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Touchette D, Gostinčar C, Whyte LG, Altshuler I. Lichen-associated microbial members are prevalent in the snow microbiome of a sub-arctic alpine tundra. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad151. [PMID: 37977855 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Snow is the largest component of the cryosphere, with its cover and distribution rapidly decreasing over the last decade due to climate warming. It is imperative to characterize the snow (nival) microbial communities to better understand the role of microorganisms inhabiting these rapidly changing environments. Here, we investigated the core nival microbiome, the cultivable microbial members, and the microbial functional diversity of the remote Uapishka mountain range, a massif of alpine sub-arctic tundra and boreal forest. Snow samples were taken over a two-month interval along an altitude gradient with varying degree of anthropogenic traffic and vegetation cover. The core snow alpine tundra/boreal microbiome, which was present across all samples, constituted of Acetobacterales, Rhizobiales and Acidobacteriales bacterial orders, and of Mycosphaerellales and Lecanorales fungal orders, with the dominant fungal taxa being associated with lichens. The snow samples had low active functional diversity, with Richness values ranging from 0 to 19.5. The culture-based viable microbial enumeration ranged from 0 to 8.05 × 103 CFUs/mL. We isolated and whole-genome sequenced five microorganisms which included three fungi, one alga, and one potentially novel bacterium of the Lichenihabitans genus; all of which appear to be part of lichen-associated taxonomic clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Touchette
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, H9X 3V9, Canada
- River Ecosystems Laboratory, ALPOLE, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1950, Sion, Switzerland
| | - C Gostinčar
- University of Ljubljana, Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia
| | - L G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - I Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, H9X 3V9, Canada
- MACE Laboratory, ALPOLE, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1950, Sion, Switzerland
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Park S, Jung D, Altshuler I, Kurban D, Dufour S, Ronholm J. Correction to: A longitudinal census of the bacterial community in raw milk correlated with Staphylococcus aureus clinical mastitis infections in dairy cattle. Anim Microbiome 2023; 5:51. [PMID: 37828590 PMCID: PMC10571430 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-023-00273-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Park
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Dongyun Jung
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daryna Kurban
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Simon Dufour
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Jennifer Ronholm
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.
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Schreiber L, Hunnie B, Altshuler I, Góngora E, Ellis M, Maynard C, Tremblay J, Wasserscheid J, Fortin N, Lee K, Stern G, Greer CW. Long-term biodegradation of crude oil in high-arctic backshore sediments: The Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) after nearly four decades. Environ Res 2023; 233:116421. [PMID: 37327845 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
With an on-going disproportional warming of the Arctic Ocean and the reduction of the sea ice cover, the risk of an accidental oil spill from ships or future oil exploration is increasing. It is hence important to know how crude oil weathers in this environment and what factors affect oil biodegradation in the Arctic. However, this topic is currently poorly studied. In the 1980s, the Baffin Island Oil Spill (BIOS) project carried out a series of simulated oil spills in the backshore zone of beaches located on Baffin Island in the Canadian High Arctic. In this study two BIOS sites were re-visited, offering the unique opportunity to study the long-term weathering of crude oil under Arctic conditions. Here we show that residual oil remains present at these sites even after almost four decades since the original oiling. Oil at both BIOS sites appears to have attenuated very slowly with estimated loss rates of 1.8-2.7% per year. The presence of residual oil continues to significantly affect sediment microbial communities at the sites as manifested by a significantly decreased diversity, differences in the abundance of microorganisms and an enrichment of putative oil-degrading bacteria in oiled sediments. Reconstructed genomes of putative oil degraders suggest that only a subset is specifically adapted for growth under psychrothermic conditions, further reducing the time for biodegradation during the already short Arctic summers. Altogether, this study shows that crude oil spilled in the Arctic can persist and significantly affect the Arctic ecosystem for a long time, in the order of several decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Schreiber
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Blake Hunnie
- Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Esteban Góngora
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Madison Ellis
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christine Maynard
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Julien Tremblay
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jessica Wasserscheid
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nathalie Fortin
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kenneth Lee
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ecosystem Science, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gary Stern
- Centre for Earth Observation Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Magnuson E, Altshuler I, Freyria NJ, Leveille RJ, Whyte LG. Sulfur-cycling chemolithoautotrophic microbial community dominates a cold, anoxic, hypersaline Arctic spring. Microbiome 2023; 11:203. [PMID: 37697305 PMCID: PMC10494364 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01628-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gypsum Hill Spring, located in Nunavut in the Canadian High Arctic, is a rare example of a cold saline spring arising through thick permafrost. It perennially discharges cold (~ 7 °C), hypersaline (7-8% salinity), anoxic (~ 0.04 ppm O2), and highly reducing (~ - 430 mV) brines rich in sulfate (2.2 g.L-1) and sulfide (9.5 ppm), making Gypsum Hill an analog to putative sulfate-rich briny habitats on extraterrestrial bodies such as Mars. RESULTS Genome-resolved metagenomics and metatranscriptomics were utilized to describe an active microbial community containing novel metagenome-assembled genomes and dominated by sulfur-cycling Desulfobacterota and Gammaproteobacteria. Sulfate reduction was dominated by hydrogen-oxidizing chemolithoautotrophic Desulfovibrionaceae sp. and was identified in phyla not typically associated with sulfate reduction in novel lineages of Spirochaetota and Bacteroidota. Highly abundant and active sulfur-reducing Desulfuromusa sp. highly transcribed non-coding RNAs associated with transcriptional regulation, showing potential evidence of putative metabolic flexibility in response to substrate availability. Despite low oxygen availability, sulfide oxidation was primarily attributed to aerobic chemolithoautotrophic Halothiobacillaceae. Low abundance and transcription of photoautotrophs indicated sulfur-based chemolithoautotrophy drives primary productivity even during periods of constant illumination. CONCLUSIONS We identified a rare surficial chemolithoautotrophic, sulfur-cycling microbial community active in a unique anoxic, cold, hypersaline Arctic spring. We detected Mars-relevant metabolisms including hydrogenotrophic sulfate reduction, sulfur reduction, and sulfide oxidation, which indicate the potential for microbial life in analogous S-rich brines on past and present Mars. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisse Magnuson
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- MACE Laboratory, ALPOLE, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nastasia J. Freyria
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC Canada
| | - Richard J. Leveille
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
- Geosciences Department, John Abbott College, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC Canada
| | - Lyle G. Whyte
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC Canada
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Durand M, Touchette D, Chen YJ, Magnuson E, Wasserscheid J, Greer CW, Whyte LG, Altshuler I. Effects of marine diesel on microbial diversity and activity in high Arctic beach sediments. Mar Pollut Bull 2023; 194:115226. [PMID: 37442053 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Global warming induced sea ice loss increases Arctic maritime traffic, enhancing the risk of ecosystem contamination from fuel spills and nutrient loading. The impact of marine diesel on bacterial metabolic activity and diversity, assessed by colorimetric assay, 16S rRNA and metagenomic sequencing, of Northwest Passage (Arctic Ocean) beach sediments was assessed with nutrient amendment at environmentally relevant temperatures (5 and 15 °C). Higher temperature and nutrients stimulated microbial activity, while diesel reduced it, with metabolism inhibited at and above 0.01 % (without nutrients) and at 1 % (with nutrients) diesel inclusions. Diesel exposure significantly decreased microbial diversity and selected for Psychrobacter genus. Microbial hydrocarbon degradation, organic compound metabolism, and exopolysaccharide production gene abundances increased under higher diesel concentrations. Metagenomic binning recovered nine MAGs/bins with hydrocarbon degradation genes. We demonstrate a nutrients' rescue-type effect in diesel contaminated microbial communities via enrichment of microorganisms with stress response, aromatic compound, and ammonia assimilation metabolisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux Durand
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada; Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC), Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Paris-Saclay Applied Economics, 91120 Palaiseau, France
| | - David Touchette
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada; River Ecosystems Laboratory, ALPOLE, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ya-Jou Chen
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Elisse Magnuson
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jessica Wasserscheid
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada; Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council Canada (NRC), Montreal, Quebec, Canada; MACE Laboratory, ALPOLE, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Touchette D, Maggiori C, Altshuler I, Tettenborn A, Bourdages LJ, Magnuson E, Blenner-Hassett O, Raymond-Bouchard I, Ellery A, Whyte LG. Microbial Characterization of Arctic Glacial Ice Cores with a Semiautomated Life Detection System. Astrobiology 2023; 23:756-768. [PMID: 37126945 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The search for extant microbial life will be a major focus of future astrobiology missions; however, no direct extant life detection instrumentation is included in current missions to Mars. In this study, we developed the semiautomated MicroLife detection platform that collects and processes environmental samples, detects biosignatures, and characterizes microbial activity. This platform is composed of a drill for sample collection, a redox dye colorimetric system for microbial metabolic activity detection and assessment (μMAMA [microfluidics Microbial Activity MicroAssay]), and a MinION sequencer for biosignature detection and characterization of microbial communities. The MicroLife platform was field-tested on White Glacier on Axel Heiberg Island in the Canadian high Arctic, with two extracted ice cores. The μMAMA successfully detected microbial metabolism from the ice cores within 1 day of incubation. The MinION sequencing of the ice cores and the positive μMAMA card identified a microbial community consistent with cold and oligotrophic environments. Furthermore, isolation and identification of microbial isolates from the μMAMA card corroborated the MinION sequencing. Together, these analyses support the MicroLife platform's efficacy in identifying microbes natively present in cryoenvironments and detecting their metabolic activity. Given our MicroLife platform's size and low energy requirements, it could be incorporated into a future landed platform or rovers for life detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Touchette
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Canada
- Environmental Engineering Institute, River Ecosystems Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Maggiori
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
- Environmental Engineering Institute, MACE Laboratory, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alex Tettenborn
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Louis-Jacques Bourdages
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Elisse Magnuson
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
| | - Olivia Blenner-Hassett
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | - Isabelle Raymond-Bouchard
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Canada
| | - Alex Ellery
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Canada
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Andersen TO, Altshuler I, Vera-Ponce de León A, Walter JM, McGovern E, Keogh K, Martin C, Bernard L, Morgavi DP, Park T, Li Z, Jiang Y, Firkins JL, Yu Z, Hvidsten TR, Waters SM, Popova M, Arntzen MØ, Hagen LH, Pope PB. Metabolic influence of core ciliates within the rumen microbiome. ISME J 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01407-y. [PMID: 37169869 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01407-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Protozoa comprise a major fraction of the microbial biomass in the rumen microbiome, of which the entodiniomorphs (order: Entodiniomorphida) and holotrichs (order: Vestibuliferida) are consistently observed to be dominant across a diverse genetic and geographical range of ruminant hosts. Despite the apparent core role that protozoal species exert, their major biological and metabolic contributions to rumen function remain largely undescribed in vivo. Here, we have leveraged (meta)genome-centric metaproteomes from rumen fluid samples originating from both cattle and goats fed diets with varying inclusion levels of lipids and starch, to detail the specific metabolic niches that protozoa occupy in the context of their microbial co-habitants. Initial proteome estimations via total protein counts and label-free quantification highlight that entodiniomorph species Entodinium and Epidinium as well as the holotrichs Dasytricha and Isotricha comprise an extensive fraction of the total rumen metaproteome. Proteomic detection of protozoal metabolism such as hydrogenases (Dasytricha, Isotricha, Epidinium, Enoploplastron), carbohydrate-active enzymes (Epidinium, Diplodinium, Enoploplastron, Polyplastron), microbial predation (Entodinium) and volatile fatty acid production (Entodinium and Epidinium) was observed at increased levels in high methane-emitting animals. Despite certain protozoal species having well-established reputations for digesting starch, they were unexpectedly less detectable in low methane emitting-animals fed high starch diets, which were instead dominated by propionate/succinate-producing bacterial populations suspected of being resistant to predation irrespective of host. Finally, we reaffirmed our abovementioned observations in geographically independent datasets, thus illuminating the substantial metabolic influence that under-explored eukaryotic populations have in the rumen, with greater implications for both digestion and methane metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea O Andersen
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Arturo Vera-Ponce de León
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Juline M Walter
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Emily McGovern
- Teagasc, Animal and Bioscience Research Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Grange, Dunsany, County, Meath, Ireland
| | - Kate Keogh
- Teagasc, Animal and Bioscience Research Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Grange, Dunsany, County, Meath, Ireland
| | - Cécile Martin
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France
| | - Laurence Bernard
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France
| | - Diego P Morgavi
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France
| | - Tansol Park
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Zongjun Li
- Center for Ruminant Genetics and Evolution, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang, China
| | - Yu Jiang
- Center for Ruminant Genetics and Evolution, College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang, China
| | - Jeffrey L Firkins
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Zhongtang Yu
- Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Torgeir R Hvidsten
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Sinead M Waters
- Teagasc, Animal and Bioscience Research Department, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Grange, Dunsany, County, Meath, Ireland
| | - Milka Popova
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR Herbivores, Université Clermont Auvergne, Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France
| | - Magnus Ø Arntzen
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Live H Hagen
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Phillip B Pope
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
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Park S, Jung D, Altshuler I, Kurban D, Dufour S, Ronholm J. A longitudinal census of the bacterial community in raw milk correlated with Staphylococcus aureus clinical mastitis infections in dairy cattle. Anim Microbiome 2022; 4:59. [PMID: 36434660 PMCID: PMC9701008 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-022-00211-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of clinical mastitis (CM) in dairy cattle. Optimizing the bovine mammary gland microbiota to resist S. aureus colonization is a growing area of research. However, the details of the interbacterial interactions between S. aureus and commensal bacteria, which would be required to manipulate the microbiome to resist infection, are still unknown. This study aims to characterize changes in the bovine milk bacterial community before, during, and after S. aureus CM and to compare bacterial communities present in milk between infected and healthy quarters. METHODS We collected quarter-level milk samples from 698 Holstein dairy cows over an entire lactation. A total of 11 quarters from 10 cows were affected by S. aureus CM and milk samples from these 10 cows (n = 583) regardless of health status were analyzed by performing 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. RESULTS The milk microbiota of healthy quarters was distinguishable from that of S. aureus CM quarters two weeks before CM diagnosis via visual inspection. Microbial network analysis showed that 11 OTUs had negative associations with OTU0001 (Staphylococcus). A low diversity or dysbiotic milk microbiome did not necessarily correlate with increased inflammation. Specifically, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Aerococcus urinaeequi were each abundant in milk from the quarters with low levels of inflammation. CONCLUSION Our results show that the udder microbiome is highly dynamic, yet a change in the abundance in certain bacteria can be a potential indicator of future S. aureus CM. This study has identified potential prophylactic bacterial species that could act as a barrier against S. aureus colonization and prevent future instances of S. aureus CM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soyoun Park
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Dongyun Jung
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Daryna Kurban
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Simon Dufour
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Jennifer Ronholm
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Mastitis Network, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.
- Regroupement FRQNT Op+Lait, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.
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9
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Magnuson E, Altshuler I, Fernández-Martínez MÁ, Chen YJ, Maggiori C, Goordial J, Whyte LG. Active lithoautotrophic and methane-oxidizing microbial community in an anoxic, sub-zero, and hypersaline High Arctic spring. ISME J 2022; 16:1798-1808. [PMID: 35396347 PMCID: PMC9213412 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01233-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Lost Hammer Spring, located in the High Arctic of Nunavut, Canada, is one of the coldest and saltiest terrestrial springs discovered to date. It perennially discharges anoxic (<1 ppm dissolved oxygen), sub-zero (~-5 °C), and hypersaline (~24% salinity) brines from the subsurface through up to 600 m of permafrost. The sediment is sulfate-rich (1 M) and continually emits gases composed primarily of methane (~50%), making Lost Hammer the coldest known terrestrial methane seep and an analog to extraterrestrial habits on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. A multi-omics approach utilizing metagenome, metatranscriptome, and single-amplified genome sequencing revealed a rare surface terrestrial habitat supporting a predominantly lithoautotrophic active microbial community driven in part by sulfide-oxidizing Gammaproteobacteria scavenging trace oxygen. Genomes from active anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME-1) showed evidence of putative metabolic flexibility and hypersaline and cold adaptations. Evidence of anaerobic heterotrophic and fermentative lifestyles were found in candidate phyla DPANN archaea and CG03 bacteria genomes. Our results demonstrate Mars-relevant metabolisms including sulfide oxidation, sulfate reduction, anaerobic oxidation of methane, and oxidation of trace gases (H2, CO2) detected under anoxic, hypersaline, and sub-zero ambient conditions, providing evidence that similar extant microbial life could potentially survive in similar habitats on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisse Magnuson
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Ya-Jou Chen
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Catherine Maggiori
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | | | - Lyle G Whyte
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.
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10
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Touchette D, Altshuler I, Raymond-Bouchard I, Fernández-Martínez MÁ, Bourdages LJ, O'Connor B, Ricco AJ, Whyte LG. Microfluidics Microbial Activity MicroAssay: An Automated In Situ Microbial Metabolic Detection System. Astrobiology 2022; 22:158-170. [PMID: 35049343 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
With no direct extant-life detection instrumentation included in a space mission since the 1970s, the advancement of new technologies to be included in future space missions is imperative. We developed, optimized, and tested a semi-automated prototype, the microfluidics Microbial Activity MicroAssay (μMAMA). This system metabolically characterizes and detects extant microbial life by way of metabolism-indicator redox dyes. We first evaluated the robustness and sensitivity of six redox dye/buffer combinations, and we then tested their responses to metabolic activity in astrobiological analog high-Arctic samples. We determined that the Biolog Inoculating Fluid (IF)-C and AlamarBlue buffered in IF-0a (aB-IF0a) dye/buffer combinations were optimal, as they detected metabolic activity from the fewest microbial cells (102 cells/mL) while maintaining efficacy over a broad physiochemical range of pH (0-13), temperature (-10°C to 37°C), salinity and perchlorate (tested up to 30%), and in the presence of a Mars regolith simulant (MMS-2). The μMAMA, which incorporated these redox dyes, detected extant active cold-adapted microbial life from high Arctic analog sites, including samples amended with substrates targeting chemolithoautotrophic metabolisms. Given μMAMA's small size (we estimate a complete planetary instrument could occupy as little as 3 L) and potential for automation, it could easily be incorporated into almost any landed platform for life detection missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Touchette
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- Department of Animal and Aquaculture Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Isabelle Raymond-Bouchard
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Louis-Jacques Bourdages
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Brady O'Connor
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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11
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Altshuler I, Raymond-Bouchard I, Magnuson E, Tremblay J, Greer CW, Whyte LG. Unique high Arctic methane metabolizing community revealed through in situ 13CH 4-DNA-SIP enrichment in concert with genome binning. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1160. [PMID: 35064149 PMCID: PMC8782848 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04486-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Arctic permafrost soils create a positive feedback loop of climate warming and further GHG emissions. Active methane uptake in these soils can reduce the impact of GHG on future Arctic warming potential. Aerobic methane oxidizers are thought to be responsible for this apparent methane sink, though Arctic representatives of these organisms have resisted culturing efforts. Here, we first used in situ gas flux measurements and qPCR to identify relative methane sink hotspots at a high Arctic cytosol site, we then labeled the active microbiome in situ using DNA Stable Isotope Probing (SIP) with heavy 13CH4 (at 100 ppm and 1000 ppm). This was followed by amplicon and metagenome sequencing to identify active organisms involved in CH4 metabolism in these high Arctic cryosols. Sequencing of 13C-labeled pmoA genes demonstrated that type II methanotrophs (Methylocapsa) were overall the dominant active methane oxidizers in these mineral cryosols, while type I methanotrophs (Methylomarinovum) were only detected in the 100 ppm SIP treatment. From the SIP-13C-labeled DNA, we retrieved nine high to intermediate quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) belonging to the Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, and Chloroflexi, with three of these MAGs containing genes associated with methanotrophy. A novel Chloroflexi MAG contained a mmoX gene along with other methane oxidation pathway genes, identifying it as a potential uncultured methane oxidizer. This MAG also contained genes for copper import, synthesis of biopolymers, mercury detoxification, and ammonia uptake, indicating that this bacterium is strongly adapted to conditions in active layer permafrost and providing new insights into methane biogeochemical cycling. In addition, Betaproteobacterial MAGs were also identified as potential cross-feeders with methanotrophs in these Arctic cryosols. Overall, in situ SIP labeling combined with metagenomics and genome binning demonstrated to be a useful tool for discovering and characterizing novel organisms related to specific microbial functions or biogeochemical cycles of interest. Our findings reveal a unique and active Arctic cryosol microbial community potentially involved in CH4 cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences NMBU, Universitetstunet 3, 1430, Ås, Norway.
| | - Isabelle Raymond-Bouchard
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Elisse Magnuson
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Julien Tremblay
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, 6100 Royalmount Ave., Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, 6100 Royalmount Ave., Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd., Ste. Anne de Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
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12
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Touchette D, Altshuler I, Gostinčar C, Zalar P, Raymond-Bouchard I, Zajc J, McKay CP, Gunde-Cimerman N, Whyte LG. Novel Antarctic yeast adapts to cold by switching energy metabolism and increasing small RNA synthesis. ISME J 2022; 16:221-232. [PMID: 34294882 PMCID: PMC8692454 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01030-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The novel extremophilic yeast Rhodotorula frigidialcoholis, formerly R. JG1b, was isolated from ice-cemented permafrost in University Valley (Antarctic), one of coldest and driest environments on Earth. Phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses classified R. frigidialcoholis as a novel species. To characterize its cold-adaptive strategies, we performed mRNA and sRNA transcriptomic analyses, phenotypic profiling, and assessed ethanol production at 0 and 23 °C. Downregulation of the ETC and citrate cycle genes, overexpression of fermentation and pentose phosphate pathways genes, growth without reduction of tetrazolium dye, and our discovery of ethanol production at 0 °C indicate that R. frigidialcoholis induces a metabolic switch from respiration to ethanol fermentation as adaptation in Antarctic permafrost. This is the first report of microbial ethanol fermentation utilized as the major energy pathway in response to cold and the coldest temperature reported for natural ethanol production. R. frigidialcoholis increased its diversity and abundance of sRNAs when grown at 0 versus 23 °C. This was consistent with increase in transcription of Dicer, a key protein for sRNA processing. Our results strongly imply that post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and mRNA silencing may be a novel evolutionary fungal adaptation in the cryosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Touchette
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - I Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - C Gostinčar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, BGI-Qingdao, Qingdao, China
| | - P Zalar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - I Raymond-Bouchard
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - J Zajc
- Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - C P McKay
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - N Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - L G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.
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13
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Raymond-Bouchard I, Maggiori C, Brennan L, Altshuler I, Manchado JM, Parro V, Whyte LG. Assessment of Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction Systems in Combination with MinION Sequencing As Potential Tools for the Detection of Microbial Biosignatures. Astrobiology 2022; 22:87-103. [PMID: 34962136 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The utilization of nanopore technologies for the detection of organic biogenic compounds has garnered significant focus in recent years. Oxford Nanopore Technologies' (ONT) MinION instrument, which can detect and sequence nucleic acids (NAs), is one such example. These technologies have much promise for unambiguous life detection but require significant development in terms of methods for extraction and preparation of NAs for biosignature detection and their feasibility for use in astrobiology-focused field missions. In this study, we tested pre-existing, automated, or semiautomated NA extraction technologies, coupled with automated ONT VolTRAX NA sample preparation, and verification with Nanopore MinION sequencing. All of the extraction systems tested (SuperFastPrep2, ClaremontX1, and SOLID-Sample Preparation Unit) showed potential for extracting DNA from Canadian High Arctic environments analogous to Mars, Europa, and Enceladus, which could subsequently be detected and sequenced with the MinION. However, they differed with regard to efficacy, yield, purity, and sequencing and annotation quality. Overall, bead beating-based systems performed the best for these parameters. In addition, we showed that the MinION could sequence unpurified DNA contained in crude cell lysates. This is valuable from an astrobiology perspective because purification steps are time-consuming and complicate the requirements for an automated extraction and life detection system. Our results indicate that semiautomated NA extraction and preparation technologies hold much promise, and with increased optimization and automation could be coupled to a larger platform incorporating nanopore detection and sequencing of NAs for life detection applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catherine Maggiori
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Laura Brennan
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
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14
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Ellis M, Altshuler I, Schreiber L, Chen YJ, Okshevsky M, Lee K, Greer CW, Whyte LG. Hydrocarbon biodegradation potential of microbial communities from high Arctic beaches in Canada's Northwest Passage. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 174:113288. [PMID: 35090274 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sea ice loss is opening shipping routes in Canada's Northwest Passage, increasing the risk of an oil spill. Harnessing the capabilities of endemic microorganisms to degrade oil may be an effective remediation strategy for contaminated shorelines; however, limited data exists along Canada's Northwest Passage. In this study, hydrocarbon biodegradation potential of microbial communities from eight high Arctic beaches was assessed. Across high Arctic beaches, community composition was distinct, potential hydrocarbon-degrading genera were detected and microbial communities were able to degrade hydrocarbons (hexadecane, naphthalene, and alkanes) at low temperature (4 °C). Hexadecane and naphthalene biodegradation were stimulated by nutrients, but nutrients had little effect on Ultra Low Sulfur Fuel Oil biodegradation. Oiled microcosms showed a significant enrichment of Pseudomonas and Rhodococcus. Nutrient-amended microcosms showed increased abundances of key hydrocarbon biodegradation genes (alkB and CYP153). Ultimately, this work provides insight into hydrocarbon biodegradation on Arctic shorelines and oil-spill remediation in Canada's Northwest Passage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Ellis
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences NMBU, Ås, Norway
| | - Lars Schreiber
- Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Quebec, Canada
| | - Ya-Jou Chen
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mira Okshevsky
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; Department of Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kenneth Lee
- Ecosystem Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada; Energy, Mining and Environment Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Quebec, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
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15
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Perlman D, Martínez-Álvaro M, Moraïs S, Altshuler I, Hagen LH, Jami E, Roehe R, Pope PB, Mizrahi I. Concepts and Consequences of a Core Gut Microbiota for Animal Growth and Development. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2021; 10:177-201. [PMID: 34941382 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-013020-020412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Animal microbiomes are occasionally considered as an extension of host anatomy, physiology, and even their genomic architecture. Their compositions encompass variable and constant portions when examined across multiple hosts. The latter, termed the core microbiome, is viewed as more accommodated to its host environment and suggested to benefit host fitness. Nevertheless, discrepancies in its definitions, characteristics, and importance to its hosts exist across studies. We survey studies that characterize the core microbiome, detail its current definitions and available methods to identify it, and emphasize the crucial need to upgrade and standardize the methodologies among studies. We highlight ruminants as a case study and discuss the link between the core microbiome and host physiology and genetics, as well as potential factors that shape it. We conclude with main directives of action to better understand the host-core microbiome axis and acquire the necessary insights into its controlled modulation. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, Volume 10 is February 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphne Perlman
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Be'er-Sheva, Israel;
| | - Marina Martínez-Álvaro
- Department of Agriculture, Horticulture and Engineering Sciences, SRUC (Scotland's Rural College), Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Moraïs
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Be'er-Sheva, Israel;
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway;
| | - Live H Hagen
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway
| | - Elie Jami
- Department of Ruminant Science, Institute of Animal Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Rishon LeZion, Israel
| | - Rainer Roehe
- Department of Agriculture, Horticulture and Engineering Sciences, SRUC (Scotland's Rural College), Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Phillip B Pope
- Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway; .,Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway
| | - Itzhak Mizrahi
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Be'er-Sheva, Israel;
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16
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Fernández-Martínez MÁ, García-Villadangos M, Moreno-Paz M, Gangloff V, Carrizo D, Blanco Y, González S, Sánchez-García L, Prieto-Ballesteros O, Altshuler I, Whyte LG, Parro V, Fairén AG. Geomicrobiological Heterogeneity of Lithic Habitats in the Extreme Environment of Antarctic Nunataks: A Potential Early Mars Analog. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:670982. [PMID: 34276605 PMCID: PMC8284421 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.670982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nunataks are permanent ice-free rocky peaks that project above ice caps in polar regions, thus being exposed to extreme climatic conditions throughout the year. They undergo extremely low temperatures and scarcity of liquid water in winter, while receiving high incident and reflected (albedo) UVA-B radiation in summer. Here, we investigate the geomicrobiology of the permanently exposed lithic substrates of nunataks from Livingston Island (South Shetlands, Antarctic Peninsula), with focus on prokaryotic community structure and their main metabolic traits. Contrarily to first hypothesis, an extensive sampling based on different gradients and multianalytical approaches demonstrated significant differences for most geomicrobiological parameters between the bedrock, soil, and loose rock substrates, which overlapped any other regional variation. Brevibacillus genus dominated on bedrock and soil substrates, while loose rocks contained a diverse microbial community, including Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and abundant Cyanobacteria inhabiting the milder and diverse microhabitats within. Archaea, a domain never described before in similar Antarctic environments, were also consistently found in the three substrates, but being more abundant and potentially more active in soils. Stable isotopic ratios of total carbon (δ 13C) and nitrogen (δ 15N), soluble anions concentrations, and the detection of proteins involved in key metabolisms via the Life Detector Chip (LDChip), suggest that microbial primary production has a pivotal role in nutrient cycling at these exposed areas with limited deposition of nutrients. Detection of stress-resistance proteins, such as molecular chaperons, suggests microbial molecular adaptation mechanisms to cope with these harsh conditions. Since early Mars may have encompassed analogous environmental conditions as the ones found in these Antarctic nunataks, our study also contributes to the understanding of the metabolic features and biomarker profiles of a potential Martian microbiota, as well as the use of LDChip in future life detection missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Ángel Fernández-Martínez
- Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Sergi González
- Antarctic Group, Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Victor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto G Fairén
- Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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17
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Colangelo-Lillis J, Pelikan C, Herbold CW, Altshuler I, Loy A, Whyte LG, Wing BA. Diversity decoupled from sulfur isotope fractionation in a sulfate-reducing microbial community. Geobiology 2019; 17:660-675. [PMID: 31328364 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The extent of fractionation of sulfur isotopes by sulfate-reducing microbes is dictated by genomic and environmental factors. A greater understanding of species-specific fractionations may better inform interpretation of sulfur isotopes preserved in the rock record. To examine whether gene diversity influences net isotopic fractionation in situ, we assessed environmental chemistry, sulfate reduction rates, diversity of putative sulfur-metabolizing organisms by 16S rRNA and dissimilatory sulfite reductase (dsrB) gene amplicon sequencing, and net fractionation of sulfur isotopes along a sediment transect of a hypersaline Arctic spring. In situ sulfate reduction rates yielded minimum cell-specific sulfate reduction rates < 0.3 × 10-15 moles cell-1 day-1 . Neither 16S rRNA nor dsrB diversity indices correlated with relatively constant (38‰-45‰) net isotope fractionation (ε34 Ssulfide-sulfate ). Measured ε34 S values could be reproduced in a mechanistic fractionation model if 1%-2% of the microbial community (10%-60% of Deltaproteobacteria) were engaged in sulfate respiration, indicating heterogeneous respiratory activity within sulfate-reducing populations. This model indicated enzymatic kinetic diversity of Apr was more likely to correlate with sulfur fractionation than DsrB. We propose that, above a threshold Shannon diversity value of 0.8 for dsrB, the influence of the specific composition of the microbial community responsible for generating an isotope signal is overprinted by the control exerted by environmental variables on microbial physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Colangelo-Lillis
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Claus Pelikan
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Craig W Herbold
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- McGill Space Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Natural Resource Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alexander Loy
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Austrian Polar Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- McGill Space Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Department of Natural Resource Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Boswell A Wing
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McGill Space Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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18
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Altshuler I, Hamel J, Turney S, Magnuson E, Lévesque R, Greer CW, Whyte LG. Species interactions and distinct microbial communities in high Arctic permafrost affected cryosols are associated with the CH 4 and CO 2 gas fluxes. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:3711-3727. [PMID: 31206918 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Microbial metabolism of the thawing organic carbon stores in permafrost results in a positive feedback loop of greenhouse gas emissions. CO2 and CH4 fluxes and the associated microbial communities in Arctic cryosols are important in predicting future warming potential of the Arctic. We demonstrate that topography had an impact on CH4 and CO2 flux at a high Arctic ice-wedge polygon terrain site, with higher CO2 emissions and lower CH4 uptake at troughs compared to polygon interior soils. The pmoA sequencing suggested that USCα cluster of uncultured methanotrophs is likely responsible for observed methane sink. Community profiling revealed distinct assemblages across the terrain at different depths. Deeper soils contained higher abundances of Verrucomicrobia and Gemmatimonadetes, whereas the polygon interior had higher Acidobacteria and lower Betaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria abundances. Genome sequencing of isolates from the terrain revealed presence of carbon cycling genes including ones involved in serine and ribulose monophosphate pathways. A novel hybrid network analysis identified key members that had positive and negative impacts on other species. Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) with numerous positive interactions corresponded to Proteobacteria, Candidatus Rokubacteria and Actinobacteria phyla, while Verrucomicrobia and Acidobacteria members had negative impacts on other species. Results indicate that topography and microbial interactions impact community composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Jérémie Hamel
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, QC, Québec, Canada
| | - Shaun Turney
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Elisse Magnuson
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Roger Lévesque
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, QC, Québec, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada.,National Research Council of Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
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Altshuler I, Ronholm J, Layton A, Onstott TC, W. Greer C, Whyte LG. Denitrifiers, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and N2O soil gas flux in high Arctic ice-wedge polygon cryosols. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 95:5481522. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Jennifer Ronholm
- Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Alice Layton
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee – Knoxville, 676 Dabney-Buehler Hall, 1416 Circle Drive, TN 37996-1605, USA
| | - Tullis C Onstott
- Geomicrobiology, Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Charles W. Greer
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
- National Research Council of Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC, H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
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Raymond-Bouchard I, Tremblay J, Altshuler I, Greer CW, Whyte LG. Comparative Transcriptomics of Cold Growth and Adaptive Features of a Eury- and Steno-Psychrophile. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1565. [PMID: 30108551 PMCID: PMC6080646 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost subzero environments harbor diverse, active communities of microorganisms. However, our understanding of the subzero growth, metabolisms, and adaptive properties of these microbes remains very limited. We performed transcriptomic analyses on two subzero-growing permafrost isolates with different growth profiles in order to characterize and compare their cold temperature growth and cold-adaptive strategies. The two organisms, Rhodococcus sp. JG3 (-5 to 30°C) and Polaromonas sp. Eur3 1.2.1 (-5 to 22°C), shared several common responses during low temperature growth, including induction of translation and ribosomal processes, upregulation of nutrient transport, increased oxidative and osmotic stress responses, and stimulation of polysaccharide capsule synthesis. Recombination appeared to be an important adaptive strategy for both isolates at low temperatures, likely as a mechanism to increase genetic diversity and the potential for survival in cold systems. While Rhodococcus sp. JG3 favored upregulating iron and amino acid transport, sustaining redox potential, and modulating fatty acid synthesis and composition during growth at -5°C compared to 25°C, Polaromonas sp. Eur3 1.2.1 increased the relative abundance of transcripts involved in primary energy metabolism and the electron transport chain, in addition to signal transduction and peptidoglycan synthesis at 0°C compared to 20°C. The increase in energy metabolism may explain why Polaromonas sp. Eur3 1.2.1 is able to sustain growth rates at 0°C comparable to those at higher temperatures. For Rhodococcus sp. JG3, flexibility in use of carbon sources, iron acquisition, control of membrane fatty acid composition, and modulating redox and co-factor potential may be ways in which this organism is able to sustain growth over a wider range of temperatures. Increasing our understanding of the microbes in these habitats helps us better understand active pathways and metabolisms in extreme environments. Identifying novel, thermolabile, and cold-active enzymes from studies such as this is also of great interest to the biotechnology and food industries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julien Tremblay
- Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Charles W Greer
- Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
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Goordial J, Altshuler I, Hindson K, Chan-Yam K, Marcolefas E, Whyte LG. In Situ Field Sequencing and Life Detection in Remote (79°26'N) Canadian High Arctic Permafrost Ice Wedge Microbial Communities. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2594. [PMID: 29326684 PMCID: PMC5742409 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant progress is being made in the development of the next generation of low cost life detection instrumentation with much smaller size, mass and energy requirements. Here, we describe in situ life detection and sequencing in the field in soils over laying ice wedges in polygonal permafrost terrain on Axel Heiberg Island, located in the Canadian high Arctic (79°26'N), an analog to the polygonal permafrost terrain observed on Mars. The life detection methods used here include (1) the cryo-iPlate for culturing microorganisms using diffusion of in situ nutrients into semi-solid media (2) a Microbial Activity Microassay (MAM) plate (BIOLOG Ecoplate) for detecting viable extant microorganisms through a colourimetric assay, and (3) the Oxford Nanopore MinION for nucleic acid detection and sequencing of environmental samples and the products of MAM plate and cryo-iPlate. We obtained 39 microbial isolates using the cryo-iPlate, which included several putatively novel strains based on the 16S rRNA gene, including a Pedobacter sp. (96% closest similarity in GenBank) which we partially genome sequenced using the MinION. The MAM plate successfully identified an active community capable of L-serine metabolism, which was used for metagenomic sequencing with the MinION to identify the active and enriched community. A metagenome on environmental ice wedge soil samples was completed, with base calling and uplink/downlink carried out via satellite internet. Validation of MinION sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform was consistent with the results obtained with the MinION. The instrumentation and technology utilized here is pre-existing, low cost, low mass, low volume, and offers the prospect of equipping micro-rovers and micro-penetrators with aggressive astrobiological capabilities. Since potentially habitable astrobiology targets have been identified (RSLs on Mars, near subsurface water ice on Mars, the plumes and oceans of Europa and Enceladus), future astrobiology missions will certainly target these areas and there is a need for direct life detection instrumentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Goordial
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United States
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Katherine Hindson
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Kelly Chan-Yam
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Evangelos Marcolefas
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste. Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
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Raymond-Bouchard I, Chourey K, Altshuler I, Iyer R, Hettich RL, Whyte LG. Mechanisms of subzero growth in the cryophile Planococcus halocryophilus determined through proteomic analysis. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:4460-4479. [PMID: 28834033 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The eurypsychrophilic bacterium Planococcus halocryophilus is capable of growth down to -15°C, making it ideal for studying adaptations to subzero growth. To increase our understanding of the mechanisms and pathways important for subzero growth, we performed proteomics on P. halocryophilus grown at 23°C, 23°C with 12% w/v NaCl and -10°C with 12% w/v NaCl. Many proteins with increased abundances at -10°C versus 23°C also increased at 23C-salt versus 23°C, indicating a closely tied relationship between salt and cold stress adaptation. Processes which displayed the largest changes in protein abundance were peptidoglycan and fatty acid (FA) synthesis, translation processes, methylglyoxal metabolism, DNA repair and recombination, and protein and nucleotide turnover. We identified intriguing targets for further research at -10°C, including PlsX and KASII (FA metabolism), DD-transpeptidase and MurB (peptidoglycan synthesis), glyoxalase family proteins (reactive electrophile response) and ribosome modifying enzymes (translation turnover). PemK/MazF may have a crucial role in translational reprogramming under cold conditions. At -10°C P. halocryophilus induces stress responses, uses resources efficiently, and carefully controls its growth and metabolism to maximize subzero survival. The present study identifies several mechanisms involved in subzero growth and enhances our understanding of cold adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Raymond-Bouchard
- Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste.-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Karuna Chourey
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Rd, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste.-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Ramsunder Iyer
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Rd, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.,Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Robert L Hettich
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 1 Bethel Valley Rd, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Rd, Ste.-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, H9X 3V9, Canada
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Granados
- Department of Biology; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Biology; McGill University; Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Stéphane Plourde
- Ocean and Environmental Science Branch; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Mont-Joli Quebec Canada
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Altshuler I, McLeod AM, Colbourne JK, Yan ND, Cristescu ME. Synergistic interactions of biotic and abiotic environmental stressors on gene expression. Genome 2015; 58:99-109. [DOI: 10.1139/gen-2015-0045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the response of organisms to multiple stressors is critical for predicting if populations can adapt to rapid environmental change. Natural and anthropogenic stressors often interact, complicating general predictions. In this study, we examined the interactive and cumulative effects of two common environmental stressors, lowered calcium concentration, an anthropogenic stressor, and predator presence, a natural stressor, on the water flea Daphnia pulex. We analyzed expression changes of five genes involved in calcium homeostasis — cuticle proteins (Cutie, Icp2), calbindin (Calb), and calcium pump and channel (Serca and Ip3R) — using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in a full factorial experiment. We observed strong synergistic interactions between low calcium concentration and predator presence. While the Ip3R gene was not affected by the stressors, the other four genes were affected in their transcriptional levels by the combination of the stressors. Transcriptional patterns of genes that code for cuticle proteins (Cutie and Icp2) and a sarcoplasmic calcium pump (Serca) only responded to the combination of stressors, changing their relative expression levels in a synergistic response, while a calcium-binding protein (Calb) responded to low calcium stress and the combination of both stressors. The expression pattern of these genes (Cutie, Icp2, and Serca) were nonlinear, yet they were dose dependent across the calcium gradient. Multiple stressors can have complex, often unexpected effects on ecosystems. This study demonstrates that the dominant interaction for the set of tested genes appears to be synergism. We argue that gene expression patterns can be used to understand and predict the type of interaction expected when organisms are exposed simultaneously to natural and anthropogenic stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anne M. McLeod
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Norman D. Yan
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Cristescu ME, Demiri B, Altshuler I, Crease TJ. Gene expression variation in duplicate lactate dehydrogenase genes: do ecological species show distinct responses? PLoS One 2014; 9:e103964. [PMID: 25080082 PMCID: PMC4117593 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been shown to play an important role in adaptation of several aquatic species to different habitats. The genomes of Daphnia pulex, a pond species, and Daphnia pulicaria, a lake inhabitant, encode two L-LDH enzymes, LDHA and LDHB. We estimated relative levels of Ldh gene expression in these two closely related species and their hybrids in four environmental settings, each characterized by one of two temperatures (10°C or 20°C), and one of two concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO; 6.5–7 mg/l or 2–3 mg/l). We found that levels of LdhA expression were 4 to 48 times higher than LdhB expression (p<0.005) in all three groups (the two parental species and hybrids). Moreover, levels of LdhB expression differed significantly (p<0.05) between D. pulex and D. pulicaria, but neither species differed from the hybrid. Consistently higher expression of LdhA relative to LdhB in both species and the hybrid suggests that the two isozymes could be performing different functions. No significant differences in levels of gene expression were observed among the four combinations of temperature and dissolved oxygen (p>0.1). Given that Daphnia dwell in environments characterized by fluctuating conditions with long periods of low dissolved oxygen concentration, we suggest that these species could employ regulated metabolic depression to survive in such environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melania E. Cristescu
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Bora Demiri
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Teresa J. Crease
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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Abstract
Investigating the phylogenetic relationships within physiologically essential gene families across a broad range of taxa can reveal the key gene duplication events underlying their family expansion and is thus important to functional genomics studies. P-Type II ATPases represent a large family of ATP powered transporters that move ions across cellular membranes and includes Na+/K+ transporters, H+/K+ transporters, and plasma membrane Ca2+ pumps. Here, we examine the evolutionary history of one such transporter, the Sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), which maintains calcium homeostasis in the cell by actively pumping Ca2+ into the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum. Our protein-based phylogenetic analyses across Eukaryotes revealed two monophyletic clades of SERCA proteins, one containing animals, fungi, and plants, and the other consisting of plants and protists. Our analyses suggest that the three known SERCA proteins in vertebrates arose through two major gene duplication events after the divergence from tunicates, but before the separation of fishes and tetrapods. In plants, we recovered two SERCA clades, one being the sister group to Metazoa and the other to Apicomplexa clade, suggesting an ancient duplication in an early eukaryotic ancestor, followed by subsequent loss of one copy in Opisthokonta, the other in protists, and retention of both in plants. We also report relatively recent and independent gene duplication events within invertebrate taxa including tunicates and the leech Helobdella robusta. Thus, it appears that both ancient and recent gene duplication events have played an important role in the evolution of this ubiquitous gene family across the eukaryotic domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ianina Altshuler
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
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Altshuler I, Demiri B, Xu S, Constantin A, Yan ND, Cristescu ME. An integrated multi-disciplinary approach for studying multiple stressors in freshwater ecosystems: Daphnia as a model organism. Integr Comp Biol 2011; 51:623-33. [PMID: 21873644 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icr103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The increased overexploitation of freshwater ecosystems and their extended watersheds often generates a cascade of anthropogenic stressors (e.g., acidification, eutrophication, metal contamination, Ca decline, changes in the physical environment, introduction of invasive species, over-harvesting of resources). The combined effect of these stressors is particularly difficult to study, requiring a coordinated multi-disciplinary effort and insights from various sub-disciplines of biology, including ecology, evolution, toxicology, and genetics. It also would benefit from a well-developed and broadly accepted model systems. The freshwater crustacean Daphnia is an excellent model organism for studying multiple stressors because it has been a chosen focus of study in all four of these fields. Daphnia is a widespread keystone species in most freshwater ecosystems, where it is routinely exposed to a multitude of anthropogenic and natural stressors. It has a fully sequenced genome, a well-understood life history and ecology, and a huge library of responses to toxicity. To make the case for its value as a model species, we consider the joint and separate effects of natural and three anthropogenic stressors-climatic change, calcium decline, and metal contaminants on daphniids. We propose that integrative approaches marrying various subfields of biology can advance our understanding of the combined effects of stressors. Such approaches can involve the measuring of multiple responses at several levels of biological organization from molecules to natural populations. For example, novel interdisciplinary approaches such as transcriptome profiling and mutation accumulation experiments can offer insights into how multiple stressors influence gene transcription and mutation rates across genomes, and, thus, help determine the causal mechanism between environmental stressors and population/community effects as well as long-term evolutionary patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ianina Altshuler
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada.
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