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Vaksmaa A, Vielfaure H, Polerecky L, Kienhuis MVM, van der Meer MTJ, Pflüger T, Egger M, Niemann H. Biodegradation of polyethylene by the marine fungus Parengyodontium album. Sci Total Environ 2024:172819. [PMID: 38679106 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172819] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Plastic pollution in the marine realm is a severe environmental problem. Nevertheless, plastic may also serve as a potential carbon and energy source for microbes, yet the contribution of marine microbes, especially marine fungi to plastic degradation is not well constrained. We isolated the fungus Parengyodontium album from floating plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and measured fungal-mediated mineralization rates (conversion to CO2) of polyethylene (PE) by applying stable isotope probing assays with 13C-PE over 9 days of incubation. When the PE was pretreated with UV light, the biodegradation rate of the initially added PE was 0.044 %/day. Furthermore, we traced the incorporation of PE-derived 13C‑carbon into P. album biomass using nanoSIMS and fatty acid analysis. Despite the high mineralization rate of the UV-treated 13C-PE, incorporation of PE-derived 13C into fungal cells was minor, and 13C incorporation was not detectable for the non-treated PE. Together, our results reveal the potential of P. album to degrade PE in the marine environment and to mineralize it to CO2. However, the initial photodegradation of PE is crucial for P. album to metabolize the PE-derived carbon.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Vaksmaa
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, the Netherlands.
| | - H Vielfaure
- Université de Paris, INSERM U1284, Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI), Paris, France
| | - L Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - M V M Kienhuis
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
| | - M T J van der Meer
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, the Netherlands
| | - T Pflüger
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Egger
- The Ocean Cleanup, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Egger Research and Consulting, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - H Niemann
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, the Netherlands; Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
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Vaksmaa A, Polerecky L, Dombrowski N, Kienhuis MVM, Posthuma I, Gerritse J, Boekhout T, Niemann H. Polyethylene degradation and assimilation by the marine yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. ISME Commun 2023; 3:68. [PMID: 37423910 PMCID: PMC10330194 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00267-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Ocean plastic pollution is a severe environmental problem but most of the plastic that has been released to the ocean since the 1950s is unaccounted for. Although fungal degradation of marine plastics has been suggested as a potential sink mechanism, unambiguous proof of plastic degradation by marine fungi, or other microbes, is scarce. Here we applied stable isotope tracing assays with 13C-labeled polyethylene to measure biodegradation rates and to trace the incorporation of plastic-derived carbon into individual cells of the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, which we isolated from the marine environment. 13C accumulation in the CO2 pool during 5-day incubation experiments with R. mucilaginosa and UV-irradiated 13C-labeled polyethylene as a sole energy and carbon source translated to degradation rates of 3.8% yr-1 of the initially added substrate. Furthermore, nanoSIMS measurements revealed substantial incorporation of polyethylene-derived carbon into fungal biomass. Our results demonstrate the potential of R. mucilaginosa to mineralize and assimilate carbon from plastics and suggest that fungal plastic degradation may be an important sink for polyethylene litter in the marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Vaksmaa
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands.
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nina Dombrowski
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Michiel V M Kienhuis
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ilsa Posthuma
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Gerritse
- Deltares, Unit Subsurface and Groundwater Systems, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Teun Boekhout
- Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Helge Niemann
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Geerlings NMJ, Kienhuis MVM, Hidalgo-Martinez S, Hageman R, Vasquez-Cardenas D, Middelburg JJ, Meysman FJR, Polerecky L. Polyphosphate Dynamics in Cable Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:883807. [PMID: 35663875 PMCID: PMC9159916 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.883807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cable bacteria are multicellular sulfide oxidizing bacteria that display a unique metabolism based on long-distance electron transport. Cells in deeper sediment layers perform the sulfide oxidizing half-reaction whereas cells in the surface layers of the sediment perform the oxygen-reducing half-reaction. These half-reactions are coupled via electron transport through a conductive fiber network that runs along the shared cell envelope. Remarkably, only the sulfide oxidizing half-reaction is coupled to biosynthesis and growth whereas the oxygen reducing half-reaction serves to rapidly remove electrons from the conductive fiber network and is not coupled to energy generation and growth. Cells residing in the oxic zone are believed to (temporarily) rely on storage compounds of which polyphosphate (poly-P) is prominently present in cable bacteria. Here we investigate the role of poly-P in the metabolism of cable bacteria within the different redox environments. To this end, we combined nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry with dual-stable isotope probing (13C-DIC and 18O-H2O) to visualize the relationship between growth in the cytoplasm (13C-enrichment) and poly-P activity (18O-enrichment). We found that poly-P was synthesized in almost all cells, as indicated by 18O enrichment of poly-P granules. Hence, poly-P must have an important function in the metabolism of cable bacteria. Within the oxic zone of the sediment, where little growth is observed, 18O enrichment in poly-P granules was significantly lower than in the suboxic zone. Thus, both growth and poly-P metabolism appear to be correlated to the redox environment. However, the poly-P metabolism is not coupled to growth in cable bacteria, as many filaments from the suboxic zone showed poly-P activity but did not grow. We hypothesize that within the oxic zone, poly-P is used to protect the cells against oxidative stress and/or as a resource to support motility, while within the suboxic zone, poly-P is involved in the metabolic regulation before cells enter a non-growing stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M. J. Geerlings
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Nicole M. J. Geerlings,
| | | | - Silvia Hidalgo-Martinez
- Excellence centre for Microbial Systems Technology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Renee Hageman
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Diana Vasquez-Cardenas
- Excellence centre for Microbial Systems Technology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Filip J. R. Meysman
- Excellence centre for Microbial Systems Technology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Lubos Polerecky,
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Polerecky L, Masuda T, Eichner M, Rabouille S, Vancová M, Kienhuis MVM, Bernát G, Bonomi-Barufi J, Campbell DA, Claquin P, Červený J, Giordano M, Kotabová E, Kromkamp J, Lombardi AT, Lukeš M, Prášil O, Stephan S, Suggett D, Zavřel T, Halsey KH. Temporal Patterns and Intra- and Inter-Cellular Variability in Carbon and Nitrogen Assimilation by the Unicellular Cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:620915. [PMID: 33613489 PMCID: PMC7890256 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.620915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Unicellular nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria (UCYN) are abundant members of phytoplankton communities in a wide range of marine environments, including those with rapidly changing nitrogen (N) concentrations. We hypothesized that differences in N availability (N2 vs. combined N) would cause UCYN to shift strategies of intracellular N and C allocation. We used transmission electron microscopy and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging to track assimilation and intracellular allocation of 13C-labeled CO2 and 15N-labeled N2 or NO3 at different periods across a diel cycle in Cyanothece sp. ATCC 51142. We present new ideas on interpreting these imaging data, including the influences of pre-incubation cellular C and N contents and turnover rates of inclusion bodies. Within cultures growing diazotrophically, distinct subpopulations were detected that fixed N2 at night or in the morning. Additional significant within-population heterogeneity was likely caused by differences in the relative amounts of N assimilated into cyanophycin from sources external and internal to the cells. Whether growing on N2 or NO3, cells prioritized cyanophycin synthesis when N assimilation rates were highest. N assimilation in cells growing on NO3 switched from cyanophycin synthesis to protein synthesis, suggesting that once a cyanophycin quota is met, it is bypassed in favor of protein synthesis. Growth on NO3 also revealed that at night, there is a very low level of CO2 assimilation into polysaccharides simultaneous with their catabolism for protein synthesis. This study revealed multiple, detailed mechanisms underlying C and N management in Cyanothece that facilitate its success in dynamic aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Takako Masuda
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Meri Eichner
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Sophie Rabouille
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie Microbienne, Banyuls-sur-mer, France
| | - Marie Vancová
- Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Biology Centre, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | | | - Gabor Bernát
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
- Centre for Ecological Research, Balaton Limnological Institute, Tihany, Hungary
| | - Jose Bonomi-Barufi
- Botany Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus de Trindade, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | | | - Pascal Claquin
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques, FRE 2030, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, IRD, Sorbonne Université, Université de Caen Normandie, Normandie Université, Esplanade de la Paix, France
| | - Jan Červený
- Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Mario Giordano
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
- STU-UNIVPM Joint Algal Research Center, Marine Biology Institute, College of Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou, China
| | - Eva Kotabová
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Jacco Kromkamp
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht University, Den Burg, Netherlands
| | | | - Martin Lukeš
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Ondrej Prášil
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre Algatech, Třeboň, Czechia
| | - Susanne Stephan
- Department Experimental Limnology, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Stechlin, Germany
- Department of Ecology, Berlin Institute of Technology, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Suggett
- University of Technology Sydney, Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Tomas Zavřel
- Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Kimberly H. Halsey
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
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Geerlings NMJ, Geelhoed JS, Vasquez-Cardenas D, Kienhuis MVM, Hidalgo-Martinez S, Boschker HTS, Middelburg JJ, Meysman FJR, Polerecky L. Cell Cycle, Filament Growth and Synchronized Cell Division in Multicellular Cable Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:620807. [PMID: 33584623 PMCID: PMC7873302 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.620807] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cable bacteria are multicellular, Gram-negative filamentous bacteria that display a unique division of metabolic labor between cells. Cells in deeper sediment layers are oxidizing sulfide, while cells in the surface layers of the sediment are reducing oxygen. The electrical coupling of these two redox half reactions is ensured via long-distance electron transport through a network of conductive fibers that run in the shared cell envelope of the centimeter-long filament. Here we investigate how this unique electrogenic metabolism is linked to filament growth and cell division. Combining dual-label stable isotope probing (13C and 15N), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy and genome analysis, we find that the cell cycle of cable bacteria cells is highly comparable to that of other, single-celled Gram-negative bacteria. However, the timing of cell growth and division appears to be tightly and uniquely controlled by long-distance electron transport, as cell division within an individual filament shows a remarkable synchronicity that extends over a millimeter length scale. To explain this, we propose the "oxygen pacemaker" model in which a filament only grows when performing long-distance transport, and the latter is only possible when a filament has access to oxygen so it can discharge electrons from its internal electrical network.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Filip J. R. Meysman
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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Schouten S, Huguet C, Hopmans EC, Kienhuis MVM, Damsté JSS. Analytical methodology for TEX86 paleothermometry by high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry. Anal Chem 2007; 79:2940-4. [PMID: 17311408 DOI: 10.1021/ac062339v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 431] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The TEX86 is a recently proposed paleothermometer through which ancient seawater temperatures of up to 120 My ago can be reconstructed. It is based on the relative distribution of glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC/APCI-MS). The aim of this study was to examine and improve several analytical aspects in the determination of this important proxy in environmental matrices. Comparison of TEX86 analysis using single ion mode (SIM) and mass scanning (m/z 950 to 1450) detection, respectively, revealed that SIM is up to 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive and that the TEX86 can be determined with a reproducibility of +/-0.004 or +/-0.3 degrees C using this method. Comparison of TEX86 values obtained with two different HPLC/APCI-MS set-ups revealed no significant differences. In addition, analysis of TEX86 of extracts obtained by Soxhlet, ultrasonic, and accelerated high-pressure extraction techniques also showed no significant differences between the methods. Our results suggest that TEX86 analysis by HPLC/APCI-MS is robust and can be determined with analytical errors comparable to those of other temperature proxies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schouten
- Department of Marine Biogeochemistry and Toxicology, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands.
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Hopmans EC, Kienhuis MVM, Rattray JE, Jaeschke A, Schouten S, Damsté JSS. Improved analysis of ladderane lipids in biomass and sediments using high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2006; 20:2099-103. [PMID: 16767688 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.2572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Ladderane lipids, containing three or five linearly concatenated cyclobutane moieties, are considered to be unique biomarkers for the process of anaerobic ammonium oxidation, an important link in the oceanic nitrogen cycle. Due to the thermal lability of the strained cyclobutane moieties, the ladderane lipids are difficult to analyze by gas chromatography. A method combining high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to positive ion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/APCI-MS/MS) was developed for the analysis of the most abundant ladderane lipids, occurring as fatty acids and ether-bound to glycerol. Detection was achieved by selective reaction monitoring of four specific fragmentations per ladderane lipid. Detection limits of 30-35 pg injected on-column and a linear response (r(2) > 0.99) over nearly 3 orders of magnitude were achieved for all compounds. Using this method, these unique ladderane lipids were for the first time identified in a surface sediment from the Gullmarsfjorden, in concentrations ranging from 1.1-5.5 ng/g for the ladderane fatty acids and of 0.7 ng/g for the monoether. It is foreseen that this method will allow the investigation of the occurrence of anaerobic ammonium oxidation in natural settings in much greater detail than before.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen C Hopmans
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands.
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