núñez-Pons
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina 61, Palermo, 90133, Italy.
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology (EMI), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Powell ME, McCoy SJ. Divide and conquer: Spatial and temporal resource partitioning structures benthic cyanobacterial mats. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2024; 60:254-272. [PMID: 38467467 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Benthic cyanobacterial mats are increasing in abundance worldwide with the potential to degrade ecosystem structure and function. Understanding mat community dynamics is thus critical for predicting mat growth and proliferation and for mitigating any associated negative effects. Carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling are the predominant forms of nutrient cycling discussed within the literature, while metabolic cooperation and viral interactions are understudied. Although many forms of nutrient cycling in mats have been assessed, the links between niche dynamics, microbial interactions, and nutrient cycling are not well described. Here, we present an updated review on how nutrient cycling and microbial community interactions in mats are structured by resource partitioning via spatial and temporal heterogeneity and succession. We assess community interactions and nutrient cycling at both intramat and metacommunity scales. Additionally, we present ideas and recommendations for research in this area, highlighting top-down control, boundary layers, and metabolic cooperation as important future directions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maya E Powell
- Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sophie J McCoy
- Environment, Ecology and Energy Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zorz J, Paquette AJ, Gillis T, Kouris A, Khot V, Demirkaya C, De La Hoz Siegler H, Strous M, Vadlamani A. Coordinated proteome change precedes cell lysis and death in a mat-forming cyanobacterium. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2403-2414. [PMID: 37914776 PMCID: PMC10689466 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01545-3] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria form dense multicellular communities that experience transient conditions in terms of access to light and oxygen. These systems are productive but also undergo substantial biomass turnover through cell death, supplementing heightened heterotrophic respiration. Here we use metagenomics and metaproteomics to survey the molecular response of a mat-forming cyanobacterium undergoing mass cell lysis after exposure to dark and anoxic conditions. A lack of evidence for viral, bacterial, or eukaryotic antagonism contradicts commonly held beliefs on the causative agent for cyanobacterial death during dense growth. Instead, proteogenomics data indicated that lysis likely resulted from a genetically programmed response triggered by a failure to maintain osmotic pressure in the wake of severe energy limitation. Cyanobacterial DNA was rapidly degraded, yet cyanobacterial proteins remained abundant. A subset of proteins, including enzymes involved in amino acid metabolism, peptidases, toxin-antitoxin systems, and a potentially self-targeting CRISPR-Cas system, were upregulated upon lysis, indicating possible involvement in the programmed cell death response. We propose this natural form of cell death could provide new pathways for controlling harmful algal blooms and for sustainable bioproduct production.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jackie Zorz
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| | - Alexandre J Paquette
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Timber Gillis
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Angela Kouris
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Synergia Biotech Inc., Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Varada Khot
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Cigdem Demirkaya
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | | | - Marc Strous
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Agasteswar Vadlamani
- Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Synergia Biotech Inc., Calgary, AB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Seward J, Bräuer S, Beckett P, Roy-Léveillée P, Emilson E, Watmough S, Basiliko N. Recovery of Smelter-Impacted Peat and Sphagnum Moss: a Microbial Perspective. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 86:2894-2903. [PMID: 37632540 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-023-02289-5] [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: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands store approximately one-half of terrestrial soil carbon and one-tenth of non-glacial freshwater. Some of these important ecosystems are located near heavy metal emitting smelters. To improve the understanding of smelter impacts and potential recovery after initial pollution controls in the 1970s (roughly 50 years of potential recovery), we sampled peatlands along a distance gradient of 134 km from a smelter in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, an area with over a century of nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu) mining activity. This work is aimed at evaluating potential shifts in bacterial and archaeal community structures in Sphagnum moss and its underlying peat within smelter-impacted poor fens. In peat, total Ni and Cu concentrations were higher (0.062-0.067 and 0.110-0.208 mg/g, respectively) at sites close to the smelter and exponentially dropped with distance from the smelter. This exponential decrease in Ni concentrations was also observed in Sphagnum. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing showed that peat and Sphagnum moss host distinct microbiomes with peat accommodating a more diverse community structure. The microbiomes of Sphagnum were dominated by Proteobacteria (62.5%), followed by Acidobacteria (11.9%), with no observable trends with distance from the smelter. Dominance of Acidobacteria (32.4%) and Proteobacteria (29.6%) in peat was reported across all sites. No drift in taxonomy was seen across the distance gradient or from the reference sites, suggesting a potential microbiome recovery toward that of the reference peatlands microbiomes after decades of pollution controls. These results advance the understanding of peat and Sphagnum moss microbiomes, as well as depict the sensitivities and the resilience of peatland ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James Seward
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the School of Natural Sciences, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada.
| | - Suzanna Bräuer
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, 572 Rivers Street, Boone, NC, 28608, USA
| | - Peter Beckett
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre and the School of Natural Sciences, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON, P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Pascale Roy-Léveillée
- Department of Geography, Université Laval, Pavillon Abitibi-Price, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Erik Emilson
- Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, 1219 Queen St. East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2E5, Canada
| | - Shaun Watmough
- School of the Environment, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Department of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Rd., Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Moran JJ, Bernstein HC, Mobberley JM, Thompson AM, Kim YM, Dana KL, Cory AB, Courtney S, Renslow RS, Fredrickson JK, Kreuzer HW, Lipton MS. Daylight-driven carbon exchange through a vertically structured microbial community. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1139213. [PMID: 37303779 PMCID: PMC10251406 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1139213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Interactions between autotrophs and heterotrophs are central to carbon (C) exchange across trophic levels in essentially all ecosystems and metabolite exchange is a frequent mechanism for distributing C within spatially structured ecosystems. Yet, despite the importance of C exchange, the timescales at which fixed C is transferred in microbial communities is poorly understood. We employed a stable isotope tracer combined with spatially resolved isotope analysis to quantify photoautotrophic uptake of bicarbonate and track subsequent exchanges across a vertical depth gradient in a stratified microbial mat over a light-driven diel cycle. We observed that C mobility, both across the vertical strata and between taxa, was highest during periods of active photoautotrophy. Parallel experiments with 13C-labeled organic substrates (acetate and glucose) showed comparably less exchange of C within the mat. Metabolite analysis showed rapid incorporation of 13C into molecules that can both comprise a portion of the extracellular polymeric substances in the system and serve to transport C between photoautotrophs and heterotrophs. Stable isotope proteomic analysis revealed rapid C exchange between cyanobacterial and associated heterotrophic community members during the day with decreased exchange at night. We observed strong diel control on the spatial exchange of freshly fixed C within tightly interacting mat communities suggesting a rapid redistribution, both spatially and taxonomically, primarily during daylight periods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James J. Moran
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Hans C. Bernstein
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
- Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- ARC – The Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | | | - Young-Mo Kim
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Karl L. Dana
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | | | - Steph Courtney
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Ryan S. Renslow
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | | | - Helen W. Kreuzer
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Mary S. Lipton
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lingappa UF, Stein NT, Metcalfe KS, Present TM, Orphan VJ, Grotzinger JP, Knoll AH, Trower EJ, Gomes ML, Fischer WW. Early impacts of climate change on a coastal marine microbial mat ecosystem. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm7826. [PMID: 35622915 PMCID: PMC9140962 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm7826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Among the earliest consequences of climate change are extreme weather and rising sea levels-two challenges to which coastal environments are particularly vulnerable. Often found in coastal settings are microbial mats-complex, stratified microbial ecosystems that drive massive nutrient fluxes through biogeochemical cycles and have been important constituents of Earth's biosphere for eons. Little Ambergris Cay, in the Turks and Caicos Islands, supports extensive mats that vary sharply with relative water level. We characterized the microbial communities across this variation to understand better the emerging threat of sea level rise. In September 2017, the eyewall of category 5 Hurricane Irma transited the island. We monitored the impact and recovery from this devastating storm event. New mat growth proceeded rapidly, with patterns suggesting that storm perturbation may facilitate the adaptation of these ecosystems to changing sea level. Sulfur cycling, however, displayed hysteresis, stalling for >10 months after the hurricane and likely altering carbon storage potential.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Usha F. Lingappa
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Nathaniel T. Stein
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Kyle S. Metcalfe
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Theodore M. Present
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Victoria J. Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - John P. Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Andrew H. Knoll
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Elizabeth J. Trower
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Maya L. Gomes
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Woodward W. Fischer
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jo J, Price-Whelan A, Dietrich LEP. Gradients and consequences of heterogeneity in biofilms. Nat Rev Microbiol 2022; 20:593-607. [PMID: 35149841 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-022-00692-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Historically, appreciation for the roles of resource gradients in biology has fluctuated inversely to the popularity of genetic mechanisms. Nevertheless, in microbiology specifically, widespread recognition of the multicellular lifestyle has recently brought new emphasis to the importance of resource gradients. Most microorganisms grow in assemblages such as biofilms or spatially constrained communities with gradients that influence, and are influenced by, metabolism. In this Review, we discuss examples of gradient formation and physiological differentiation in microbial assemblages growing in diverse settings. We highlight consequences of physiological heterogeneity in microbial assemblages, including division of labour and increased resistance to stress. Our impressions of microbial behaviour in various ecosystems are not complete without complementary maps of the chemical and physical geographies that influence cellular activities. A holistic view, incorporating these geographies and the genetically encoded functions that operate within them, will be essential for understanding microbial assemblages in their many roles and potential applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeanyoung Jo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexa Price-Whelan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lars E P Dietrich
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
High-resolution imaging with secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) has become a standard method in systems biology and environmental biogeochemistry and is broadly used to decipher ecophysiological traits of environmental microorganisms, metabolic processes in plant and animal tissues, and cross-kingdom symbioses. When combined with stable isotope-labeling-an approach we refer to as nanoSIP-nanoSIMS imaging offers a distinctive means to quantify net assimilation rates and stoichiometry of individual cell-sized particles in both low- and high-complexity environments. While the majority of nanoSIP studies in environmental and microbial biology have focused on nitrogen and carbon metabolism (using 15N and 13C tracers), multiple advances have pushed the capabilities of this approach in the past decade. The development of a high-brightness oxygen ion source has enabled high-resolution metal analyses that are easier to perform, allowing quantification of metal distribution in cells and environmental particles. New preparation methods, tools for automated data extraction from large data sets, and analytical approaches that push the limits of sensitivity and spatial resolution have allowed for more robust characterization of populations ranging from marine archaea to fungi and viruses. NanoSIMS studies continue to be enhanced by correlation with orthogonal imaging and 'omics approaches; when linked to molecular visualization methods, such as in situ hybridization and antibody labeling, these techniques enable in situ function to be linked to microbial identity and gene expression. Here we present an updated description of the primary materials, methods, and calculations used for nanoSIP, with an emphasis on recent advances in nanoSIMS applications, key methodological steps, and potential pitfalls.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Pett-Ridge
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Livermore, CA, USA.
| | - Peter K Weber
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Livermore, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Liu B, Yao J, Ma B, Chen Z, Zhao C, Zhu X, Li M, Cao Y, Pang W, Li H, Feng L, Mihucz VG, Duran R. Microbial community profiles in soils adjacent to mining and smelting areas: Contrasting potentially toxic metals and co-occurrence patterns. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 282:130992. [PMID: 34087556 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mining and smelting activities have introduced severe potentially toxic metals (PTMs) contamination into surrounding soil settings. Influences of PTMs on microbial diversity have been widely studied. However, variations of microbial communities, network structures and community functions in different levels of PTMs contaminated soils adjacent to mining and smelting aera are still poorly investigated. In this study, microbial communities of soils around different levels of PTMs contamination were comprehensively studied by 16S rRNA gene amplicons high-throughput sequencing. Microbial interactions and module functions were also exploited to ascertain the discrepancies of PTMs concentration levels on microbial ecological functions. Results indicated that the microbial community composition was significantly distinct attributed to the phylum Protebacteria (p = 0.002) dominating in soil with high level PTMs contents but Actinobacteria (p = 0.002) in low level of PTMs-contaminated soil. Microbial α diversity was not significantly influenced by different levels of PTMs contaminations. Microorganisms proactively responded to PTMs content levels by means of strengthening network complexities and modularities among microbe-microbe interactions. The functions of main network modules were predicted associating membrane transport, amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism. The PTMs detoxification and anti-oxidation were significantly strengthened at the high level of PTMs contamination. The present study demonstrated that modification of microbial community by the adaptive adjustment of microbial compositions and strengthening their network complexity and modularity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bang Liu
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jun Yao
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Bo Ma
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Zhihui Chen
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Chenchen Zhao
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaozhe Zhu
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Miaomiao Li
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Ying Cao
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Wancheng Pang
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Hao Li
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Lingyun Feng
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Victor G Mihucz
- Sino-Hungarian Joint Research Laboratory for Environmental Sciences and Health, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter Stny. 1/A, Hungary
| | - Robert Duran
- School of Water Resource and Environment, Research Center of Environmental Science and Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environmental Evolution, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), 29 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083, China; Equipe Environnement et Microbiologie, MELODY Group, Université de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour, E2S-UPPA, IPREM UMR CNRS 5254, BP 1155, 64013 Pau Cedex, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Vignale FA, Kurth D, Lencina AI, Poiré DG, Chihuailaf E, Muñoz-Herrera NC, Novoa F, Contreras M, Turjanski AG, Farías ME. Geobiology of Andean Microbial Ecosystems Discovered in Salar de Atacama, Chile. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:762076. [PMID: 34777316 PMCID: PMC8581658 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.762076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Salar de Atacama in the Chilean Central Andes harbors unique microbial ecosystems due to extreme environmental conditions, such as high altitude, low oxygen pressure, high solar radiation, and high salinity. Combining X-ray diffraction analyses, scanning electron microscopy and molecular diversity studies, we have characterized twenty previously unexplored Andean microbial ecosystems in eight different lakes and wetlands from the middle-east and south-east regions of this salt flat. The mats and microbialites studied are mainly formed by calcium carbonate (aragonite and calcite) and halite, whereas the endoevaporites are composed predominantly of gypsum and halite. The carbonate-rich mats and microbialites are dominated by Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria phyla. Within the phylum Proteobacteria, the most abundant classes are Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria. While in the phylum Bacteroidetes, the most abundant classes are Bacteroidia and Rhodothermia. Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia phyla are also well-represented in the majority of these systems. Gypsum endoevaporites, on the contrary, are dominated by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Euryarchaeota phyla. The Cyanobacteria phylum is also abundant in these systems, but it is less represented in comparison to mats and microbialites. Regarding the eukaryotic taxa, diatoms are key structural components in most of the microbial ecosystems studied. The genera of diatoms identified were Achnanthes, Fallacia, Halamphora, Mastogloia, Navicula, Nitzschia, and Surirella. Normally, in the mats and microbialites, diatoms form nano-globular carbonate aggregates with filamentous cyanobacteria and other prokaryotic cells, suggesting their participation in the mineral precipitation process. This work expands our knowledge of the microbial ecosystems inhabiting the extreme environments from the Central Andes region, which is important to ensure their protection and conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federico A. Vignale
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática Estructural, Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel Kurth
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Agustina I. Lencina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniel G. Poiré
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas (CIG), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)-CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | | | | | | | | | - Adrián G. Turjanski
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática Estructural, Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María E. Farías
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Suleiman M, Choffat Y, Daugaard U, Petchey OL. Large and interacting effects of temperature and nutrient addition on stratified microbial ecosystems in a small, replicated, and liquid-dominated Winogradsky column approach. Microbiologyopen 2021; 10:e1189. [PMID: 34180595 PMCID: PMC8123916 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aquatic ecosystems are often stratified, with cyanobacteria in oxic layers and phototrophic sulfur bacteria in anoxic zones. Changes in stratification caused by the global environmental change are an ongoing concern. Increasing understanding of how such aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, and associated abiotic conditions, respond to multifarious environmental changes is an important endeavor in microbial ecology. Insights can come from observational and experimental studies of naturally occurring stratified aquatic ecosystems, theoretical models of ecological processes, and experimental studies of replicated microbial communities in the laboratory. Here, we demonstrate a laboratory-based approach with small, replicated, and liquid-dominated Winogradsky columns, with distinct oxic/anoxic strata in a highly replicable manner. Our objective was to apply simultaneous global change scenarios (temperature, nutrient addition) on this micro-ecosystem to report how the microbial communities (full-length 16S rRNA gene seq.) and the abiotic conditions (O2 , H2 S, TOC) of the oxic/anoxic layer responded to these environmental changes. The composition of the strongly stratified microbial communities was greatly affected by temperature and by the interaction of temperature and nutrient addition, demonstrating the need of investigating global change treatments simultaneously. Especially phototrophic sulfur bacteria dominated the water column at higher temperatures and may indicate the presence of alternative stable states. We show that the establishment of such a micro-ecosystem has the potential to test global change scenarios in stratified eutrophic limnic systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Suleiman
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Yves Choffat
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Uriah Daugaard
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Owen L. Petchey
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Aoyagi T, Inaba T, Aizawa H, Mayumi D, Sakata S, Charfi A, Suh C, Lee JH, Sato Y, Ogata A, Habe H, Hori T. Unexpected diversity of acetate degraders in anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating organic solid waste revealed by high-sensitivity stable isotope probing. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 176:115750. [PMID: 32272322 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating organic solid waste, acetate is one of the most important precursors to CH4. However, the identity and diversity of anaerobic acetate degraders are largely unknown, possibly due to their slow growth rates and low abundances. Here, we identified acetate-degrading microorganisms in the AnMBR sludges by high-sensitivity stable isotope probing. Degradation of the amended 13C-acetate coincided with production of 13CH4 and 13CO2 during the sludge incubation. High-throughput sequencing of RNA density fractions indicated that the aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens, i.e., Methanosaeta sp. (acetate dissimilator) and Methanolinea sp. (acetate assimilator), incorporated 13C-acetate significantly. Remarkably, 22 bacterial species incorporating 13C-acetate were identified, whereas their majority was distantly related to the cultured representatives. Only two of them were the class Deltaproteobacteria-affiliated lineages with syntrophic volatile fatty acid oxidation activities. Phylogenetic tree analysis and population dynamics tracing revealed that novel species of the hydrolyzing and/or fermenting taxa, such as the phyla Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi and Lentisphaerae, exhibited low relative abundances comparable to that of Methanolinea sp. (0.00011%) during the AnMBR operation, suggesting that these bacteria were involved in anaerobic acetate assimilation. Meanwhile, novel species of the phyla Firmicutes, Synergistetes and Caldiserica, the candidate phyla Aminicenantes and Atribacteria and the candidate division GOUTA4-related clade, as well as the known Deltaproteobacteria members, existed at relatively high abundances (0.00031%-0.31121%) in the reactor, suggesting that these bacterial species participated in anaerobic dissimilation of acetate, e.g., syntrophic acetate oxidation. The results of this study demonstrated the unexpected diversity and ecophysiological features of the anaerobic acetate degraders in the AnMBR treating organic solid waste.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tomo Aoyagi
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 395-8569, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Inaba
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 395-8569, Japan
| | - Hidenobu Aizawa
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 395-8569, Japan
| | - Daisuke Mayumi
- Institute for Geo-Resources and Environment, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Susumu Sakata
- Institute for Geo-Resources and Environment, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Amine Charfi
- LG-Hitachi Water Solutions Co., Ltd., Gasan R&D Campus, 51, Gasan Digital 1-ro, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, 08592, South Korea
| | - Changwon Suh
- LG-Hitachi Water Solutions Co., Ltd., Gasan R&D Campus, 51, Gasan Digital 1-ro, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, 08592, South Korea
| | - Jong Hoon Lee
- LG-Hitachi Water Solutions Co., Ltd., Gasan R&D Campus, 51, Gasan Digital 1-ro, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, 08592, South Korea
| | - Yuya Sato
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 395-8569, Japan
| | - Atsushi Ogata
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 395-8569, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Habe
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 395-8569, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Hori
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 395-8569, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Roush D, Garcia-Pichel F. Succession and Colonization Dynamics of Endolithic Phototrophs within Intertidal Carbonates. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8020214. [PMID: 32033409 PMCID: PMC7074784 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8020214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic endolithic communities are common in shallow marine carbonates, contributing significantly to their bioerosion. Cyanobacteria are well known from these settings, where a few are euendoliths, actively boring into the virgin substrate. Recently, anoxygenic phototrophs were reported as significant inhabitants of endolithic communities, but it is unknown if they are euendoliths or simply colonize available pore spaces secondarily. To answer this and to establish the dynamics of colonization, nonporous travertine tiles were anchored onto intertidal beach rock in Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico, and developing endolithic communities were examined with time, both molecularly and with photopigment biomarkers. By 9 months, while cyanobacterial biomass and diversity reached levels indistinguishable from those of nearby climax communities, anoxygenic phototrophs remained marginal, suggesting that they are secondary colonizers. Early in the colonization, a novel group of cyanobacteria (unknown boring cluster, UBC) without cultivated representatives, emerged as the most common euendolith, but by 6 months, canonical euendoliths such as Plectonema (Leptolyngbya) sp., Mastigocoleus sp., and Pleurocapsalean clades displaced UBC in dominance. Later, the proportion of euendolithic cyanobacterial biomass decreased, as nonboring endoliths outcompeted pioneers within the already excavated substrate. Our findings demonstrate that endolithic cyanobacterial succession within hard carbonates is complex but can attain maturity within a year’s time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Roush
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA;
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
| | - Ferran Garcia-Pichel
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA;
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Zhang Y, Li Q, Dai Q, Kang Y. Microbial mechanism underlying high and stable methane oxidation rates during mudflat reclamation with long-term rice cultivation: Illumina high-throughput sequencing-based data analysis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2019; 371:332-341. [PMID: 30856444 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.03.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 02/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the methane oxidation rates (MOR), pmoA gene abundance and diversity, and microbial community composition using Illumina high-throughput sequencing. Mudflats located within Yancheng City, divided into different plots with 0-, 11-, and 20-year successive rice planting histories, were selected and sampled. The study found that the relative MOR (normalized with the 16S rRNA gene) increased dramatically after 11-year cultivation and remained stable in 20-year treatment, indicating that long-term rice cultivation in mudflats promoted MOR. The sequencing data analysis revealed that high MOR was related to the synergistic growth of methane-producing archaea (MPA) and aerobic and facultative methane-consuming bacteria (MCB) mainly belonging to Proteobacteria. Redundancy and correlation analyses showed that Methylophilaceae and Methylococcaceae affiliated within β- and γ-Proteobacterial methanotrophs were closely related to the relative MOR. Methane-oxidizing archaea (MOA) coupled to sulfate and nitrite reductions contributed more to the high and stable MOR compared with Proteobacterial MCB. Chloroflexi and Geobacter were the potential hydrogen donors for hydrogenotrophic MPA. The results showed that long-term rice cultivation in mudflats promoted the relative MOR. The unknown MOA coupled to sulfate and nitrite reductions, besides the necessary hydrogenotrophic MPA and their hydrogen donors (Chloroflexi and Geobacter) collectively contributed to methane cycling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industry Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, PR China
| | - Qing Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industry Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, PR China
| | - Qigen Dai
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology/Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops, Research Institute of Rice Industry Engineering Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, PR China.
| | - Yijun Kang
- College of Marine and Bio-engineering, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, Jiangsu, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Teng Y, Xu Y, Wang X, Christie P. Function of Biohydrogen Metabolism and Related Microbial Communities in Environmental Bioremediation. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:106. [PMID: 30837956 PMCID: PMC6383490 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen (H2) metabolism has attracted considerable interest because the activities of H2-producing and consuming microbes shape the global H2 cycle and may have vital relationships with the global cycling of other elements. There are many pathways of microbial H2 emission and consumption which may affect the structure and function of microbial communities. A wide range of microbial groups employ H2 as an electron donor to catalyze the reduction of pollutants such as organohalides, azo compounds, and trace metals. Syntrophy coupled mutualistic interaction between H2-producing and H2-consuming microorganisms can transfer H2 and be accompanied by the removal of toxic compounds. Moreover, hydrogenases have been gradually recognized to have a key role in the progress of pollutant degradation. This paper reviews recent advances in elucidating role of H2 metabolism involved in syntrophy and hydrogenases in environmental bioremediation. Further investigations should focus on the application of bioenergy in bioremediation to make microbiological H2 metabolism a promising remediation strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Teng
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Yongfeng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Peter Christie
- Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Stryhanyuk H, Calabrese F, Kümmel S, Musat F, Richnow HH, Musat N. Calculation of Single Cell Assimilation Rates From SIP-NanoSIMS-Derived Isotope Ratios: A Comprehensive Approach. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2342. [PMID: 30337916 PMCID: PMC6178922 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The nanoSIMS-based chemical microscopy has been introduced in biology over a decade ago. The spatial distribution of elements and isotopes analyzed by nanoSIMS can be used to reconstruct images of biological samples with a resolution down to tens of nanometers, and can be also interpreted quantitatively. Currently, a unified approach for calculation of single cell assimilation rates from nanoSIMS-derived changes in isotope ratios is missing. Here we present a comprehensive concept of assimilation rate calculation with a rigorous mathematical model based on quantitative evaluation of nanoSIMS-derived isotope ratios. We provide a detailed description of data acquisition and treatment, including the selection and accumulation of nanoSIMS scans, defining regions of interest and extraction of isotope ratios. Next, we present alternative methods to determine the cellular volume and the density of the element under scrutiny. Finally, to compensate for alterations of original isotopic ratios, our model considers corrections for sample preparation methods (e.g., air dry, chemical fixation, permeabilization, hybridization), and when known, for the stable isotope fractionation associated with utilization of defined growth substrates. As proof of concept we implemented this protocol to quantify the assimilation of 13C-labeled glucose by single cells of Pseudomonas putida. In addition, we provide a calculation template where all protocol-derived formulas are directly available to facilitate routine assimilation rate calculations by nanoSIMS users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hryhoriy Stryhanyuk
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Federica Calabrese
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Steffen Kümmel
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Florin Musat
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hans H Richnow
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Niculina Musat
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Lee JZ, Everroad RC, Karaoz U, Detweiler AM, Pett-Ridge J, Weber PK, Prufert-Bebout L, Bebout BM. Metagenomics reveals niche partitioning within the phototrophic zone of a microbial mat. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202792. [PMID: 30204767 PMCID: PMC6133358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypersaline photosynthetic microbial mats are stratified microbial communities known for their taxonomic and metabolic diversity and strong light-driven day-night environmental gradients. In this study of the upper photosynthetic zone of hypersaline microbial mats of Elkhorn Slough, California (USA), we show how metagenome sequencing can be used to meaningfully assess microbial ecology and genetic partitioning in these complex microbial systems. Mapping of metagenome reads to the dominant Cyanobacteria observed in the system, Coleofasciculus (Microcoleus) chthonoplastes, was used to examine strain variants within these metagenomes. Highly conserved gene subsystems indicated a core genome for the species, and a number of variant genes and subsystems suggested strain level differentiation, especially for nutrient utilization and stress response. Metagenome sequence coverage binning was used to assess ecosystem partitioning of remaining microbes to both reconstruct the model organisms in silico and identify their ecosystem functions as well as to identify novel clades and propose their role in the biogeochemical cycling of mats. Functional gene annotation of these bins (primarily of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria) recapitulated the known biogeochemical functions in microbial mats using a genetic basis, and revealed significant diversity in the Bacteroidetes, presumably in heterotrophic cycling. This analysis also revealed evidence of putative phototrophs within the Gemmatimonadetes and Gammaproteobacteria residing in microbial mats. This study shows that metagenomic analysis can produce insights into the systems biology of microbial ecosystems from a genetic perspective and to suggest further studies of novel microbes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jackson Z. Lee
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States of America
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Petaluma, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - R. Craig Everroad
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States of America
| | - Ulas Karaoz
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States of America
| | - Angela M. Detweiler
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States of America
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Petaluma, CA, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Pett-Ridge
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States of America
| | - Peter K. Weber
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, United States of America
| | - Leslie Prufert-Bebout
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States of America
| | - Brad M. Bebout
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Cornet L, Bertrand AR, Hanikenne M, Javaux EJ, Wilmotte A, Baurain D. Metagenomic assembly of new (sub)polar Cyanobacteria and their associated microbiome from non-axenic cultures. Microb Genom 2018; 4. [PMID: 30136922 PMCID: PMC6202449 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria form one of the most diversified phyla of Bacteria. They are important ecologically as primary producers, for Earth evolution and biotechnological applications. Yet, Cyanobacteria are notably difficult to purify and grow axenically, and most strains in culture collections contain heterotrophic bacteria that were probably associated with Cyanobacteria in the environment. Obtaining cyanobacterial DNA without contaminant sequences is thus a challenging and time-consuming task. Here, we describe a metagenomic pipeline that enables the easy recovery of genomes from non-axenic cultures. We tested this pipeline on 17 cyanobacterial cultures from the BCCM/ULC public collection and generated novel genome sequences for 12 polar or subpolar strains and three temperate ones, including three early-branching organisms that will be useful for phylogenomics. In parallel, we assembled 31 co-cultivated bacteria (12 nearly complete) from the same cultures and showed that they mostly belong to Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, some of them being very closely related in spite of geographically distant sampling sites.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luc Cornet
- 1InBioS - PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,2UR Geology - Palaeobiogeology-Palaeobotany-Palaeopalynology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Amandine R Bertrand
- 1InBioS - PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.,3InBioS - PhytoSYSTEMS, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Marc Hanikenne
- 3InBioS - PhytoSYSTEMS, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Emmanuelle J Javaux
- 2UR Geology - Palaeobiogeology-Palaeobotany-Palaeopalynology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Annick Wilmotte
- 4InBioS - CIP, Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Denis Baurain
- 1InBioS - PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Cornet L, Meunier L, Van Vlierberghe M, Léonard RR, Durieu B, Lara Y, Misztak A, Sirjacobs D, Javaux EJ, Philippe H, Wilmotte A, Baurain D. Consensus assessment of the contamination level of publicly available cyanobacterial genomes. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0200323. [PMID: 30044797 PMCID: PMC6059444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Publicly available genomes are crucial for phylogenetic and metagenomic studies, in which contaminating sequences can be the cause of major problems. This issue is expected to be especially important for Cyanobacteria because axenic strains are notoriously difficult to obtain and keep in culture. Yet, despite their great scientific interest, no data are currently available concerning the quality of publicly available cyanobacterial genomes. As reliably detecting contaminants is a complex task, we designed a pipeline combining six methods in a consensus strategy to assess the contamination level of 440 genome assemblies of Cyanobacteria. Two methods are based on published reference databases of ribosomal genes (SSU rRNA 16S and ribosomal proteins), one is indirectly based on a reference database of marker genes (CheckM), and three are based on complete genome analysis. Among those genome-wide methods, Kraken and DIAMOND blastx share the same reference database that we derived from Ensembl Bacteria, whereas CONCOCT does not require any reference database, instead relying on differences in DNA tetramer frequencies. Given that all the six methods appear to have their own strengths and limitations, we used the consensus of their rankings to infer that >5% of cyanobacterial genome assemblies are highly contaminated by foreign DNA (i.e., contaminants were detected by 5 or 6 methods). Our results will help researchers to check the quality of publicly available genomic data before use in their own analyses. Moreover, we argue that journals should make mandatory the submission of raw read data along with genome assemblies in order to facilitate the detection of contaminants in sequence databases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luc Cornet
- InBioS–PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- UR Geology–Palaeobiogeology-Palaeobotany-Palaeopalynology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Loïc Meunier
- InBioS–PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Mick Van Vlierberghe
- InBioS–PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Raphaël R. Léonard
- InBioS–PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- InBioS–CIP, Macromolecular Crystallography, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Benoit Durieu
- InBioS–CIP, Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Yannick Lara
- InBioS–CIP, Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Agnieszka Misztak
- InBioS–PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG-MUG, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Damien Sirjacobs
- InBioS–PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Emmanuelle J. Javaux
- UR Geology–Palaeobiogeology-Palaeobotany-Palaeopalynology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Hervé Philippe
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Moulis, France
| | - Annick Wilmotte
- InBioS–CIP, Centre for Protein Engineering, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Denis Baurain
- InBioS–PhytoSYSTEMS, Eukaryotic Phylogenomics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Martínez-Gutiérrez CA, Latisnere-Barragán H, García-Maldonado JQ, López-Cortés A. Screening of polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing bacteria and PhaC-encoding genes in two hypersaline microbial mats from Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4780. [PMID: 29761063 PMCID: PMC5944434 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypersaline microbial mats develop through seasonal and diel fluctuations, as well as under several physicochemical variables. Hence, resident microorganisms commonly employ strategies such as the synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in order to resist changing and stressful conditions. However, the knowledge of bacterial PHA production in hypersaline microbial mats has been limited to date, particularly in regard to medium-chain length PHAs (mcl-PHAs), which have biotechnological applications due to their plastic properties. The aim of this study was to obtain evidence for PHA production in two hypersaline microbial mats of Guerrero Negro, Mexico by searching for PHA granules and PHA synthase genes in isolated bacterial strains and environmental samples. Six PHA-producing strains were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing; three of them corresponded to a Halomonas sp. In addition, Paracoccus sp., Planomicrobium sp. and Staphylococcus sp. were also identified as PHA producers. Presumptive PHA granules and PHA synthases genes were detected in both sampling sites. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis showed that most of the phylotypes were distantly related to putative PhaC synthases class I sequences belonging to members of the classes Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria distributed within eight families, with higher abundances corresponding mainly to Rhodobacteraceae and Rhodospirillaceae. This analysis also showed that PhaC synthases class II sequences were closely related to those of Pseudomonas putida, suggesting the presence of this group, which is probably involved in the production of mcl-PHA in the mats. According to our state of knowledge, this study reports for the first time the occurrence of phaC and phaC1 sequences in hypersaline microbial mats, suggesting that these ecosystems may be a novel source for the isolation of short- and medium-chain length PHA producers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina A Martínez-Gutiérrez
- Laboratorio de Geomicrobiología y Biotecnología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
| | - Hever Latisnere-Barragán
- Laboratorio de Geomicrobiología y Biotecnología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
| | - José Q García-Maldonado
- CONACYT-Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Alejandro López-Cortés
- Laboratorio de Geomicrobiología y Biotecnología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Cadena S, García-Maldonado JQ, López-Lozano NE, Cervantes FJ. Methanogenic and Sulfate-Reducing Activities in a Hypersaline Microbial Mat and Associated Microbial Diversity. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2018; 75:930-940. [PMID: 29116347 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-017-1104-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Methanogenesis and sulfate reduction are important microbial processes in hypersaline environments. However, key aspects determining substrate competition between these microbial processes have not been well documented. We evaluated competitive and non-competitive substrates for stimulation of both processes through microcosm experiments of hypersaline microbial mat samples from Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and we assessed the effect of these substrates on the microbial community composition. Methylotrophic methanogenesis evidenced by sequences belonging to methanogens of the family Methanosarcinaceae was found as the dominant methanogenic pathway in the studied hypersaline microbial mat. Nevertheless, our results showed that incubations supplemented with acetate and lactate, performed in absence of sulfate, also produced methane after 40 days of incubation, apparently driven by hydrogenotrophic methanogens affiliated to the family Methanomicrobiaceae. Sulfate reduction was mainly stimulated by addition of acetate and lactate; however, after 40 days of incubation, an increase of the H2S concentrations in microcosms amended with trimethylamine and methanol was also observed, suggesting that these substrates are putatively used for sulfate reduction. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed remarkable differences in the microbial community composition among experimental treatments. In the analyzed sample amended with acetate, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) belonging to the family Desulfobacteraceae were dominant, while members of Desulfohalobiaceae, Desulfomicrobiaceae, and Desulfovibrionaceae were found in the incubation with lactate. Additionally, we detected an unexpected high abundance of unclassified Hydrogenedentes (near 25%) in almost all the experimental treatments. This study contributes to better understand methanogenic and sulfate-reducing activities, which play an important role in the functioning of hypersaline environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Cadena
- Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, IPICYT, División de Ciencias Ambientales, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - José Q García-Maldonado
- CONACYT-Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Departamento de Recursos del Mar, Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
| | - Nguyen E López-Lozano
- CONACYT-Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, IPICYT, División de Ciencias Ambientales, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
| | - Francisco J Cervantes
- Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, IPICYT, División de Ciencias Ambientales, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Berlanga M, Palau M, Guerrero R. Functional Stability and Community Dynamics during Spring and Autumn Seasons Over 3 Years in Camargue Microbial Mats. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2619. [PMID: 29312277 PMCID: PMC5744480 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial mats are complex biofilms in which the major element cycles are represented at a millimeter scale. In this study, community variability within microbial mats from the Camargue wetlands (Rhone Delta, southern France) were analyzed over 3 years during two different seasons (spring and autumn) and at different layers of the mat (0–2, 2–4, and 4–6 mm). To assess bacterial diversity in the mats, amplicons of the V1–V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene were sequenced. The community’s functionality was characterized using two approaches: (i) inferred functionality through 16S rRNA amplicons genes according to PICRUSt, and (ii) a shotgun metagenomic analysis. Based on the reads distinguished, microbial communities were dominated by Bacteria (∼94%), followed by Archaea (∼4%) and Eukarya (∼1%). The major phyla of Bacteria were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria, which together represented 70–80% of the total population detected. The phylum Euryarchaeota represented ∼80% of the Archaea identified. These results showed that the total bacterial diversity from the Camargue microbial mats was not significantly affected by seasonal changes at the studied location; however, there were differences among layers, especially between the 0–2 mm layer and the other two layers. PICRUSt and shotgun metagenomic analyses revealed similar general biological processes in all samples analyzed, by season and depth, indicating that different layers were functionally stable, although some taxa changed during the spring and autumn seasons over the 3 years. Several gene families and pathways were tracked with the oxic-anoxic gradient of the layers. Genes directly involved in photosynthesis (KO, KEGG Orthology) were significantly more abundant in the top layer (0–2 mm) than in the lower layers (2–4 and 4–6 mm). In the anoxic layers, the presence of ferredoxins likely reflected the variation of redox reactions required for anaerobic respiration. Sulfatase genes had the highest relative abundance below 2 mm. Finally, chemotaxis signature genes peaked sharply at the oxic/photic and transitional oxic-anoxic boundary. This functional differentiation reflected the taxonomic diversity of the different layers of the mat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Berlanga
- Department of Biology, Environment and Health, Section Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Montserrat Palau
- Department of Biology, Environment and Health, Section Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricardo Guerrero
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Antimicrobials, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona - Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain.,Academia Europaea-Barcelona Knowledge Hub, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
D'haeseleer P, Lee JZ, Prufert-Bebout L, Burow LC, Detweiler AM, Weber PK, Karaoz U, Brodie EL, Glavina Del Rio T, Tringe SG, Bebout BM, Pett-Ridge J. Metagenomic analysis of intertidal hypersaline microbial mats from Elkhorn Slough, California, grown with and without molybdate. Stand Genomic Sci 2017; 12:67. [PMID: 29167704 PMCID: PMC5688640 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-017-0279-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacterial mats are laminated microbial ecosystems which occur in highly diverse environments and which may provide a possible model for early life on Earth. Their ability to produce hydrogen also makes them of interest from a biotechnological and bioenergy perspective. Samples of an intertidal microbial mat from the Elkhorn Slough estuary in Monterey Bay, California, were transplanted to a greenhouse at NASA Ames Research Center to study a 24-h diel cycle, in the presence or absence of molybdate (which inhibits biohydrogen consumption by sulfate reducers). Here, we present metagenomic analyses of four samples that will be used as references for future metatranscriptomic analyses of this diel time series.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Luke C Burow
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA USA.,Stanford University, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Angela M Detweiler
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA USA.,Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Petaluma, CA USA
| | - Peter K Weber
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA USA
| | - Ulas Karaoz
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Eoin L Brodie
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Tijana Glavina Del Rio
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA USA.,Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA USA
| | - Susannah G Tringe
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA USA.,Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Farias ME, Rasuk MC, Gallagher KL, Contreras M, Kurth D, Fernandez AB, Poiré D, Novoa F, Visscher PT. Prokaryotic diversity and biogeochemical characteristics of benthic microbial ecosystems at La Brava, a hypersaline lake at Salar de Atacama, Chile. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186867. [PMID: 29140980 PMCID: PMC5687714 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Benthic microbial ecosystems of Laguna La Brava, Salar de Atacama, a high altitude hypersaline lake, were characterized in terms of bacterial and archaeal diversity, biogeochemistry, (including O2 and sulfide depth profiles and mineralogy), and physicochemical characteristics. La Brava is one of several lakes in the Salar de Atacama where microbial communities are growing in extreme conditions, including high salinity, high solar insolation, and high levels of metals such as lithium, arsenic, magnesium, and calcium. Evaporation creates hypersaline conditions in these lakes and mineral precipitation is a characteristic geomicrobiological feature of these benthic ecosystems. In this study, the La Brava non-lithifying microbial mats, microbialites, and rhizome-associated concretions were compared to each other and their diversity was related to their environmental conditions. All the ecosystems revealed an unusual community where Euryarchaeota, Crenarchaeota, Acetothermia, Firmicutes and Planctomycetes were the most abundant groups, and cyanobacteria, typically an important primary producer in microbial mats, were relatively insignificant or absent. This suggests that other microorganisms, and possibly novel pathways unique to this system, are responsible for carbon fixation. Depth profiles of O2 and sulfide showed active production and respiration. The mineralogy composition was calcium carbonate (as aragonite) and increased from mats to microbialites and rhizome-associated concretions. Halite was also present. Further analyses were performed on representative microbial mats and microbialites by layer. Different taxonomic compositions were observed in the upper layers, with Archaea dominating the non-lithifying mat, and Planctomycetes the microbialite. The bottom layers were similar, with Euryarchaeota, Crenarchaeota and Planctomycetes as dominant phyla. Sequences related to Cyanobacteria were very scarce. These systems may contain previously uncharacterized community metabolisms, some of which may be contributing to net mineral precipitation. Further work on these sites might reveal novel organisms and metabolisms of biotechnological interest.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Eugenia Farias
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT-Tucumán, CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina
- * E-mail:
| | - Maria Cecilia Rasuk
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT-Tucumán, CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Kimberley L. Gallagher
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, United States of America
| | | | - Daniel Kurth
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT-Tucumán, CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Ana Beatriz Fernandez
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT-Tucumán, CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniel Poiré
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata-Conicet, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Fernando Novoa
- Centro de Ecología Aplicada (CEA), Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pieter T. Visscher
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, United States of America
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Hubas C, Boeuf D, Jesus B, Thiney N, Bozec Y, Jeanthon C. A Nanoscale Study of Carbon and Nitrogen Fluxes in Mats of Purple Sulfur Bacteria: Implications for Carbon Cycling at the Surface of Coastal Sediments. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1995. [PMID: 29114241 PMCID: PMC5660696 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mass blooms of purple sulfur bacteria growing seasonally on green stranded macroalgae have a major impact on the microbial composition and functionality of intertidal mats. To explore the active anoxygenic phototrophic community in purple bacterial mats from the Roscoff Aber Bay (Brittany, France), we conducted a combined approach including molecular and high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) analyses. To investigate the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen assimilation activities, NanoSIMS was coupled with a stable isotope probing (SIP) experiment and a compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). Sediment samples were incubated with 13C- and/or 15N-labeled acetate, pyruvate, bicarbonate and ammonium. NanoSIMS analysis of 13C - and 15N -incubated samples showed elevated incorporations of 13C - and 15N in the light and of 13C -acetate in the dark into dense populations of spherical cells that unambiguously dominated the mats. These results confirmed CSIA data that ranked vaccenic acid, an unambiguous marker of purple sulfur bacteria, as the most strongly enriched in the light after 13C -acetate amendment and indicated that acetate uptake, the most active in the mat, was not light-dependent. Analysis of DNA- and cDNA-derived pufM gene sequences revealed that Thiohalocapsa-related clones dominated both libraries and were the most photosynthetically active members of the mat samples. This study provides novel insights into the contribution of purple sulfur bacteria to the carbon cycle during their seasonal developments at the sediment surface in the intertidal zone.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Hubas
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR BOREA, MNHN-CNRS-UCN-UPMC-IRD-UA, Station de Biologie Marine de Concarneau, Concarneau, France
| | - Dominique Boeuf
- CNRS, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France.,Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France
| | - Bruno Jesus
- EA2160, Laboratoire Mer Molécules Santé, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France.,BioISI - Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, Campo Grande University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Najet Thiney
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR BOREA, MNHN-CNRS-UCN-UPMC-IRD-UA, Bâtiment Arthropodes, Paris, France
| | - Yann Bozec
- CNRS, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France.,Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France
| | - Christian Jeanthon
- CNRS, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France.,Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, Roscoff, France
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Maegaard K, Nielsen LP, Revsbech NP. Hydrogen Dynamics in Cyanobacteria Dominated Microbial Mats Measured by Novel Combined H 2/H 2S and H 2/O 2 Microsensors. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2022. [PMID: 29093704 PMCID: PMC5651244 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen may accumulate to micromolar concentrations in cyanobacterial mat communities from various environments, but the governing factors for this accumulation are poorly described. We used newly developed sensors allowing for simultaneous measurement of H2S and H2 or O2 and H2 within the same point to elucidate the interactions between oxygen, sulfate reducing bacteria, and H2 producing microbes. After onset of darkness and subsequent change from oxic to anoxic conditions within the uppermost ∼1 mm of the mat, H2 accumulated to concentrations of up to 40 μmol L-1 in the formerly oxic layer, but with high variability among sites and sampling dates. The immediate onset of H2 production after darkening points to fermentation as the main H2 producing process in this mat. The measured profiles indicate that a gradual disappearance of the H2 peak was mainly due to the activity of sulfate reducing bacteria that invaded the formerly oxic surface layer from below, or persisted in an inactive state in the oxic mat during illumination. The absence of significant H2 consumption in the formerly oxic mat during the first ∼30 min after onset of anoxic conditions indicated absence of active sulfate reducers in this layer during the oxic period. Addition of the methanogenesis inhibitor BES led to increase in H2, indicating that methanogens contributed to the consumption of H2. Both H2 formation and consumption seemed unaffected by the presence/absence of H2S.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Niels P. Revsbech
- Section for Microbiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Abstract
Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has become an increasingly utilized tool in biologically relevant studies. Of these, high lateral resolution methodologies using the NanoSIMS 50/50L have been especially powerful within many biological fields over the past decade. Here, the authors provide a review of this technology, sample preparation and analysis considerations, examples of recent biological studies, data analyses, and current outlooks. Specifically, the authors offer an overview of SIMS and development of the NanoSIMS. The authors describe the major experimental factors that should be considered prior to NanoSIMS analysis and then provide information on best practices for data analysis and image generation, which includes an in-depth discussion of appropriate colormaps. Additionally, the authors provide an open-source method for data representation that allows simultaneous visualization of secondary electron and ion information within a single image. Finally, the authors present a perspective on the future of this technology and where they think it will have the greatest impact in near future.
Collapse
|
28
|
Dyksma S, Pjevac P, Ovanesov K, Mussmann M. Evidence for H 2 consumption by uncultured Desulfobacterales in coastal sediments. Environ Microbiol 2017; 20:450-461. [PMID: 28772023 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Molecular hydrogen (H2 ) is the key intermediate in the anaerobic degradation of organic matter. Its removal by H2 -oxidizing microorganisms is essential to keep anaerobic degradation energetically favourable. Sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) are known as the main H2 scavengers in anoxic marine sediments. Although the community of marine SRM has been extensively studied, those consuming H2 in situ are completely unknown. We combined metagenomics, PCR-based clone libraries, single-amplified genomes (SAGs) and metatranscriptomics to identify potentially H2 -consuming SRM in anoxic coastal sediments. The vast majority of SRM-related H2 ase sequences were assigned to group 1b and 1c [NiFe]-H2 ases of the deltaproteobacterial order Desulfobacterales. Surprisingly, the same sequence types were similarly highly expressed in spring and summer, suggesting that these are stable and integral members of the H2 -consuming community. Notably, one sequence cluster from the SRM group 1 consistently accounted for around half of all [NiFe]-H2 ase transcripts. Using SAGs, we could link this cluster with the 16S rRNA genes of the uncultured Sva0081-group of the family Desulfobacteraceae. Sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and H2 ase gene libraries suggested consistently high in situ abundance of the Sva0081 group also in other marine sediments. Together with other Desulfobacterales these likely are important H2 -scavengers in marine sediments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Dyksma
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Petra Pjevac
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kin Ovanesov
- Department of Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Marc Mussmann
- Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.,Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Mobberley JM, Lindemann SR, Bernstein HC, Moran JJ, Renslow RS, Babauta J, Hu D, Beyenal H, Nelson WC. Organismal and spatial partitioning of energy and macronutrient transformations within a hypersaline mat. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2017; 93:3071443. [PMID: 28334407 PMCID: PMC5812542 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fix028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Phototrophic mat communities are model ecosystems for studying energy cycling and elemental transformations because complete biogeochemical cycles occur over millimeter-to-centimeter scales. Characterization of energy and nutrient capture within hypersaline phototrophic mats has focused on specific processes and organisms; however, little is known about community-wide distribution of and linkages between these processes. To investigate energy and macronutrient capture and flow through a structured community, the spatial and organismal distribution of metabolic functions within a compact hypersaline mat community from Hot Lake have been broadly elucidated through species-resolved metagenomics and geochemical, microbial diversity and metabolic gradient measurements. Draft reconstructed genomes of 34 abundant organisms revealed three dominant cyanobacterial populations differentially distributed across the top layers of the mat suggesting niche separation along light and oxygen gradients. Many organisms contained diverse functional profiles, allowing for metabolic response to changing conditions within the mat. Organisms with partial nitrogen and sulfur metabolisms were widespread indicating dependence on metabolite exchange. In addition, changes in community spatial structure were observed over the diel. These results indicate that organisms within the mat community have adapted to the temporally dynamic environmental gradients in this hypersaline mat through metabolic flexibility and fluid syntrophic interactions, including shifts in spatial arrangements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Mobberley
- Biological Science Division, Earth and Environmental Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Stephen R Lindemann
- Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.,Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Hans C Bernstein
- Biological Science Division, Earth and Environmental Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA.,The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - James J Moran
- Chemical and Biological Signature Sciences, National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Ryan S Renslow
- Biological Science Division, Earth and Environmental Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA.,The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Jerome Babauta
- The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Dehong Hu
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Earth and Environmental Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Haluk Beyenal
- The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - William C Nelson
- Biological Science Division, Earth and Environmental Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
In Situ Hydrogen Dynamics in a Hot Spring Microbial Mat during a Diel Cycle. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:4209-4217. [PMID: 27208140 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00710-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Microbes can produce molecular hydrogen (H2) via fermentation, dinitrogen fixation, or direct photolysis, yet the H2 dynamics in cyanobacterial communities has only been explored in a few natural systems and mostly in the laboratory. In this study, we investigated the diel in situ H2 dynamics in a hot spring microbial mat, where various ecotypes of unicellular cyanobacteria (Synechococcus sp.) are the only oxygenic phototrophs. In the evening, H2 accumulated rapidly after the onset of darkness, reaching peak values of up to 30 μmol H2 liter(-1) at about 1-mm depth below the mat surface, slowly decreasing to about 11 μmol H2 liter(-1) just before sunrise. Another pulse of H2 production, reaching a peak concentration of 46 μmol H2 liter(-1), was found in the early morning under dim light conditions too low to induce accumulation of O2 in the mat. The light stimulation of H2 accumulation indicated that nitrogenase activity was an important source of H2 during the morning. This is in accordance with earlier findings of a distinct early morning peak in N2 fixation and expression of Synechococcus nitrogenase genes in mat samples from the same location. Fermentation might have contributed to the formation of H2 during the night, where accumulation of other fermentation products lowered the pH in the mat to less than pH 6 compared to a spring source pH of 8.3. IMPORTANCE Hydrogen is a key intermediate in anaerobic metabolism, and with the development of a sulfide-insensitive microsensor for H2, it is now possible to study the microdistribution of H2 in stratified microbial communities such as the photosynthetic microbial mat investigated here. The ability to measure H2 profiles within the mat compared to previous measurements of H2 emission gives much more detailed information about the sources and sinks of H2 in such communities, and it was demonstrated that the high rates of H2 formation in the early morning when the mat was exposed to low light intensities might be explained by nitrogen fixation, where H2 is formed as a by-product.
Collapse
|
31
|
Abstract
UNLABELLED Although it is becoming clear that many microbial primary producers can also play a role as organic consumers, we know very little about the metabolic regulation of photoautotroph organic matter consumption. Cyanobacteria in phototrophic biofilms can reuse extracellular organic carbon, but the metabolic drivers of extracellular processes are surprisingly complex. We investigated the metabolic foundations of organic matter reuse by comparing exoproteome composition and incorporation of (13)C-labeled and (15)N-labeled cyanobacterial extracellular organic matter (EOM) in a unicyanobacterial biofilm incubated using different light regimes. In the light and the dark, cyanobacterial direct organic C assimilation accounted for 32% and 43%, respectively, of all organic C assimilation in the community. Under photosynthesis conditions, we measured increased excretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and proteins involved in micronutrient transport, suggesting that requirements for micronutrients may drive EOM assimilation during daylight hours. This interpretation was supported by photosynthesis inhibition experiments, in which cyanobacteria incorporated N-rich EOM-derived material. In contrast, under dark, C-starved conditions, cyanobacteria incorporated C-rich EOM-derived organic matter, decreased excretion of EPS, and showed an increased abundance of degradative exoproteins, demonstrating the use of the extracellular domain for C storage. Sequence-structure modeling of one of these exoproteins predicted a specific hydrolytic activity that was subsequently detected, confirming increased EOM degradation in the dark. Associated heterotrophic bacteria increased in abundance and upregulated transport proteins under dark relative to light conditions. Taken together, our results indicate that biofilm cyanobacteria are successful competitors for organic C and N and that cyanobacterial nutrient and energy requirements control the use of EOM. IMPORTANCE Cyanobacteria are globally distributed primary producers, and the fate of their fixed C influences microbial biogeochemical cycling. This fate is complicated by cyanobacterial degradation and assimilation of organic matter, but because cyanobacteria are assumed to be poor competitors for organic matter consumption, regulation of this process is not well tested. In mats and biofilms, this is especially relevant because cyanobacteria produce an extensive organic extracellular matrix, providing the community with a rich source of nutrients. Light is a well-known regulator of cyanobacterial metabolism, so we characterized the effects of light availability on the incorporation of organic matter. Using stable isotope tracing at the single-cell level, we quantified photoautotroph assimilation under different metabolic conditions and integrated the results with proteomics to elucidate metabolic status. We found that cyanobacteria effectively compete for organic matter in the light and the dark and that nutrient requirements and community interactions contribute to cycling of extracellular organic matter.
Collapse
|
32
|
Paul VG, Wronkiewicz DJ, Mormile MR, Foster JS. Mineralogy and Microbial Diversity of the Microbialites in the Hypersaline Storr's Lake, the Bahamas. ASTROBIOLOGY 2016; 16:282-300. [PMID: 27082142 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2015.1326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Microbialites found in the low-light-intensity, hypersaline waters of Storr's Lake (SL), San Salvador Island, the Bahamas, were investigated with respect to their morphology, mineralogy, and microbial diversity. Previously described microbialite morphologies, as well as a newly identified "multi-cuspate" morphology, were observed at various depths. Electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of angular, blocky, and needle-shaped crystals with mineralized cyanobacterial filaments and remains of exopolymeric substances. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the presence of both Mg-calcite and aragonite in the plateau-mushroom and pinnacle mound microbialites, whereas only Mg-calcite was identified in the other microbialite morphotypes. A comprehensive molecular analysis using barcoded pyrosequencing of five different microbial mat communities identified at least 12 dominant bacterial phyla. Cyanobacteria were generally low in abundance and ranged from ∼0.01% in the deeper pinnacle mounds to ∼3.2% in the shallow calcareous knobs. Other photosynthetic members included green nonsulfur bacteria of the phylum Chloroflexi and purple sulfur bacteria of the class Gammaproteobacteria. All mat types contained significant amounts of sulfate-reducing and dehalogenating bacteria. The low light intensity reaching the deeper microbialites, the lack of dominant cyanobacteria, and the abundance of sulfate reducers and Chloroflexi collectively suggest that sulfate reduction and anoxygenic photosynthetic processes influence the carbonate biomineralization process in these systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Varun G Paul
- 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology , Rolla, Missouri
| | - David J Wronkiewicz
- 1 Department of Geological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology , Rolla, Missouri
| | - Melanie R Mormile
- 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology , Rolla, Missouri
| | - Jamie S Foster
- 3 Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida , Space Life Science Lab, Merritt Island, Florida
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
He L, Wang Y, You L, Khin Y, Tang JKH, Tang YJ. Glycine Cleavage Powers Photoheterotrophic Growth of Chloroflexus aurantiacus in the Absence of H 2. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1467. [PMID: 26732979 PMCID: PMC4686737 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chloroflexus aurantiacus is an anoxygenic phototrophic bacterium. Its unique CO2 fixation pathway and primitive light-harvesting antenna complexes have attracted extensive research attentions. In this work, we investigated the photoheterotrophic growth of C. aurantiacus J-10-fl using acetate [at 55°C and without H2(g)]. The results indicate that glycine can promote anaerobic biomass production in a minimal medium by threefold to fivefold. Via 13C-metabolite analysis, we observed that glycine was involved in serine synthesis. Instead of being used as a major carbon source, glycine was degraded to produce C1 units and NAD(P)H. Tracer experiments also suggest that photoheterotrophic cultures growing with a exogenous glycine source exhibited capabilities of assimilating CO2 via multiple routes (including the 3-hydroxypropionate pathway). Finally, glycylglycine, a commonly used culture buffer, also significantly enhanced photoheterotrophic growth of C. aurantiacus, probably due to its thermal or enzymatic breakdown to glycine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lian He
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yaya Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark University Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Le You
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yadana Khin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark University Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Joseph K-H Tang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Clark UniversityWorcester, MA, USA; The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State UniversityTempe, AZ, USA
| | - Yinjie J Tang
- Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University St. Louis, MO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
|
35
|
Cyanobacterial reuse of extracellular organic carbon in microbial mats. ISME JOURNAL 2015; 10:1240-51. [PMID: 26495994 PMCID: PMC5029224 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2015.180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Revised: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacterial organic matter excretion is crucial to carbon cycling in many microbial communities, but the nature and bioavailability of this C depend on unknown physiological functions. Cyanobacteria-dominated hypersaline laminated mats are a useful model ecosystem for the study of C flow in complex communities, as they use photosynthesis to sustain a more or less closed system. Although such mats have a large C reservoir in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), the production and degradation of organic carbon is not well defined. To identify extracellular processes in cyanobacterial mats, we examined mats collected from Elkhorn Slough (ES) at Monterey Bay, California, for glycosyl and protein composition of the EPS. We found a prevalence of simple glucose polysaccharides containing either α or β (1,4) linkages, indicating distinct sources of glucose with differing enzymatic accessibility. Using proteomics, we identified cyanobacterial extracellular enzymes, and also detected activities that indicate a capacity for EPS degradation. In a less complex system, we characterized the EPS of a cyanobacterial isolate from ES, ESFC-1, and found the extracellular composition of biofilms produced by this unicyanobacterial culture were similar to that of natural mats. By tracing isotopically labeled EPS into single cells of ESFC-1, we demonstrated rapid incorporation of extracellular-derived carbon. Taken together, these results indicate cyanobacteria reuse excess organic carbon, constituting a dynamic pool of extracellular resources in these mats.
Collapse
|
36
|
Nielsen M, Revsbech NP, Kühl M. Microsensor measurements of hydrogen gas dynamics in cyanobacterial microbial mats. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:726. [PMID: 26257714 PMCID: PMC4508582 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We used a novel amperometric microsensor for measuring hydrogen gas production and consumption at high spatio-temporal resolution in cyanobacterial biofilms and mats dominated by non-heterocystous filamentous cyanobacteria (Microcoleus chtonoplastes and Oscillatoria sp.). The new microsensor is based on the use of an organic electrolyte and a stable internal reference system and can be equipped with a chemical sulfide trap in the measuring tip; it exhibits very stable and sulfide-insensitive measuring signals and a high sensitivity (1.5–5 pA per μmol L-1 H2). Hydrogen gas measurements were done in combination with microsensor measurements of scalar irradiance, O2, pH, and H2S and showed a pronounced H2 accumulation (of up to 8–10% H2 saturation) within the upper mm of cyanobacterial mats after onset of darkness and O2 depletion. The peak concentration of H2 increased with the irradiance level prior to darkening. After an initial build-up over the first 1–2 h in darkness, H2 was depleted over several hours due to efflux to the overlaying water, and due to biogeochemical processes in the uppermost oxic layers and the anoxic layers of the mats. Depletion could be prevented by addition of molybdate pointing to sulfate reduction as a major sink for H2. Immediately after onset of illumination, a short burst of presumably photo-produced H2 due to direct biophotolysis was observed in the illuminated but anoxic mat layers. As soon as O2 from photosynthesis started to accumulate, the H2 was consumed rapidly and production ceased. Our data give detailed insights into the microscale distribution and dynamics of H2 in cyanobacterial biofilms and mats, and further support that cyanobacterial H2 production can play a significant role in fueling anaerobic processes like e.g., sulfate reduction or anoxygenic photosynthesis in microbial mats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Nielsen
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Niels P Revsbech
- Section of Microbiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Michael Kühl
- Marine Biological Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen Helsingør, Denmark ; Plant Functional Biology and Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology, Sydney, Ultimo NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
A Post-Genomic View of the Ecophysiology, Catabolism and Biotechnological Relevance of Sulphate-Reducing Prokaryotes. Adv Microb Physiol 2015. [PMID: 26210106 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ampbs.2015.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Dissimilatory sulphate reduction is the unifying and defining trait of sulphate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP). In their predominant habitats, sulphate-rich marine sediments, SRP have long been recognized to be major players in the carbon and sulphur cycles. Other, more recently appreciated, ecophysiological roles include activity in the deep biosphere, symbiotic relations, syntrophic associations, human microbiome/health and long-distance electron transfer. SRP include a high diversity of organisms, with large nutritional versatility and broad metabolic capacities, including anaerobic degradation of aromatic compounds and hydrocarbons. Elucidation of novel catabolic capacities as well as progress in the understanding of metabolic and regulatory networks, energy metabolism, evolutionary processes and adaptation to changing environmental conditions has greatly benefited from genomics, functional OMICS approaches and advances in genetic accessibility and biochemical studies. Important biotechnological roles of SRP range from (i) wastewater and off gas treatment, (ii) bioremediation of metals and hydrocarbons and (iii) bioelectrochemistry, to undesired impacts such as (iv) souring in oil reservoirs and other environments, and (v) corrosion of iron and concrete. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of SRPs focusing mainly on works published after 2000. The wealth of publications in this period, covering many diverse areas, is a testimony to the large environmental, biogeochemical and technological relevance of these organisms and how much the field has progressed in these years, although many important questions and applications remain to be explored.
Collapse
|
38
|
Oren A. Halophilic microbial communities and their environments. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2015; 33:119-24. [PMID: 25727188 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2015.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2014] [Revised: 01/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Use of culture-independent studies have greatly increased our understanding of the microbiology of hypersaline lakes (the Dead Sea, Great Salt Lake) and saltern ponds in recent years. Exciting new information has become available on the microbial processes in Antarctic lakes and in deep-sea brines. These studies led to the recognition of many new lineages of microorganisms not yet available for study in culture, and their cultivation in the laboratory is now a major challenge. Studies of the metabolic potentials of different halophilic microorganisms, Archaea as well as Bacteria, shed light on the possibilities and the limitations of life at high salt concentrations, and also show their potential for applications in bioremediation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aharon Oren
- Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Woebken D, Burow LC, Behnam F, Mayali X, Schintlmeister A, Fleming ED, Prufert-Bebout L, Singer SW, Cortés AL, Hoehler TM, Pett-Ridge J, Spormann AM, Wagner M, Weber PK, Bebout BM. Revisiting N₂ fixation in Guerrero Negro intertidal microbial mats with a functional single-cell approach. THE ISME JOURNAL 2015; 9:485-96. [PMID: 25303712 PMCID: PMC4303640 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2014.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2014] [Revised: 06/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Photosynthetic microbial mats are complex, stratified ecosystems in which high rates of primary production create a demand for nitrogen, met partially by N₂ fixation. Dinitrogenase reductase (nifH) genes and transcripts from Cyanobacteria and heterotrophic bacteria (for example, Deltaproteobacteria) were detected in these mats, yet their contribution to N2 fixation is poorly understood. We used a combined approach of manipulation experiments with inhibitors, nifH sequencing and single-cell isotope analysis to investigate the active diazotrophic community in intertidal microbial mats at Laguna Ojo de Liebre near Guerrero Negro, Mexico. Acetylene reduction assays with specific metabolic inhibitors suggested that both sulfate reducers and members of the Cyanobacteria contributed to N₂ fixation, whereas (15)N₂ tracer experiments at the bulk level only supported a contribution of Cyanobacteria. Cyanobacterial and nifH Cluster III (including deltaproteobacterial sulfate reducers) sequences dominated the nifH gene pool, whereas the nifH transcript pool was dominated by sequences related to Lyngbya spp. Single-cell isotope analysis of (15)N₂-incubated mat samples via high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) revealed that Cyanobacteria were enriched in (15)N, with the highest enrichment being detected in Lyngbya spp. filaments (on average 4.4 at% (15)N), whereas the Deltaproteobacteria (identified by CARD-FISH) were not significantly enriched. We investigated the potential dilution effect from CARD-FISH on the isotopic composition and concluded that the dilution bias was not substantial enough to influence our conclusions. Our combined data provide evidence that members of the Cyanobacteria, especially Lyngbya spp., actively contributed to N₂ fixation in the intertidal mats, whereas support for significant N₂ fixation activity of the targeted deltaproteobacterial sulfate reducers could not be found.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dagmar Woebken
- Departments of Chemical Engineering, and of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Luke C Burow
- Departments of Chemical Engineering, and of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - Faris Behnam
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Xavier Mayali
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Arno Schintlmeister
- Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Erich D Fleming
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | | | - Steven W Singer
- Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Alejandro López Cortés
- Laboratory of Geomicrobiology and Biotechnology, Northwestern Center for Biological Research (CIBNOR), La Paz, Mexico
| | - Tori M Hoehler
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Pett-Ridge
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Alfred M Spormann
- Departments of Chemical Engineering, and of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael Wagner
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter K Weber
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Brad M Bebout
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Houghton J, Fike D, Druschel G, Orphan V, Hoehler TM, Des Marais DJ. Spatial variability in photosynthetic and heterotrophic activity drives localized δ13C org fluctuations and carbonate precipitation in hypersaline microbial mats. GEOBIOLOGY 2014; 12:557-574. [PMID: 25312537 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2014] [Accepted: 08/30/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Modern laminated photosynthetic microbial mats are ideal environments to study how microbial activity creates and modifies carbon and sulfur isotopic signatures prior to lithification. Laminated microbial mats from a hypersaline lagoon (Guerrero Negro, Baja California, Mexico) maintained in a flume in a greenhouse at NASA Ames Research Center were sampled for δ(13) C of organic material and carbonate to assess the impact of carbon fixation (e.g., photosynthesis) and decomposition (e.g., bacterial respiration) on δ(13) C signatures. In the photic zone, the δ(13) C org signature records a complex relationship between the activities of cyanobacteria under variable conditions of CO2 limitation with a significant contribution from green sulfur bacteria using the reductive TCA cycle for carbon fixation. Carbonate is present in some layers of the mat, associated with high concentrations of bacteriochlorophyll e (characteristic of green sulfur bacteria) and exhibits δ(13) C signatures similar to DIC in the overlying water column (-2.0‰), with small but variable decreases consistent with localized heterotrophic activity from sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Model results indicate respiration rates in the upper 12 mm of the mat alter in situ pH and HCO3- concentrations to create both phototrophic CO2 limitation and carbonate supersaturation, leading to local precipitation of carbonate minerals. The measured activity of SRB with depth suggests they variably contribute to decomposition in the mat dependent on organic substrate concentrations. Millimeter-scale variability in the δ(13) C org signature beneath the photic zone in the mat is a result of shifting dominance between cyanobacteria and green sulfur bacteria with the aggregate signature overprinted by heterotrophic reworking by SRB and methanogens. These observations highlight the impact of sedimentary microbial processes on δ(13) C org signatures; these processes need to be considered when attempting to relate observed isotopic signatures in ancient sedimentary strata to conditions in the overlying water column at the time of deposition and associated inferences about carbon cycling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Houghton
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Salinity on the Microbial Diversity in Lithifying Microbial Mats. MINERALS 2014. [DOI: 10.3390/min4010145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|