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McKay LJ, Nigro OD, Dlakić M, Luttrell KM, Rusch DB, Fields MW, Inskeep WP. Sulfur cycling and host-virus interactions in Aquificales-dominated biofilms from Yellowstone's hottest ecosystems. ISME J 2022; 16:842-855. [PMID: 34650231 PMCID: PMC8857204 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01132-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Modern linkages among magmatic, geochemical, and geobiological processes provide clues about the importance of thermophiles in the origin of biogeochemical cycles. The aim of this study was to identify the primary chemoautotrophs and host-virus interactions involved in microbial colonization and biogeochemical cycling at sublacustrine, vapor-dominated vents that represent the hottest measured ecosystems in Yellowstone National Park (~140 °C). Filamentous microbial communities exposed to extreme thermal and geochemical gradients were sampled using a remotely operated vehicle and subjected to random metagenome sequencing and microscopic analyses. Sulfurihydrogenibium (phylum Aquificae) was the predominant lineage (up to 84% relative abundance) detected at vents that discharged high levels of dissolved H2, H2S, and CO2. Metabolic analyses indicated carbon fixation by Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. was powered by the oxidation of reduced sulfur and H2, which provides organic carbon for heterotrophic community members. Highly variable Sulfurihydrogenibium genomes suggested the importance of intra-population diversity under extreme environmental and viral pressures. Numerous lytic viruses (primarily unclassified taxa) were associated with diverse archaea and bacteria in the vent community. Five circular dsDNA uncultivated virus genomes (UViGs) of ~40 kbp length were linked to the Sulfurihydrogenibium metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) by CRISPR spacer matches. Four UViGs contained consistent genome architecture and formed a monophyletic cluster with the recently proposed Pyrovirus genus within the Caudovirales. Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. also contained CRISPR arrays linked to plasmid DNA with genes for a novel type IV filament system and a highly expressed β-barrel porin. A diverse suite of transcribed secretion systems was consistent with direct microscopic analyses, which revealed an extensive extracellular matrix likely critical to community structure and function. We hypothesize these attributes are fundamental to the establishment and survival of microbial communities in highly turbulent, extreme-gradient environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J. McKay
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Olivia D. Nigro
- grid.256872.c0000 0000 8741 0387Department of Natural Science, Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu, HI 96813 USA
| | - Mensur Dlakić
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - Karen M. Luttrell
- grid.64337.350000 0001 0662 7451Department of Geology & Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA
| | - Douglas B. Rusch
- grid.411377.70000 0001 0790 959XCenter for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405 USA
| | - Matthew W. Fields
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
| | - William P. Inskeep
- grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Department of Land Resources & Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA ,grid.41891.350000 0001 2156 6108Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
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2
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Altae-Tran H, Kannan S, Demircioglu FE, Oshiro R, Nety SP, McKay LJ, Dlakić M, Inskeep WP, Makarova KS, Macrae RK, Koonin EV, Zhang F. The widespread IS200/IS605 transposon family encodes diverse programmable RNA-guided endonucleases. Science 2021; 374:57-65. [PMID: 34591643 PMCID: PMC8929163 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj6856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
IscB proteins are putative nucleases encoded in a distinct family of IS200/IS605 transposons and are likely ancestors of the RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9, but the functions of IscB and its interactions with any RNA remain uncharacterized. Using evolutionary analysis, RNA sequencing, and biochemical experiments, we reconstructed the evolution of CRISPR-Cas9 systems from IS200/IS605 transposons. We found that IscB uses a single noncoding RNA for RNA-guided cleavage of double-stranded DNA and can be harnessed for genome editing in human cells. We also demonstrate the RNA-guided nuclease activity of TnpB, another IS200/IS605 transposon-encoded protein and the likely ancestor of Cas12 endonucleases. This work reveals a widespread class of transposon-encoded RNA-guided nucleases, which we name OMEGA (obligate mobile element–guided activity), with strong potential for developing as biotechnologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Altae-Tran
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Soumya Kannan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - F. Esra Demircioglu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Rachel Oshiro
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Suchita P. Nety
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Luke J. McKay
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
| | - Mensur Dlakić
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - William P. Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Rhiannon K. Macrae
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Feng Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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3
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Murray AE, Freudenstein J, Gribaldo S, Hatzenpichler R, Hugenholtz P, Kämpfer P, Konstantinidis KT, Lane CE, Papke RT, Parks DH, Rossello-Mora R, Stott MB, Sutcliffe IC, Thrash JC, Venter SN, Whitman WB, Acinas SG, Amann RI, Anantharaman K, Armengaud J, Baker BJ, Barco RA, Bode HB, Boyd ES, Brady CL, Carini P, Chain PSG, Colman DR, DeAngelis KM, de Los Rios MA, Estrada-de Los Santos P, Dunlap CA, Eisen JA, Emerson D, Ettema TJG, Eveillard D, Girguis PR, Hentschel U, Hollibaugh JT, Hug LA, Inskeep WP, Ivanova EP, Klenk HP, Li WJ, Lloyd KG, Löffler FE, Makhalanyane TP, Moser DP, Nunoura T, Palmer M, Parro V, Pedrós-Alió C, Probst AJ, Smits THM, Steen AD, Steenkamp ET, Spang A, Stewart FJ, Tiedje JM, Vandamme P, Wagner M, Wang FP, Yarza P, Hedlund BP, Reysenbach AL. Author Correction: Roadmap for naming uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria. Nat Microbiol 2020; 6:136. [PMID: 33184503 PMCID: PMC7752755 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-00827-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E Murray
- Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA.
| | - John Freudenstein
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Philip Hugenholtz
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Peter Kämpfer
- Department of Applied Microbiology, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Christopher E Lane
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - R Thane Papke
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Donovan H Parks
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ramon Rossello-Mora
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, CSIC-UIB, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Matthew B Stott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Iain C Sutcliffe
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - J Cameron Thrash
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stephanus N Venter
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Silvia G Acinas
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciènces del Mar, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rudolf I Amann
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Jean Armengaud
- CEA Technological Innovations for Detection and Diagnosis Laboratory, CEA Pharmacology and Immunoanalysis Unit (SPI), Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
| | - Brett J Baker
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX, USA
| | - Roman A Barco
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Helge B Bode
- Molecular Biotechnology, Department of Biosciences and Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - Paul Carini
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ, USA
| | - Patrick S G Chain
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Daniel R Colman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | | | | | - Christopher A Dunlap
- National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, Peoria, IL, USA
| | - Jonathan A Eisen
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - David Emerson
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Peter R Girguis
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ute Hentschel
- GEOMAR-Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, RD3-Marine Ecology, RU-Marine Microbiology, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Laura A Hug
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Elena P Ivanova
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hans-Peter Klenk
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Karen G Lloyd
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Frank E Löffler
- Departments of Microbiology and Civil & Environmental Engineering, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.,Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Thulani P Makhalanyane
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Duane P Moser
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Takuro Nunoura
- Research Center for Bioscience and Nanoscience (CeBN), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Marike Palmer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | | | | | - Alexander J Probst
- Department of Chemistry, Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Theo H M Smits
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute for Environment and Natural Resources, Zürich University for Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Andrew D Steen
- Departments of Microbiology and Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Emma T Steenkamp
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Anja Spang
- Department for Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, the Netherlands.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Frank J Stewart
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - James M Tiedje
- Center for Microbial Ecology, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Peter Vandamme
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Michael Wagner
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Feng-Ping Wang
- International Center for Deep Life Investigation, School of Oceanography and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
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4
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Murray AE, Freudenstein J, Gribaldo S, Hatzenpichler R, Hugenholtz P, Kämpfer P, Konstantinidis KT, Lane CE, Papke RT, Parks DH, Rossello-Mora R, Stott MB, Sutcliffe IC, Thrash JC, Venter SN, Whitman WB, Acinas SG, Amann RI, Anantharaman K, Armengaud J, Baker BJ, Barco RA, Bode HB, Boyd ES, Brady CL, Carini P, Chain PSG, Colman DR, DeAngelis KM, de Los Rios MA, Estrada-de Los Santos P, Dunlap CA, Eisen JA, Emerson D, Ettema TJG, Eveillard D, Girguis PR, Hentschel U, Hollibaugh JT, Hug LA, Inskeep WP, Ivanova EP, Klenk HP, Li WJ, Lloyd KG, Löffler FE, Makhalanyane TP, Moser DP, Nunoura T, Palmer M, Parro V, Pedrós-Alió C, Probst AJ, Smits THM, Steen AD, Steenkamp ET, Spang A, Stewart FJ, Tiedje JM, Vandamme P, Wagner M, Wang FP, Yarza P, Hedlund BP, Reysenbach AL. Roadmap for naming uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria. Nat Microbiol 2020; 5:987-994. [PMID: 32514073 PMCID: PMC7381421 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0733-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The assembly of single-amplified genomes (SAGs) and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) has led to a surge in genome-based discoveries of members affiliated with Archaea and Bacteria, bringing with it a need to develop guidelines for nomenclature of uncultivated microorganisms. The International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) only recognizes cultures as 'type material', thereby preventing the naming of uncultivated organisms. In this Consensus Statement, we propose two potential paths to solve this nomenclatural conundrum. One option is the adoption of previously proposed modifications to the ICNP to recognize DNA sequences as acceptable type material; the other option creates a nomenclatural code for uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria that could eventually be merged with the ICNP in the future. Regardless of the path taken, we believe that action is needed now within the scientific community to develop consistent rules for nomenclature of uncultivated taxa in order to provide clarity and stability, and to effectively communicate microbial diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison E Murray
- Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA.
| | - John Freudenstein
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Philip Hugenholtz
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Peter Kämpfer
- Department of Applied Microbiology, Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Christopher E Lane
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - R Thane Papke
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Donovan H Parks
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ramon Rossello-Mora
- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, CSIC-UIB, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Matthew B Stott
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Iain C Sutcliffe
- Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - J Cameron Thrash
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stephanus N Venter
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Silvia G Acinas
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciènces del Mar, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rudolf I Amann
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Jean Armengaud
- CEA Technological Innovations for Detection and Diagnosis Laboratory, CEA Pharmacology and Immunoanalysis Unit (SPI), Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
| | - Brett J Baker
- Department of Marine Science, Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Port Aransas, TX, USA
| | - Roman A Barco
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Helge B Bode
- Molecular Biotechnology, Department of Biosciences and Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (BMLS), Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - Paul Carini
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ, USA
| | - Patrick S G Chain
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Daniel R Colman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | | | | | - Christopher A Dunlap
- National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Crop Bioprotection Research Unit, Peoria, IL, USA
| | - Jonathan A Eisen
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - David Emerson
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Peter R Girguis
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ute Hentschel
- GEOMAR-Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, RD3-Marine Ecology, RU-Marine Microbiology, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Laura A Hug
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Elena P Ivanova
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hans-Peter Klenk
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Karen G Lloyd
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Frank E Löffler
- Departments of Microbiology and Civil & Environmental Engineering, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.,Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Thulani P Makhalanyane
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Duane P Moser
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Takuro Nunoura
- Research Center for Bioscience and Nanoscience (CeBN), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Marike Palmer
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | | | | | - Alexander J Probst
- Department of Chemistry, Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Theo H M Smits
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Research Group, Institute for Environment and Natural Resources, Zürich University for Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Andrew D Steen
- Departments of Microbiology and Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Emma T Steenkamp
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Anja Spang
- Department for Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, the Netherlands.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Frank J Stewart
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - James M Tiedje
- Center for Microbial Ecology, Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Peter Vandamme
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Michael Wagner
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Feng-Ping Wang
- International Center for Deep Life Investigation, School of Oceanography and School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | | | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
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5
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Dong Y, Sanford RA, Inskeep WP, Srivastava V, Bulone V, Fields CJ, Yau PM, Sivaguru M, Ahrén D, Fouke KW, Weber J, Werth CR, Cann IK, Keating KM, Khetani RS, Hernandez AG, Wright C, Band M, Imai BS, Fried GA, Fouke BW. Physiology, Metabolism, and Fossilization of Hot-Spring Filamentous Microbial Mats. Astrobiology 2019; 19:1442-1458. [PMID: 31038352 PMCID: PMC6918859 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [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: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The evolutionarily ancient Aquificales bacterium Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. dominates filamentous microbial mat communities in shallow, fast-flowing, and dysoxic hot-spring drainage systems around the world. In the present study, field observations of these fettuccini-like microbial mats at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park are integrated with geology, geochemistry, hydrology, microscopy, and multi-omic molecular biology analyses. Strategic sampling of living filamentous mats along with the hot-spring CaCO3 (travertine) in which they are actively being entombed and fossilized has permitted the first direct linkage of Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. physiology and metabolism with the formation of distinct travertine streamer microbial biomarkers. Results indicate that, during chemoautotrophy and CO2 carbon fixation, the 87-98% Sulfurihydrogenibium-dominated mats utilize chaperons to facilitate enzyme stability and function. High-abundance transcripts and proteins for type IV pili and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) are consistent with their strong mucus-rich filaments tens of centimeters long that withstand hydrodynamic shear as they become encrusted by more than 5 mm of travertine per day. Their primary energy source is the oxidation of reduced sulfur (e.g., sulfide, sulfur, or thiosulfate) and the simultaneous uptake of extremely low concentrations of dissolved O2 facilitated by bd-type cytochromes. The formation of elevated travertine ridges permits the Sulfurihydrogenibium-dominated mats to create a shallow platform from which to access low levels of dissolved oxygen at the virtual exclusion of other microorganisms. These ridged travertine streamer microbial biomarkers are well preserved and create a robust fossil record of microbial physiological and metabolic activities in modern and ancient hot-spring ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Dong
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Robert A. Sanford
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Geology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - William P. Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Vaibhav Srivastava
- Division of Glycoscience, School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vincent Bulone
- Division of Glycoscience, School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden
- Division School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Christopher J. Fields
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Peter M. Yau
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Mayandi Sivaguru
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Carl Zeiss Labs @ Location Partner, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Dag Ahrén
- Microbial Ecology Group, Bioinformatics Infrastructure for Life Sciences, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kyle W. Fouke
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joseph Weber
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Charles R. Werth
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Isaac K. Cann
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Kathleen M. Keating
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Radhika S. Khetani
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Alvaro G. Hernandez
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Chris Wright
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Mark Band
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Brian S. Imai
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Glenn A. Fried
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Carl Zeiss Labs @ Location Partner, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Bruce W. Fouke
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Geology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Carl Zeiss Labs @ Location Partner, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
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6
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McKay LJ, Dlakić M, Fields MW, Delmont TO, Eren AM, Jay ZJ, Klingelsmith KB, Rusch DB, Inskeep WP. Co-occurring genomic capacity for anaerobic methane and dissimilatory sulfur metabolisms discovered in the Korarchaeota. Nat Microbiol 2019; 4:614-622. [PMID: 30833730 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-019-0362-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Phylogenetic and geological evidence supports the hypothesis that life on Earth originated in thermal environments and conserved energy through methanogenesis or sulfur reduction. Here we describe two populations of the deeply rooted archaeal phylum Korarchaeota, which were retrieved from the metagenome of a circumneutral, suboxic hot spring that contains high levels of sulfate, sulfide, methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. One population is closely related to 'Candidatus Korarchaeum cryptofilum OPF8', while the more abundant korarchaeote, 'Candidatus Methanodesulfokores washburnensis', contains genes that are necessary for anaerobic methane and dissimilatory sulfur metabolisms. Phylogenetic and ancestral reconstruction analyses suggest that methane metabolism originated in the Korarchaeota, whereas genes for dissimilatory sulfite reduction were horizontally transferred to the Korarchaeota from the Firmicutes. Interactions among enzymes involved in both metabolisms could facilitate exergonic, sulfite-dependent, anaerobic oxidation of methane to methanol; alternatively, 'Ca. M. washburnensis' could conduct methanogenesis and sulfur reduction independently. Metabolic reconstruction suggests that 'Ca. M. washburnensis' is a mixotroph, capable of amino acid uptake, assimilation of methane-derived carbon and/or CO2 fixation by archaeal type III-b RuBisCO for scavenging ribose carbon. Our findings link anaerobic methane metabolism and dissimilatory sulfur reduction within a single deeply rooted archaeal population and have implications for the evolution of these traits throughout the Archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke J McKay
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA. .,Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| | - Mensur Dlakić
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Matthew W Fields
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Tom O Delmont
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Genoscope, Évry, France
| | - A Murat Eren
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.,Josephine Bay Paul Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | | | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA. .,Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
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7
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Hunt KA, Jennings RM, Inskeep WP, Carlson RP. Multiscale analysis of autotroph-heterotroph interactions in a high-temperature microbial community. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006431. [PMID: 30260956 PMCID: PMC6177205 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interactions among microbial community members can lead to emergent properties, such as enhanced productivity, stability, and robustness. Iron-oxide mats in acidic (pH 2-4), high-temperature (> 65 °C) springs of Yellowstone National Park contain relatively simple microbial communities and are well-characterized geochemically. Consequently, these communities are excellent model systems for studying the metabolic activity of individual populations and key microbial interactions. The primary goals of the current study were to integrate data collected in situ with in silico calculations across process-scales encompassing enzymatic activity, cellular metabolism, community interactions, and ecosystem biogeochemistry, as well as to predict and quantify the functional limits of autotroph-heterotroph interactions. Metagenomic and transcriptomic data were used to reconstruct carbon and energy metabolisms of an important autotroph (Metallosphaera yellowstonensis) and heterotroph (Geoarchaeum sp. OSPB) from the studied Fe(III)-oxide mat communities. Standard and hybrid elementary flux mode and flux balance analyses of metabolic models predicted cellular- and community-level metabolic acclimations to simulated environmental stresses, respectively. In situ geochemical analyses, including oxygen depth-profiles, Fe(III)-oxide deposition rates, stable carbon isotopes and mat biomass concentrations, were combined with cellular models to explore autotroph-heterotroph interactions important to community structure-function. Integration of metabolic modeling with in situ measurements, including the relative population abundance of autotrophs to heterotrophs, demonstrated that Fe(III)-oxide mat communities operate at their maximum total community growth rate (i.e. sum of autotroph and heterotroph growth rates), as opposed to net community growth rate (i.e. total community growth rate subtracting autotroph consumed by heterotroph), as predicted from the maximum power principle. Integration of multiscale data with ecological theory provides a basis for predicting autotroph-heterotroph interactions and community-level cellular organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristopher A. Hunt
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Ryan M. Jennings
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - William P. Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (WPI); (RPC)
| | - Ross P. Carlson
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (WPI); (RPC)
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8
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9
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Jay ZJ, Beam JP, Dlakić M, Rusch DB, Kozubal MA, Inskeep WP. Marsarchaeota are an aerobic archaeal lineage abundant in geothermal iron oxide microbial mats. Nat Microbiol 2018; 3:732-740. [PMID: 29760463 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-018-0163-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of archaeal lineages is critical to our understanding of the universal tree of life and evolutionary history of the Earth. Geochemically diverse thermal environments in Yellowstone National Park provide unprecedented opportunities for studying archaea in habitats that may represent analogues of early Earth. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of a phylum-level archaeal lineage proposed and herein referred to as the 'Marsarchaeota', after the red planet. The Marsarchaeota contains at least two major subgroups prevalent in acidic, microaerobic geothermal Fe(III) oxide microbial mats across a temperature range from ~50-80 °C. Metagenomics, single-cell sequencing, enrichment culturing and in situ transcriptional analyses reveal their biogeochemical role as facultative aerobic chemoorganotrophs that may also mediate the reduction of Fe(III). Phylogenomic analyses of replicate assemblies corresponding to two groups of Marsarchaeota indicate that they branch between the Crenarchaeota and all other major archaeal lineages. Transcriptomic analyses of several Fe(III) oxide mat communities reveal that these organisms were actively transcribing two different terminal oxidase complexes in situ and genes comprising an F420-dependent butanal catabolism. The broad distribution of Marsarchaeota in geothermal, microaerobic Fe(III) oxide mats suggests that similar habitat types probably played an important role in the evolution of archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackary J Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Jacob P Beam
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.,Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA
| | - Mensur Dlakić
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Mark A Kozubal
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.,Sustainable Bioproducts, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
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10
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Jennings RDM, Moran JJ, Jay ZJ, Beam JP, Whitmore LM, Kozubal MA, Kreuzer HW, Inskeep WP. Integration of Metagenomic and Stable Carbon Isotope Evidence Reveals the Extent and Mechanisms of Carbon Dioxide Fixation in High-Temperature Microbial Communities. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:88. [PMID: 28217111 PMCID: PMC5289995 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [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: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the biological fixation of CO2 by chemolithoautotrophs provides a diverse suite of organic compounds utilized by chemoorganoheterotrophs as a carbon and energy source, the relative amounts of autotrophic C in chemotrophic microbial communities are not well-established. The extent and mechanisms of CO2 fixation were evaluated across a comprehensive set of high-temperature, chemotrophic microbial communities in Yellowstone National Park by combining metagenomic and stable 13C isotope analyses. Fifteen geothermal sites representing three distinct habitat types (iron-oxide mats, anoxic sulfur sediments, and filamentous “streamer” communities) were investigated. Genes of the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate, dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate, and reverse tricarboxylic acid CO2 fixation pathways were identified in assembled genome sequence corresponding to the predominant Crenarchaeota and Aquificales observed across this habitat range. Stable 13C analyses of dissolved inorganic and organic C (DIC, DOC), and possible landscape C sources were used to interpret the 13C content of microbial community samples. Isotope mixing models showed that the minimum fractions of autotrophic C in microbial biomass were >50% in the majority of communities analyzed. The significance of CO2 as a C source in these communities provides a foundation for understanding community assembly and succession, and metabolic linkages among early-branching thermophilic autotrophs and heterotrophs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan de Montmollin Jennings
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | - James J Moran
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratories Richland, WA, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | - Jacob P Beam
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - Mark A Kozubal
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
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11
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Hunt KA, Jennings RD, Inskeep WP, Carlson RP. Stoichiometric modelling of assimilatory and dissimilatory biomass utilisation in a microbial community. Environ Microbiol 2016; 18:4946-4960. [PMID: 27387069 PMCID: PMC5629010 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Assimilatory and dissimilatory utilisation of autotroph biomass by heterotrophs is a fundamental mechanism for the transfer of nutrients and energy across trophic levels. Metagenome data from a tractable, thermoacidophilic microbial community in Yellowstone National Park was used to build an in silico model to study heterotrophic utilisation of autotroph biomass using elementary flux mode analysis and flux balance analysis. Assimilatory and dissimilatory biomass utilisation was investigated using 29 forms of biomass-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) including individual monomer pools, individual macromolecular pools and aggregate biomass. The simulations identified ecologically competitive strategies for utilizing DOC under conditions of varying electron donor, electron acceptor or enzyme limitation. The simulated growth environment affected which form of DOC was the most competitive use of nutrients; for instance, oxygen limitation favoured utilisation of less reduced and fermentable DOC while carbon-limited environments favoured more reduced DOC. Additionally, metabolism was studied considering two encompassing metabolic strategies: simultaneous versus sequential use of DOC. Results of this study bound the transfer of nutrients and energy through microbial food webs, providing a quantitative foundation relevant to most microbial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristopher A. Hunt
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Ryan deM. Jennings
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - William P. Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Ross P. Carlson
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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12
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Jay ZJ, Beam JP, Kozubal MA, Jennings RD, Rusch DB, Inskeep WP. The distribution, diversity and function of predominant Thermoproteales in high-temperature environments of Yellowstone National Park. Environ Microbiol 2016; 18:4755-4769. [PMID: 27130276 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
High-temperature environments (> 70°C) contain diverse and abundant members of the crenarchaeal order Thermoproteales. However, a comprehensive study of the distribution and function of diverse members of this group across different habitat types has not been conducted. Consequently, the goals of this study were to determine the distribution of different Thermoproteales genera across geochemically distinct geothermal habitats of Yellowstone National Park, and to identify key functional attributes of major genera that correlate with environmental parameters. Curated sequence assemblies belonging to five genera were characterized in replicate samples of 11 high-temperature communities ranging in pH from 3 to 9. Thermocladium, Vulcanisaeta and Caldivirga spp. were the primary Thermoproteales populations present in low pH (pH < 5) habitats, whereas Thermoproteus populations were found in mildly-acidic (pH 5-6) sulfur sediments, and Pyrobaculum populations were confined to higher pH (pH > 6) sulfur sediments and/or filamentous 'streamer' communities. Metabolic reconstruction and comparative genomics among assemblies show that these populations are primarily chemoorganotrophs that utilize different electron acceptors depending on geochemical conditions. The presence of potential CO2 fixation pathways in some Thermoproteales populations appears to be linked with NiFe hydrogenases, which combined with high levels of H2 in many sulfidic systems, may provide the energy required to fix inorganic C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackary J Jay
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59175-3120, USA
| | - Jacob P Beam
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59175-3120, USA
| | - Mark A Kozubal
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59175-3120, USA
| | - Ryan deM Jennings
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59175-3120, USA
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59175-3120, USA
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13
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Moran JJ, Whitmore LM, Isern NG, Romine MF, Riha KM, Inskeep WP, Kreuzer HW. Formaldehyde as a carbon and electron shuttle between autotroph and heterotroph populations in acidic hydrothermal vents of Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park. Extremophiles 2016; 20:291-9. [PMID: 26995682 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-016-0821-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park contains a large number of hydrothermal systems, which host microbial populations supported by primary productivity associated with a suite of chemolithotrophic metabolisms. We demonstrate that Metallosphaera yellowstonensis MK1, a facultative autotrophic archaeon isolated from a hyperthermal acidic hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) spring in Norris Geyser Basin, excretes formaldehyde during autotrophic growth. To determine the fate of formaldehyde in this low organic carbon environment, we incubated native microbial mat (containing M. yellowstonensis) from a HFO spring with (13)C-formaldehyde. Isotopic analysis of incubation-derived CO2 and biomass showed that formaldehyde was both oxidized and assimilated by members of the community. Autotrophy, formaldehyde oxidation, and formaldehyde assimilation displayed different sensitivities to chemical inhibitors, suggesting that distinct sub-populations in the mat selectively perform these functions. Our results demonstrate that electrons originally resulting from iron oxidation can energetically fuel autotrophic carbon fixation and associated formaldehyde excretion, and that formaldehyde is both oxidized and assimilated by different organisms within the native microbial community. Thus, formaldehyde can effectively act as a carbon and electron shuttle connecting the autotrophic, iron oxidizing members with associated heterotrophic members in the HFO community.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Moran
- Chemical and Biological Signature Science Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
| | - Laura M Whitmore
- Chemical and Biological Signature Science Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
- Department of Marine Science, University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, MS, 39529, USA
| | - Nancy G Isern
- Environmental and Molecular Science Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Margaret F Romine
- Microbiology Department, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - Krystin M Riha
- Chemical and Biological Signature Science Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Helen W Kreuzer
- Chemical and Biological Signature Science Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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14
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Kan J, Clingenpeel S, Dow CL, McDermott TR, Macur RE, Inskeep WP, Nealson KH. Geochemistry and Mixing Drive the Spatial Distribution of Free-Living Archaea and Bacteria in Yellowstone Lake. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:210. [PMID: 26973602 PMCID: PMC4770039 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [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: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Yellowstone Lake, the largest subalpine lake in the United States, harbors great novelty and diversity of Bacteria and Archaea. Size-fractionated water samples (0.1–0.8, 0.8–3.0, and 3.0–20 μm) were collected from surface photic zone, deep mixing zone, and vent fluids at different locations in the lake by using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Quantification with real-time PCR indicated that Bacteria dominated free-living microorganisms with Bacteria/Archaea ratios ranging from 4037:1 (surface water) to 25:1 (vent water). Microbial population structures (both Bacteria and Archaea) were assessed using 454-FLX sequencing with a total of 662,302 pyrosequencing reads for V1 and V2 regions of 16S rRNA genes. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analyses indicated that strong spatial distribution patterns existed from surface to deep vents for free-living Archaea and Bacteria in the lake. Along with pH, major vent-associated geochemical constituents including CH4, CO2, H2, DIC (dissolved inorganic carbon), DOC (dissolved organic carbon), SO42-, O2 and metals were likely the major drivers for microbial population structures, however, mixing events occurring in the lake also impacted the distribution patterns. Distinct Bacteria and Archaea were present among size fractions, and bigger size fractions included particle-associated microbes (> 3 μm) and contained higher predicted operational taxonomic unit richness and microbial diversities (genus level) than free-living ones (<0.8 μm). Our study represents the first attempt at addressing the spatial distribution of Bacteria and Archaea in Yellowstone Lake, and our results highlight the variable contribution of Archaea and Bacteria to the hydrogeochemical-relevant metabolism of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjun Kan
- Stroud Water Research Center, Avondale PA, USA
| | | | | | - Timothy R McDermott
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA
| | - Richard E Macur
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA
| | - Kenneth H Nealson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles CA, USA
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15
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Colman DR, Jay ZJ, Inskeep WP, Jennings RD, Maas KR, Rusch DB, Takacs-Vesbach CD. Novel, Deep-Branching Heterotrophic Bacterial Populations Recovered from Thermal Spring Metagenomes. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:304. [PMID: 27014227 PMCID: PMC4791363 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [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: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermal spring ecosystems are a valuable resource for the discovery of novel hyperthermophilic Bacteria and Archaea, and harbor deeply-branching lineages that provide insight regarding the nature of early microbial life. We characterized bacterial populations in two circumneutral (pH ~8) Yellowstone National Park thermal (T ~80°C) spring filamentous “streamer” communities using random metagenomic DNA sequence to investigate the metabolic potential of these novel populations. Four de novo assemblies representing three abundant, deeply-branching bacterial phylotypes were recovered. Analysis of conserved phylogenetic marker genes indicated that two of the phylotypes represent separate groups of an uncharacterized phylum (for which we propose the candidate phylum name “Pyropristinus”). The third new phylotype falls within the proposed Calescamantes phylum. Metabolic reconstructions of the “Pyropristinus” and Calescamantes populations showed that these organisms appear to be chemoorganoheterotrophs and have the genomic potential for aerobic respiration and oxidative phosphorylation via archaeal-like V-type, and bacterial F-type ATPases, respectively. A survey of similar phylotypes (>97% nt identity) within 16S rRNA gene datasets suggest that the newly described organisms are restricted to terrestrial thermal springs ranging from 70 to 90°C and pH values of ~7–9. The characterization of these lineages is important for understanding the diversity of deeply-branching bacterial phyla, and their functional role in high-temperature circumneutral “streamer” communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Colman
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Ryan deM Jennings
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Kendra R Maas
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
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Beam JP, Bernstein HC, Jay ZJ, Kozubal MA, Jennings RD, Tringe SG, Inskeep WP. Assembly and Succession of Iron Oxide Microbial Mat Communities in Acidic Geothermal Springs. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:25. [PMID: 26913020 PMCID: PMC4753309 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [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: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomineralized ferric oxide microbial mats are ubiquitous features on Earth, are common in hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (YNP, WY, USA), and form due to direct interaction between microbial and physicochemical processes. The overall goal of this study was to determine the contribution of different community members to the assembly and succession of acidic high-temperature Fe(III)-oxide mat ecosystems. Spatial and temporal changes in Fe(III)-oxide accretion and the abundance of relevant community members were monitored over 70 days using sterile glass microscope slides incubated in the outflow channels of two acidic geothermal springs (pH = 3–3.5; temperature = 68–75°C) in YNP. Hydrogenobaculum spp. were the most abundant taxon identified during early successional stages (4–40 days), and have been shown to oxidize arsenite, sulfide, and hydrogen coupled to oxygen reduction. Iron-oxidizing populations of Metallosphaera yellowstonensis were detected within 4 days, and reached steady-state levels within 14–30 days, corresponding to visible Fe(III)-oxide accretion. Heterotrophic archaea colonized near 30 days, and emerged as the dominant functional guild after 70 days and in mature Fe(III)-oxide mats (1–2 cm thick). First-order rate constants of Fe(III)-oxide accretion ranged from 0.046 to 0.05 day−1, and in situ microelectrode measurements showed that the oxidation of Fe(II) is limited by the diffusion of O2 into the Fe(III)-oxide mat. The formation of microterracettes also implicated O2 as a major variable controlling microbial growth and subsequent mat morphology. The assembly and succession of Fe(III)-oxide mat communities follows a repeatable pattern of colonization by lithoautotrophic organisms, and the subsequent growth of diverse organoheterotrophs. The unique geochemical signatures and micromorphology of extant biomineralized Fe(III)-oxide mats are also useful for understanding other Fe(II)-oxidizing systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob P Beam
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Hans C Bernstein
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Biodetection Science and Biological Science Division, Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichland, WA, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mark A Kozubal
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Ryan deM Jennings
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Susannah G Tringe
- United States Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute Walnut Creek, CA, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
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Klotz MG, Bryant DA, Fredrickson JK, Inskeep WP, Kühl M. Editorial: Systems Biology and Ecology of Microbial Mat Communities. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:115. [PMID: 26903994 PMCID: PMC4746284 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Klotz
- Department of Biology, Queens College of The City University of New York New York, NY, USA
| | - Donald A Bryant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State UniversityBozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Michael Kühl
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen Helsingør, Denmark
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Beam JP, Jay ZJ, Schmid MC, Rusch DB, Romine MF, M Jennings RD, Kozubal MA, Tringe SG, Wagner M, Inskeep WP. Ecophysiology of an uncultivated lineage of Aigarchaeota from an oxic, hot spring filamentous 'streamer' community. ISME J 2016; 10:210-24. [PMID: 26140529 PMCID: PMC4681859 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2015.83] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2015] [Revised: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The candidate archaeal phylum 'Aigarchaeota' contains microorganisms from terrestrial and subsurface geothermal ecosystems. The phylogeny and metabolic potential of Aigarchaeota has been deduced from several recent single-cell amplified genomes; however, a detailed description of their metabolic potential and in situ transcriptional activity is absent. Here, we report a comprehensive metatranscriptome-based reconstruction of the in situ metabolism of Aigarchaeota in an oxic, hot spring filamentous 'streamer' community. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that these newly discovered Aigarchaeota are filamentous, which is consistent with the presence and transcription of an actin-encoding gene. Aigarchaeota filaments are intricately associated with other community members, which include both bacteria (for example, filamentous Thermocrinis spp.) and archaea. Metabolic reconstruction of genomic and metatranscriptomic data suggests that this aigarchaeon is an aerobic, chemoorganoheterotroph with autotrophic potential. A heme copper oxidase complex was identified in the environmental genome assembly and highly transcribed in situ. Potential electron donors include acetate, fatty acids, amino acids, sugars and aromatic compounds, which may originate from extracellular polymeric substances produced by other microorganisms shown to exist in close proximity and/or autochthonous dissolved organic carbon (OC). Transcripts related to genes specific to each of these potential electron donors were identified, indicating that this aigarchaeon likely utilizes several OC substrates. Characterized members of this lineage cannot synthesize heme, and other cofactors and vitamins de novo, which suggests auxotrophy. We propose the name Candidatus 'Calditenuis aerorheumensis' for this aigarchaeon, which describes its filamentous morphology and its primary electron acceptor, oxygen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob P Beam
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Markus C Schmid
- Divison of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Douglas B Rusch
- Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | | | - Ryan de M Jennings
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mark A Kozubal
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Sustainable Bioproducts LLC, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | - Michael Wagner
- Divison of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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Inskeep WP, Jay ZJ, Macur RE, Clingenpeel S, Tenney A, Lovalvo D, Beam JP, Kozubal MA, Shanks WC, Morgan LA, Kan J, Gorby Y, Yooseph S, Nealson K. Geomicrobiology of sublacustrine thermal vents in Yellowstone Lake: geochemical controls on microbial community structure and function. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1044. [PMID: 26579074 PMCID: PMC4620420 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [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: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Yellowstone Lake (Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA) is a large high-altitude (2200 m), fresh-water lake, which straddles an extensive caldera and is the center of significant geothermal activity. The primary goal of this interdisciplinary study was to evaluate the microbial populations inhabiting thermal vent communities in Yellowstone Lake using 16S rRNA gene and random metagenome sequencing, and to determine how geochemical attributes of vent waters influence the distribution of specific microorganisms and their metabolic potential. Thermal vent waters and associated microbial biomass were sampled during two field seasons (2007–2008) using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Sublacustrine thermal vent waters (circa 50–90°C) contained elevated concentrations of numerous constituents associated with geothermal activity including dissolved hydrogen, sulfide, methane and carbon dioxide. Microorganisms associated with sulfur-rich filamentous “streamer” communities of Inflated Plain and West Thumb (pH range 5–6) were dominated by bacteria from the Aquificales, but also contained thermophilic archaea from the Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. Novel groups of methanogens and members of the Korarchaeota were observed in vents from West Thumb and Elliot's Crater (pH 5–6). Conversely, metagenome sequence from Mary Bay vent sediments did not yield large assemblies, and contained diverse thermophilic and nonthermophilic bacterial relatives. Analysis of functional genes associated with the major vent populations indicated a direct linkage to high concentrations of carbon dioxide, reduced sulfur (sulfide and/or elemental S), hydrogen and methane in the deep thermal ecosystems. Our observations show that sublacustrine thermal vents in Yellowstone Lake support novel thermophilic communities, which contain microorganisms with functional attributes not found to date in terrestrial geothermal systems of YNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA ; Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Richard E Macur
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jacob P Beam
- Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mark A Kozubal
- Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | | | - Jinjun Kan
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yuri Gorby
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Kenneth Nealson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Jay ZJ, Inskeep WP. The distribution, diversity, and importance of 16S rRNA gene introns in the order Thermoproteales. Biol Direct 2015; 10:35. [PMID: 26156036 PMCID: PMC4496867 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-015-0065-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Intron sequences are common in 16S rRNA genes of specific thermophilic lineages of Archaea, specifically the Thermoproteales (phylum Crenarchaeota). Environmental sequencing (16S rRNA gene and metagenome) from geothermal habitats in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has expanded the available datasets for investigating 16S rRNA gene introns. The objectives of this study were to characterize and curate archaeal 16S rRNA gene introns from high-temperature habitats, evaluate the conservation and distribution of archaeal 16S rRNA introns in geothermal systems, and determine which “universal” archaeal 16S rRNA gene primers are impacted by the presence of intron sequences. Results Several new introns were identified and their insertion loci were constrained to thirteen locations across the 16S rRNA gene. Many of these introns encode homing endonucleases, although some introns were short or partial sequences. Pyrobaculum, Thermoproteus, and Caldivirga 16S rRNA genes contained the most abundant and diverse intron sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of introns revealed that sequences within the same locus are distributed biogeographically. The most diverse set of introns were observed in a high-temperature, circumneutral (pH 6) sulfur sediment environment, which also contained the greatest diversity of different Thermoproteales phylotypes. Conclusions The widespread presence of introns in the Thermoproteales indicates a high probability of misalignments using different “universal” 16S rRNA primers employed in environmental microbial community analysis. Reviewers This article was reviewed by Dr. Eugene Koonin and Dr. W. Ford Doolittle. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13062-015-0065-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackary J Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| | - William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
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21
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Härtig C, Lohmayer R, Kolb S, Horn MA, Inskeep WP, Planer-Friedrich B. Chemolithotrophic growth of the aerobic hyperthermophilic bacteriumThermocrinis ruberOC 14/7/2 on monothioarsenate and arsenite. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 90:747-60. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Härtig
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - Regina Lohmayer
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - Steffen Kolb
- Department of Ecological Microbiology; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - Marcus A. Horn
- Department of Ecological Microbiology; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
| | - William P. Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute (TBI); Montana State University; Bozeman MT USA
| | - Britta Planer-Friedrich
- Department of Environmental Geochemistry; Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER); University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth Germany
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22
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Hamamura N, Itai T, Liu Y, Reysenbach AL, Damdinsuren N, Inskeep WP. Identification of anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing and arsenate-reducing bacteria associated with an alkaline saline lake in Khovsgol, Mongolia. Environ Microbiol Rep 2014; 6:476-482. [PMID: 25646538 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Microbial arsenic transformation pathways associated with a saline lake located in northern Mongolia were examined using molecular biological and culturing approaches. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from saline lake sediments and soils were affiliated with haloalkaliphiles, including Bacillus and Halomonas spp. Diverse sequences of arsenate respiratory reductase (arrA) and a new group of arsenite oxidase (arxA) genes were also identified. Pure cultures of arsenate-reducing Nitrincola strain and anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing Halomonas strain were isolated. The chemoorganotrophic Halomonas strain contains arxA gene similar to that of a chemoautotrophic arsenite-oxidizing Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii strain MLHE-1. These results revealed the diversity of arsenic transformation pathways associated with a geographically distinct saline system and the potential contribution of arx-dependent arsenite oxidation by heterotrophic bacteria.
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Beam JP, Jay ZJ, Kozubal MA, Inskeep WP. Niche specialization of novel Thaumarchaeota to oxic and hypoxic acidic geothermal springs of Yellowstone National Park. ISME J 2013; 8:938-51. [PMID: 24196321 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2013.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2013] [Revised: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Novel lineages of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are endemic to thermal habitats, and may exhibit physiological capabilities that are not yet observed in members of this phylum. The primary goals of this study were to conduct detailed phylogenetic and functional analyses of metagenome sequence assemblies of two different thaumarchaeal populations found in high-temperature (65-72 °C), acidic (pH~3) iron oxide and sulfur sediment environments of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Metabolic reconstruction was coupled with detailed geochemical measurements of each geothermal habitat and reverse-transcriptase PCR to confirm the in situ activity of these populations. Phylogenetic analyses of ribosomal and housekeeping proteins place these archaea near the root of the thaumarchaeal branch. Metabolic reconstruction suggests that these populations are chemoorganotrophic and couple growth with the reduction of oxygen or nitrate in iron oxide habitats, or sulfur in hypoxic sulfur sediments. The iron oxide population has the potential for growth via the oxidation of sulfide to sulfate using a novel reverse sulfate reduction pathway. Possible carbon sources include aromatic compounds (for example, 4-hydroxyphenylacetate), complex carbohydrates (for example, starch), oligopeptides and amino acids. Both populations contain a type III ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase used for carbon dioxide fixation or adenosine monophosphate salvage. No evidence for the oxidation of ammonia was obtained from de novo sequence assemblies. Our results show that thermoacidophilic Thaumarchaeota from oxic iron mats and hypoxic sulfur sediments exhibit different respiratory machinery depending on the presence of oxygen versus sulfide, represent deeply rooted lineages within the phylum Thaumarchaeota and are endemic to numerous sites in YNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob P Beam
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mark A Kozubal
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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Clingenpeel S, Kan J, Macur RE, Woyke T, Lovalvo D, Varley J, Inskeep WP, Nealson K, McDermott TR. Yellowstone lake nanoarchaeota. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:274. [PMID: 24062731 PMCID: PMC3769629 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [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: 06/21/2013] [Accepted: 08/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable Nanoarchaeota novelty and diversity were encountered in Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park (YNP), where sampling targeted lake floor hydrothermal vent fluids, streamers and sediments associated with these vents, and in planktonic photic zones in three different regions of the lake. Significant homonucleotide repeats (HR) were observed in pyrosequence reads and in near full-length Sanger sequences, averaging 112 HR per 1349 bp clone and could confound diversity estimates derived from pyrosequencing, resulting in false nucleotide insertions or deletions (indels). However, Sanger sequencing of two different sets of PCR clones (110 bp, 1349 bp) demonstrated that at least some of these indels are real. The majority of the Nanoarchaeota PCR amplicons were vent associated; however, curiously, one relatively small Nanoarchaeota OTU (71 pyrosequencing reads) was only found in photic zone water samples obtained from a region of the lake furthest removed from the hydrothermal regions of the lake. Extensive pyrosequencing failed to demonstrate the presence of an Ignicoccus lineage in this lake, suggesting the Nanoarchaeota in this environment are associated with novel Archaea hosts. Defined phylogroups based on near full-length PCR clones document the significant Nanoarchaeota 16S rRNA gene diversity in this lake and firmly establish a terrestrial clade distinct from the marine Nanoarcheota as well as from other geographical locations.
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Klatt CG, Inskeep WP, Herrgard MJ, Jay ZJ, Rusch DB, Tringe SG, Niki Parenteau M, Ward DM, Boomer SM, Bryant DA, Miller SR. Community structure and function of high-temperature chlorophototrophic microbial mats inhabiting diverse geothermal environments. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:106. [PMID: 23761787 PMCID: PMC3669762 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [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: 12/01/2012] [Accepted: 04/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Six phototrophic microbial mat communities from different geothermal springs (YNP) were studied using metagenome sequencing and geochemical analyses. The primary goals of this work were to determine differences in community composition of high-temperature phototrophic mats distributed across the Yellowstone geothermal ecosystem, and to identify metabolic attributes of predominant organisms present in these communities that may correlate with environmental attributes important in niche differentiation. Random shotgun metagenome sequences from six phototrophic communities (average ∼53 Mbp/site) were subjected to multiple taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional analyses. All methods, including G + C content distribution, MEGAN analyses, and oligonucleotide frequency-based clustering, provided strong support for the dominant community members present in each site. Cyanobacteria were only observed in non-sulfidic sites; de novo assemblies were obtained for Synechococcus-like populations at Chocolate Pots (CP_7) and Fischerella-like populations at White Creek (WC_6). Chloroflexi-like sequences (esp. Roseiflexus and/or Chloroflexus spp.) were observed in all six samples and contained genes involved in bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis and the 3-hydroxypropionate carbon fixation pathway. Other major sequence assemblies were obtained for a Chlorobiales population from CP_7 (proposed family Thermochlorobacteriaceae), and an anoxygenic, sulfur-oxidizing Thermochromatium-like (Gamma-proteobacteria) population from Bath Lake Vista Annex (BLVA_20). Additional sequence coverage is necessary to establish more complete assemblies of other novel bacteria in these sites (e.g., Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes); however, current assemblies suggested that several of these organisms play important roles in heterotrophic and fermentative metabolisms. Definitive linkages were established between several of the dominant phylotypes present in these habitats and important functional processes such as photosynthesis, carbon fixation, sulfur oxidation, and fermentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian G Klatt
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT , USA ; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University , Bozeman, MT , USA
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Takacs-Vesbach C, Inskeep WP, Jay ZJ, Herrgard MJ, Rusch DB, Tringe SG, Kozubal MA, Hamamura N, Macur RE, Fouke BW, Reysenbach AL, McDermott TR, Jennings RD, Hengartner NW, Xie G. Metagenome sequence analysis of filamentous microbial communities obtained from geochemically distinct geothermal channels reveals specialization of three aquificales lineages. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:84. [PMID: 23755042 PMCID: PMC3665934 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [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: 12/01/2012] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The Aquificales are thermophilic microorganisms that inhabit hydrothermal systems worldwide and are considered one of the earliest lineages of the domain Bacteria. We analyzed metagenome sequence obtained from six thermal "filamentous streamer" communities (∼40 Mbp per site), which targeted three different groups of Aquificales found in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Unassembled metagenome sequence and PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene libraries revealed that acidic, sulfidic sites were dominated by Hydrogenobaculum (Aquificaceae) populations, whereas the circum-neutral pH (6.5-7.8) sites containing dissolved sulfide were dominated by Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. (Hydrogenothermaceae). Thermocrinis (Aquificaceae) populations were found primarily in the circum-neutral sites with undetectable sulfide, and to a lesser extent in one sulfidic system at pH 8. Phylogenetic analysis of assembled sequence containing 16S rRNA genes as well as conserved protein-encoding genes revealed that the composition and function of these communities varied across geochemical conditions. Each Aquificales lineage contained genes for CO2 fixation by the reverse-TCA cycle, but only the Sulfurihydrogenibium populations perform citrate cleavage using ATP citrate lyase (Acl). The Aquificaceae populations use an alternative pathway catalyzed by two separate enzymes, citryl-CoA synthetase (Ccs), and citryl-CoA lyase (Ccl). All three Aquificales lineages contained evidence of aerobic respiration, albeit due to completely different types of heme Cu oxidases (subunit I) involved in oxygen reduction. The distribution of Aquificales populations and differences among functional genes involved in energy generation and electron transport is consistent with the hypothesis that geochemical parameters (e.g., pH, sulfide, H2, O2) have resulted in niche specialization among members of the Aquificales.
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Inskeep WP, Jay ZJ, Herrgard MJ, Kozubal MA, Rusch DB, Tringe SG, Macur RE, Jennings RD, Boyd ES, Spear JR, Roberto FF. Phylogenetic and Functional Analysis of Metagenome Sequence from High-Temperature Archaeal Habitats Demonstrate Linkages between Metabolic Potential and Geochemistry. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:95. [PMID: 23720654 PMCID: PMC3654217 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [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: 12/01/2012] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Geothermal habitats in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) provide an unparalleled opportunity to understand the environmental factors that control the distribution of archaea in thermal habitats. Here we describe, analyze, and synthesize metagenomic and geochemical data collected from seven high-temperature sites that contain microbial communities dominated by archaea relative to bacteria. The specific objectives of the study were to use metagenome sequencing to determine the structure and functional capacity of thermophilic archaeal-dominated microbial communities across a pH range from 2.5 to 6.4 and to discuss specific examples where the metabolic potential correlated with measured environmental parameters and geochemical processes occurring in situ. Random shotgun metagenome sequence (∼40–45 Mb Sanger sequencing per site) was obtained from environmental DNA extracted from high-temperature sediments and/or microbial mats and subjected to numerous phylogenetic and functional analyses. Analysis of individual sequences (e.g., MEGAN and G + C content) and assemblies from each habitat type revealed the presence of dominant archaeal populations in all environments, 10 of whose genomes were largely reconstructed from the sequence data. Analysis of protein family occurrence, particularly of those involved in energy conservation, electron transport, and autotrophic metabolism, revealed significant differences in metabolic strategies across sites consistent with differences in major geochemical attributes (e.g., sulfide, oxygen, pH). These observations provide an ecological basis for understanding the distribution of indigenous archaeal lineages across high-temperature systems of YNP.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA ; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
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Inskeep WP, Jay ZJ, Tringe SG, Herrgård MJ, Rusch DB. The YNP Metagenome Project: Environmental Parameters Responsible for Microbial Distribution in the Yellowstone Geothermal Ecosystem. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:67. [PMID: 23653623 PMCID: PMC3644721 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [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: 12/01/2012] [Accepted: 03/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Yellowstone geothermal complex contains over 10,000 diverse geothermal features that host numerous phylogenetically deeply rooted and poorly understood archaea, bacteria, and viruses. Microbial communities in high-temperature environments are generally less diverse than soil, marine, sediment, or lake habitats and therefore offer a tremendous opportunity for studying the structure and function of different model microbial communities using environmental metagenomics. One of the broader goals of this study was to establish linkages among microbial distribution, metabolic potential, and environmental variables. Twenty geochemically distinct geothermal ecosystems representing a broad spectrum of Yellowstone hot-spring environments were used for metagenomic and geochemical analysis and included approximately equal numbers of: (1) phototrophic mats, (2) "filamentous streamer" communities, and (3) archaeal-dominated sediments. The metagenomes were analyzed using a suite of complementary and integrative bioinformatic tools, including phylogenetic and functional analysis of both individual sequence reads and assemblies of predominant phylotypes. This volume identifies major environmental determinants of a large number of thermophilic microbial lineages, many of which have not been fully described in the literature nor previously cultivated to enable functional and genomic analyses. Moreover, protein family abundance comparisons and in-depth analyses of specific genes and metabolic pathways relevant to these hot-spring environments reveal hallmark signatures of metabolic capabilities that parallel the distribution of phylotypes across specific types of geochemical environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University Bozeman MT, USA ; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman MT, USA
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Hamamura N, Ward DM, Inskeep WP. Effects of petroleum mixture types on soil bacterial population dynamics associated with the biodegradation of hydrocarbons in soil environments. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2013; 85:168-78. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2012] [Revised: 02/19/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - David M. Ward
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences; Montana State University; Bozeman; MT; USA
| | - William P. Inskeep
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences; Montana State University; Bozeman; MT; USA
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Bernstein HC, Beam JP, Kozubal MA, Carlson RP, Inskeep WP. In situ analysis of oxygen consumption and diffusive transport in high-temperature acidic iron-oxide microbial mats. Environ Microbiol 2013; 15:2360-70. [PMID: 23516993 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2012] [Revised: 01/28/2013] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The role of dissolved oxygen as a principal electron acceptor for microbial metabolism was investigated within Fe(III)-oxide microbial mats that form in acidic geothermal springs of Yellowstone National Park (USA). Specific goals of the study were to measure and model dissolved oxygen profiles within high-temperature (65-75°C) acidic (pH = 2.7-3.8) Fe(III)-oxide microbial mats, and correlate the abundance of aerobic, iron-oxidizing Metallosphaera yellowstonensis organisms and mRNA gene expression levels to Fe(II)-oxidizing habitats shown to consume oxygen. In situ oxygen microprofiles were obtained perpendicular to the direction of convective flow across the aqueous phase/Fe(III)-oxide microbial mat interface using oxygen microsensors. Dissolved oxygen concentrations dropped from ∼ 50-60 μM in the bulk-fluid/mat surface to below detection (< 0.3 μM) at a depth of ∼ 700 μm (∼ 10% of the total mat depth). Net areal oxygen fluxes into the microbial mats were estimated to range from 1.4-1.6 × 10(-4) μmol cm(-2) s(-1) . Dimensionless parameters were used to model dissolved oxygen profiles and establish that mass transfer rates limit the oxygen consumption. A zone of higher dissolved oxygen at the mat surface promotes Fe(III)-oxide biomineralization, which was supported using molecular analysis of Metallosphaera yellowstonensis 16S rRNA gene copy numbers and mRNA expression of haem Cu oxidases (FoxA) associated with Fe(II)-oxidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans C Bernstein
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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Macur RE, Jay ZJ, Taylor WP, Kozubal MA, Kocar BD, Inskeep WP. Microbial community structure and sulfur biogeochemistry in mildly-acidic sulfidic geothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park. Geobiology 2013; 11:86-99. [PMID: 23231658 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2012] [Accepted: 10/08/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Geothermal and hydrothermal waters often contain high concentrations of dissolved sulfide, which reacts with oxygen (abiotically or biotically) to yield elemental sulfur and other sulfur species that may support microbial metabolism. The primary goal of this study was to elucidate predominant biogeochemical processes important in sulfur biogeochemistry by identifying predominant sulfur species and describing microbial community structure within high-temperature, hypoxic, sulfur sediments ranging in pH from 4.2 to 6.1. Detailed analysis of aqueous species and solid phases present in hypoxic sulfur sediments revealed unique habitats containing high concentrations of dissolved sulfide, thiosulfate, and arsenite, as well as rhombohedral and spherical elemental sulfur and/or sulfide phases such as orpiment, stibnite, and pyrite, as well as alunite and quartz. Results from 16S rRNA gene sequencing show that these sediments are dominated by Crenarchaeota of the orders Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales. Numerous cultivated representatives of these lineages, as well as the Thermoproteales strain (WP30) isolated in this study, require complex sources of carbon and respire elemental sulfur. We describe a new archaeal isolate (strain WP30) belonging to the order Thermoproteales (phylum Crenarchaeota, 98% identity to Pyrobaculum/Thermoproteus spp. 16S rRNA genes), which was obtained from sulfur sediments using in situ geochemical composition to design cultivation medium. This isolate produces sulfide during growth, which further promotes the formation of sulfide phases including orpiment, stibnite, or pyrite, depending on solution conditions. Geochemical, molecular, and physiological data were integrated to suggest primary factors controlling microbial community structure and function in high-temperature sulfur sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Macur
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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Kozubal MA, Romine M, Jennings RD, Jay ZJ, Tringe SG, Rusch DB, Beam JP, McCue LA, Inskeep WP. Geoarchaeota: a new candidate phylum in the Archaea from high-temperature acidic iron mats in Yellowstone National Park. ISME J 2012; 7:622-34. [PMID: 23151644 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2012.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Geothermal systems in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) provide an outstanding opportunity to understand the origin and evolution of metabolic processes necessary for life in extreme environments including low pH, high temperature, low oxygen and elevated concentrations of reduced iron. Previous phylogenetic studies of acidic ferric iron mats from YNP have revealed considerable diversity of uncultivated and undescribed archaea. The goal of this study was to obtain replicate de novo genome assemblies for a dominant archaeal population inhabiting acidic iron-oxide mats in YNP. Detailed analysis of conserved ribosomal and informational processing genes indicates that the replicate assemblies represent a new candidate phylum within the domain Archaea referred to here as 'Geoarchaeota' or 'novel archaeal group 1 (NAG1)'. The NAG1 organisms contain pathways necessary for the catabolism of peptides and complex carbohydrates as well as a bacterial-like Form I carbon monoxide dehydrogenase complex likely used for energy conservation. Moreover, this novel population contains genes involved in the metabolism of oxygen including a Type A heme copper oxidase, a bd-type terminal oxidase and a putative oxygen-sensing protoglobin. NAG1 has a variety of unique bacterial-like cofactor biosynthesis and transport genes and a Type3-like CRISPR system. Discovery of NAG1 is critical to our understanding of microbial community structure and function in extant thermophilic iron-oxide mats of YNP, and will provide insight regarding the evolution of Archaea in early Earth environments that may have important analogs active in YNP today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Kozubal
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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Kozubal MA, Macur RE, Jay ZJ, Beam JP, Malfatti SA, Tringe SG, Kocar BD, Borch T, Inskeep WP. Microbial iron cycling in acidic geothermal springs of yellowstone national park: integrating molecular surveys, geochemical processes, and isolation of novel fe-active microorganisms. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:109. [PMID: 22470372 PMCID: PMC3312321 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [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: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 03/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Geochemical, molecular, and physiological analyses of microbial isolates were combined to study the geomicrobiology of acidic iron oxide mats in Yellowstone National Park. Nineteen sampling locations from 11 geothermal springs were studied ranging in temperature from 53 to 88°C and pH 2.4 to 3.6. All iron oxide mats exhibited high diversity of crenarchaeal sequences from the Sulfolobales, Thermoproteales, and Desulfurococcales. The predominant Sulfolobales sequences were highly similar to Metallosphaera yellowstonensis str. MK1, previously isolated from one of these sites. Other groups of archaea were consistently associated with different types of iron oxide mats, including undescribed members of the phyla Thaumarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. Bacterial sequences were dominated by relatives of Hydrogenobaculum spp. above 65–70°C, but increased in diversity below 60°C. Cultivation of relevant iron-oxidizing and iron-reducing microbial isolates included Sulfolobus str. MK3, Sulfobacillus str. MK2, Acidicaldus str. MK6, and a new candidate genus in the Sulfolobales referred to as Sulfolobales str. MK5. Strains MK3 and MK5 are capable of oxidizing ferrous iron autotrophically, while strain MK2 oxidizes iron mixotrophically. Similar rates of iron oxidation were measured for M. yellowstonensis str. MK1 and Sulfolobales str. MK5. Biomineralized phases of ferric iron varied among cultures and field sites, and included ferric oxyhydroxides, K-jarosite, goethite, hematite, and scorodite depending on geochemical conditions. Strains MK5 and MK6 are capable of reducing ferric iron under anaerobic conditions with complex carbon sources. The combination of geochemical and molecular data as well as physiological observations of isolates suggests that the community structure of acidic Fe mats is linked with Fe cycling across temperatures ranging from 53 to 88°C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Kozubal
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University Bozeman, MT, USA
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Clingenpeel S, Macur RE, Kan J, Inskeep WP, Lovalvo D, Varley J, Mathur E, Nealson K, Gorby Y, Jiang H, LaFracois T, McDermott TR. Yellowstone Lake: high-energy geochemistry and rich bacterial diversity. Environ Microbiol 2011; 13:2172-85. [PMID: 21450005 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2011.02466.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Yellowstone Lake is central to the balanced functioning of the Yellowstone ecosystem, yet little is known about the microbial component of its food chain. A remotely operated vehicle provided video documentation (http://www.tbi.montana.edu/media/videos/) and allowed sampling of dilute surface zone waters and enriched lake floor hydrothermal vent fluids. Vent emissions contained substantial H(2)S, CH(4), CO(2) and H(2), although CH(4) and H(2) levels were also significant throughout the lake. Pyrosequencing and near full-length sequencing of Bacteria 16S rRNA gene diversity associated with two vents and two surface water environments demonstrated that this lake contains significant bacterial diversity. Biomass was size-fractionated by sequentially filtering through 20-µm-, 3.0-µm-, 0.8-µm- and 0.1-µm-pore-size filters, with the >0.1 to <0.8 µm size class being the focus of this study. Major phyla included Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, α- and β-Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria, with 21 other phyla represented at varying levels. Surface waters were dominated by two phylotypes: the Actinobacteria freshwater acI group and an α-Proteobacteria clade tightly linked with freshwater SAR11-like organisms. We also obtained evidence of novel thermophiles and recovered Prochlorococcus phylotypes (97-100% identity) in one near surface photic zone region of the lake. The combined geochemical and microbial analyses suggest that the foundation of this lake's food chain is not simple. Phototrophy presumably is an important driver of primary productivity in photic zone waters; however, chemosynthetic hydrogenotrophy and methanotrophy are likely important components of the lake's food chain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott Clingenpeel
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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Lovalvo D, Clingenpeel SR, McGinnis S, Macur RE, Varley JD, Inskeep WP, Glime J, Nealson K, McDermott TR. A geothermal-linked biological oasis in Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Geobiology 2010; 8:327-336. [PMID: 20491946 DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4669.2010.00244.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Hundreds of active and dormant geothermal vents have been located on the floor of Yellowstone Lake, although characterization of the associated biology (macro or micro) has been extremely limited. Herein, we describe an aquatic moss (Fontinalis) colony closely associated with vent emissions that considerably exceeded known temperature maxima for this plant. Vent waters were supersaturated with CO(2), likely accommodating a CO(2) compensation point that would be expected to be quite elevated under these conditions. The moss was colonized by metazoa, including the crustaceans Hyalella and Gammarus, a segmented worm in the Lumbriculidae family, and a flatworm specimen tentatively identified as Polycelis. The presence of these invertebrates suggest a highly localized food chain that derives from the presence of geothermal inputs and thus is analogous to the deep marine vents that support significant biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Lovalvo
- Eastern Oceanics, West Redding, CT, USA
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Inskeep WP, Rusch DB, Jay ZJ, Herrgard MJ, Kozubal MA, Richardson TH, Macur RE, Hamamura N, Jennings RD, Fouke BW, Reysenbach AL, Roberto F, Young M, Schwartz A, Boyd ES, Badger JH, Mathur EJ, Ortmann AC, Bateson M, Geesey G, Frazier M. Metagenomes from high-temperature chemotrophic systems reveal geochemical controls on microbial community structure and function. PLoS One 2010; 5:e9773. [PMID: 20333304 PMCID: PMC2841643 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [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: 09/13/2009] [Accepted: 02/25/2010] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Yellowstone caldera contains the most numerous and diverse geothermal systems on Earth, yielding an extensive array of unique high-temperature environments that host a variety of deeply-rooted and understudied Archaea, Bacteria and Eukarya. The combination of extreme temperature and chemical conditions encountered in geothermal environments often results in considerably less microbial diversity than other terrestrial habitats and offers a tremendous opportunity for studying the structure and function of indigenous microbial communities and for establishing linkages between putative metabolisms and element cycling. Metagenome sequence (14–15,000 Sanger reads per site) was obtained for five high-temperature (>65°C) chemotrophic microbial communities sampled from geothermal springs (or pools) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) that exhibit a wide range in geochemistry including pH, dissolved sulfide, dissolved oxygen and ferrous iron. Metagenome data revealed significant differences in the predominant phyla associated with each of these geochemical environments. Novel members of the Sulfolobales are dominant in low pH environments, while other Crenarchaeota including distantly-related Thermoproteales and Desulfurococcales populations dominate in suboxic sulfidic sediments. Several novel archaeal groups are well represented in an acidic (pH 3) Fe-oxyhydroxide mat, where a higher O2 influx is accompanied with an increase in archaeal diversity. The presence or absence of genes and pathways important in S oxidation-reduction, H2-oxidation, and aerobic respiration (terminal oxidation) provide insight regarding the metabolic strategies of indigenous organisms present in geothermal systems. Multiple-pathway and protein-specific functional analysis of metagenome sequence data corroborated results from phylogenetic analyses and clearly demonstrate major differences in metabolic potential across sites. The distribution of functional genes involved in electron transport is consistent with the hypothesis that geochemical parameters (e.g., pH, sulfide, Fe, O2) control microbial community structure and function in YNP geothermal springs.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P. Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail: (WPI); (DBR)
| | - Douglas B. Rusch
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (WPI); (DBR)
| | - Zackary J. Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | | | - Mark A. Kozubal
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | | | - Richard E. Macur
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Natsuko Hamamura
- Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
| | - Ryan deM. Jennings
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Bruce W. Fouke
- University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | | | - Frank Roberto
- Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Mark Young
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Ariel Schwartz
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Eric S. Boyd
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Microbiology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Jonathan H. Badger
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Eric J. Mathur
- Synthetic Genomics Inc., La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Alice C. Ortmann
- Department of Marine Science, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Mary Bateson
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Gill Geesey
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Microbiology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Marvin Frazier
- J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, Maryland, United States of America
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Taffs R, Aston JE, Brileya K, Jay Z, Klatt CG, McGlynn S, Mallette N, Montross S, Gerlach R, Inskeep WP, Ward DM, Carlson RP. In silico approaches to study mass and energy flows in microbial consortia: a syntrophic case study. BMC Syst Biol 2009; 3:114. [PMID: 20003240 PMCID: PMC2799449 DOI: 10.1186/1752-0509-3-114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2009] [Accepted: 12/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Three methods were developed for the application of stoichiometry-based network analysis approaches including elementary mode analysis to the study of mass and energy flows in microbial communities. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages suitable for analyzing systems with different degrees of complexity and a priori knowledge. These approaches were tested and compared using data from the thermophilic, phototrophic mat communities from Octopus and Mushroom Springs in Yellowstone National Park (USA). The models were based on three distinct microbial guilds: oxygenic phototrophs, filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs, and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Two phases, day and night, were modeled to account for differences in the sources of mass and energy and the routes available for their exchange. RESULTS The in silico models were used to explore fundamental questions in ecology including the prediction of and explanation for measured relative abundances of primary producers in the mat, theoretical tradeoffs between overall productivity and the generation of toxic by-products, and the relative robustness of various guild interactions. CONCLUSION The three modeling approaches represent a flexible toolbox for creating cellular metabolic networks to study microbial communities on scales ranging from cells to ecosystems. A comparison of the three methods highlights considerations for selecting the one most appropriate for a given microbial system. For instance, communities represented only by metagenomic data can be modeled using the pooled method which analyzes a community's total metabolic potential without attempting to partition enzymes to different organisms. Systems with extensive a priori information on microbial guilds can be represented using the compartmentalized technique, employing distinct control volumes to separate guild-appropriate enzymes and metabolites. If the complexity of a compartmentalized network creates an unacceptable computational burden, the nested analysis approach permits greater scalability at the cost of more user intervention through multiple rounds of pathway analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reed Taffs
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - John E Aston
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Kristen Brileya
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Zackary Jay
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Christian G Klatt
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Shawn McGlynn
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Natasha Mallette
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Scott Montross
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Robin Gerlach
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - David M Ward
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Ross P Carlson
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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Hamamura N, Macur RE, Korf S, Ackerman G, Taylor WP, Kozubal M, Reysenbach AL, Inskeep WP. Linking microbial oxidation of arsenic with detection and phylogenetic analysis of arsenite oxidase genes in diverse geothermal environments. Environ Microbiol 2009; 11:421-31. [PMID: 19196273 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2008.01781.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The identification and characterization of genes involved in the microbial oxidation of arsenite will contribute to our understanding of factors controlling As cycling in natural systems. Towards this goal, we recently characterized the widespread occurrence of aerobic arsenite oxidase genes (aroA-like) from pure-culture bacterial isolates, soils, sediments and geothermal mats, but were unable to detect these genes in all geothermal systems where we have observed microbial arsenite oxidation. Consequently, the objectives of the current study were to measure arsenite-oxidation rates in geochemically diverse thermal habitats in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) ranging in pH from 2.6 to 8, and to identify corresponding 16S rRNA and aroA genotypes associated with these arsenite-oxidizing environments. Geochemical analyses, including measurement of arsenite-oxidation rates within geothermal outflow channels, were combined with 16S rRNA gene and aroA functional gene analysis using newly designed primers to capture previously undescribed aroA-like arsenite oxidase gene diversity. The majority of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences found in acidic (pH 2.6-3.6) Fe-oxyhydroxide microbial mats were closely related to Hydrogenobaculum spp. (members of the bacterial order Aquificales), while the predominant sequences from near-neutral (pH 6.2-8) springs were affiliated with other Aquificales including Sulfurihydrogenibium spp., Thermocrinis spp. and Hydrogenobacter spp., as well as members of the Deinococci, Thermodesulfobacteria and beta-Proteobacteria. Modified primers designed around previously characterized and newly identified aroA-like genes successfully amplified new lineages of aroA-like genes associated with members of the Aquificales across all geothermal systems examined. The expression of Aquificales aroA-like genes was also confirmed in situ, and the resultant cDNA sequences were consistent with aroA genotypes identified in the same environments. The aroA sequences identified in the current study expand the phylogenetic distribution of known Mo-pterin arsenite oxidase genes, and suggest the importance of three prominent genera of the order Aquificales in arsenite oxidation across geochemically distinct geothermal habitats ranging in pH from 2.6 to 8.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Hamamura
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA.
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Hamamura N, Fukui M, Ward DM, Inskeep WP. Assessing soil microbial populations responding to crude-oil amendment at different temperatures using phylogenetic, functional gene (alkB) and physiological analyses. Environ Sci Technol 2008; 42:7580-7586. [PMID: 18983078 DOI: 10.1021/es800030f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [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: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The effect of temperature as a determinant for selecting microbial populations associated with alkane-degradation was examined in crude oil-amended soil microcosms. After a 30-day incubation, >95% of n-alkane components in the crude-oil were depleted and approximately 40 and 60% of added [14C] hexadecane was converted to 14CO2 at 4-10 and 25 degrees C, respectively. Concomitant with crude-oil depletion, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed the emergence of a prominent Rhodococcus-like 16S rRNA sequence at all temperatures and a prominent Pseudomonas-like sequence at 4 and 10 degrees C. The diversity of alkane hydroxylase genes (alkB) associated with the amendments was examined using group-specific alkB-PCR primerstargeting phylogenetically distinct groups of alkane-degrading bacteria and subsequent cloning, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and sequencing analyses. Diverse Rhodococcus-alkB genes were detected at all temperatures, while a single prominent Pseudomonas-alkB genotype was detected only at lower temperatures. Two isolates obtained from the microcosms were shown to have 16S rRNA and alkB genes identical to those observed and were used to examine growth as a function of temperature. The Pseudomonas isolate exhibited a substantially higher growth rate at 4 and 10 degrees C than the Rhodococcus isolate, consistent with the inference that differences in adaptation to low temperature explain the observed shift in populations. High resolution analysis of alkB genes enabled the differentiation of distinct alkane-degrading populations responding to crude-oil amendment from other closely related, well-studied strains with different temperature adaptations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuko Hamamura
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
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Abstract
The arsenic (As) drinking water crisis in south and south-east Asia has stimulated intense study of the microbial processes controlling the redox cycling of As in soil-water systems. Microbial oxidation of arsenite is a critical link in the global As cycle, and phylogenetically diverse arsenite-oxidizing microorganisms have been isolated from various aquatic and soil environments. However, despite progress characterizing the metabolism of As in various pure cultures, no functional gene approaches have been developed to determine the importance and distribution of arsenite-oxidizing genes in soil-water-sediment systems. Here we report for the first time the successful amplification of arsenite oxidase-like genes (aroA/asoA/aoxB) from a variety of soil-sediment and geothermal environments where arsenite is known to be oxidized. Prior to the current work, only 16 aroA/asoA/aoxB-like gene sequences were available in GenBank, most of these being putative assignments from homology searches of whole genomes. Although aroA/asoA/aoxB gene sequences are not highly conserved across disparate phyla, degenerate primers were used successfully to characterize over 160 diverse aroA-like sequences from 10 geographically isolated, arsenic-contaminated sites and from 13 arsenite-oxidizing organisms. The primer sets were also useful for confirming the expression of aroA-like genes in an arsenite-oxidizing organism and in geothermal environments where arsenite is oxidized to arsenate. The phylogenetic and ecological diversity of aroA-like sequences obtained from this study suggests that genes for aerobic arsenite oxidation are widely distributed in the bacterial domain, are widespread in soil-water systems containing As, and play a critical role in the biogeochemical cycling of As.
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Affiliation(s)
- William P Inskeep
- Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA.
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41
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Abstract
We evaluated the competitive fitness of three phenanthrene-mineralizing isolates that were provided with nonsorbed or sorbed phenanthrene in competition experiments. One isolate had a clear advantage when presented with Amberlite IRC-50-sorbed phenanthrene, yet none were favored when presented with nonsorbed or Amberlite XAD-7-sorbed phenanthrene. Our results indicate that contaminant availability alone does not determine the isolates' competitive fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory M Colores
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman 59717-3120, USA.
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Hamamura N, Olson SH, Ward DM, Inskeep WP. Microbial population dynamics associated with crude-oil biodegradation in diverse soils. Appl Environ Microbiol 2006; 72:6316-24. [PMID: 16957258 PMCID: PMC1563594 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01015-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [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: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil bacterial population dynamics were examined in several crude-oil-contaminated soils to identify those organisms associated with alkane degradation and to assess patterns in microbial response across disparate soils. Seven soil types obtained from six geographically distinct areas of the United States (Arizona, Oregon, Indiana, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Montana) were used in controlled contamination experiments containing 2% (wt/wt) crude oil spiked with [1-(14)C]hexadecane. Microbial populations present during hydrocarbon degradation were analyzed using both 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and by traditional methods for cultivating hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria. After a 50-day incubation, all seven soils showed comparable hydrocarbon depletion, where >80% of added crude oil was depleted and approximately 40 to 70% of added [(14)C]hexadecane was converted to (14)CO(2). However, the initial rates of hydrocarbon depletion differed up to 10-fold, and preferential utilization of shorter-chain-length n-alkanes relative to longer-chain-length n-alkanes was observed in some soils. Distinct microbial populations developed, concomitant with crude-oil depletion. Phylogenetically diverse bacterial populations were selected across different soils, many of which were identical to hydrocarbon-degrading isolates obtained from the same systems (e.g., Nocardioides albus, Collimonas sp., and Rhodococcus coprophilus). In several cases, soil type was shown to be an important determinant, defining specific microorganisms responding to hydrocarbon contamination. However, similar Rhodococcus erythropolis-like populations were observed in four of the seven soils and were the most common hydrocarbon-degrading organisms identified via cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuko Hamamura
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
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Macur RE, Wheeler JT, Burr MD, Inskeep WP. Impacts of 2,4-D application on soil microbial community structure and on populations associated with 2,4-D degradation. Microbiol Res 2006; 162:37-45. [PMID: 16814534 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2006.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2006] [Revised: 04/06/2006] [Accepted: 05/14/2006] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The effect of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) application rate on microbial community structure and on the diversity of dominant 2,4-D degrading bacteria in an agricultural soil was examined using cultivation-independent molecular techniques coupled with traditional isolation and enumeration methods. Fingerprints of microbial communities established under increasing concentrations of 2,4-D (0-500 mg kg-1) in batch soil microcosms were obtained using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene segments. While a 2,4-D concentration of at least 100 mg kg-1 was required to obtain an apparent change in the community structure as visualized by DGGE, the greatest impact of 2,4-D concentration occurred in the 500 mg kg-1 treatment, resulting in significantly reduced diversity of the dominant populations and enrichment by Burkholderia-like populations. The greatest diversity of 2,4-D degrading isolates was cultivated from the 10 mg kg-1 treatment, indicating that under these conditions, cultivation was more sensitive than DGGE for detecting changes in community structure. Most of these isolates harbored homologs of Ralstonia eutrophus JMP134 and Burkholderia cepacia tfdA catabolic genes. Results from this study revealed that agriculturally relevant application rates of 2,4-D may provide a temporary selective advantage for organisms capable of utilizing 2,4-D as a carbon and energy source.
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MESH Headings
- 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid/metabolism
- 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid/pharmacology
- Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology
- Bacteria/classification
- Bacteria/drug effects
- Bacteria/genetics
- Bacteria/growth & development
- Bacteria/isolation & purification
- Biodiversity
- Colony Count, Microbial
- DNA Fingerprinting
- DNA, Bacterial/chemistry
- DNA, Bacterial/genetics
- DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry
- DNA, Ribosomal/genetics
- Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
- Genes, rRNA
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Phylogeny
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- RNA, Bacterial/genetics
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
- Soil Microbiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard E Macur
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University-Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
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Hamamura N, Olson SH, Ward DM, Inskeep WP. Diversity and functional analysis of bacterial communities associated with natural hydrocarbon seeps in acidic soils at Rainbow Springs, Yellowstone National Park. Appl Environ Microbiol 2005; 71:5943-50. [PMID: 16204508 PMCID: PMC1265959 DOI: 10.1128/aem.71.10.5943-5950.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [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: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper we describe the bacterial communities associated with natural hydrocarbon seeps in nonthermal soils at Rainbow Springs, Yellowstone National Park. Soil chemical analysis revealed high sulfate concentrations and low pH values (pH 2.8 to 3.8), which are characteristic of acid-sulfate geothermal activity. The hydrocarbon composition of the seep soils consisted almost entirely of saturated, acyclic alkanes (e.g., n-alkanes with chain lengths of C15 to C30, as well as branched alkanes, predominately pristane and phytane). Bacterial populations present in the seep soils were phylogenetically characterized by 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis. The majority of the sequences recovered (>75%) were related to sequences of heterotrophic acidophilic bacteria, including Acidisphaera spp. and Acidiphilium spp. of the alpha-Proteobacteria. Clones related to the iron- and sulfur-oxidizing chemolithotroph Acidithiobacillus spp. were also recovered from one of the seep soils. Hydrocarbon-amended soil-sand mixtures were established to examine [14C]hexadecane mineralization and corresponding changes in the bacterial populations using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene fragments. Approximately 50% of the [14C]hexadecane added was recovered as 14CO2 during an 80-day incubation, and this was accompanied by detection of heterotrophic acidophile-related sequences as dominant DGGE bands. An alkane-degrading isolate was cultivated, whose 16S rRNA gene sequence was identical to the sequence of a dominant DGGE band in the soil-sand mixture, as well as the clone sequence recovered most frequently from the original soil. This and the presence of an alkB gene homolog in this isolate confirmed the alkane degradation capability of one population indigenous to acidic hydrocarbon seep soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natsuko Hamamura
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
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Borch T, Inskeep WP, Harwood JA, Gerlach R. Impact of ferrihydrite and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate on the reductive transformation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by a gram-positive fermenting bacterium. Environ Sci Technol 2005; 39:7126-33. [PMID: 16201638 DOI: 10.1021/es0504441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Batch studies were conducted to explore differences in the transformation pathways of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) reduction by a Gram-positive fermenting bacterium (Cellulomonas sp. strain ES6) in the presence and absence of ferrihydrite and the electron shuttle anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS). Strain ES6 was capable of TNT and ferrihydrite reduction with increased reduction rates in the presence of AQDS. Hydroxylaminodinitrotoluenes, 2,4-dihydroxylamino-6-nitrotoluene (2,4-DHANT), and tetranitroazoxytoluenes were the major metabolites observed in ferrihydrite- and AQDS-free systems in the presence of pure cell cultures. Ferrihydrite enhanced the production of amino derivatives because of reactions with microbially produced surface-associated Fe(ll). The presence of AQDS in the absence of ferrihydrite promoted the fast initial formation of arylhydroxylamines such as 2,4-DHANT. However, unlike in pure cell systems, these arylhydroxylamines were transformed into several unidentified polar products. When both microbially reduced ferrihydrite and AQDS were present simultaneously, the reduction of TNT was more rapid and complete via pathways thatwould have been difficult to infer solely from single component studies. This study demonstrates the complexity of TNT degradation patterns in model systems where the interactions among bacteria, Fe minerals, and organic matter have a pronounced effect on the degradation pathway of TNT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Borch
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
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46
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Donahoe-Christiansen J, D'Imperio S, Jackson CR, Inskeep WP, McDermott TR. Arsenite-oxidizing Hydrogenobaculum strain isolated from an acid-sulfate-chloride geothermal spring in Yellowstone National Park. Appl Environ Microbiol 2004; 70:1865-8. [PMID: 15006819 PMCID: PMC368298 DOI: 10.1128/aem.70.3.1865-1868.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
An arsenite-oxidizing Hydrogenobaculum strain was isolated from a geothermal spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., that was previously shown to contain microbial populations engaged in arsenite oxidation. The isolate was sensitive to both arsenite and arsenate and behaved as an obligate chemolithoautotroph that used H(2) as its sole energy source and had an optimum temperature of 55 to 60 degrees C and an optimum pH of 3.0. The arsenite oxidation in this organism displayed saturation kinetics and was strongly inhibited by H(2)S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Donahoe-Christiansen
- Thermal Biology Institute and Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
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47
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Kocar BD, Garrott RA, Inskeep WP. Elk exposure to arsenic in geothermal watersheds of Yellowstone National Park, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem 2004; 23:982-989. [PMID: 15095895 DOI: 10.1897/03-150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Geothermal activity in Yellowstone National Park (WY, USA) (YNP) results in elevated levels of arsenic in surface waters, aquatic vegetation, and sediments in the Upper Madison River Basin. This study was conducted to determine concentrations of arsenic in the tissues, feces, and rumen contents of elk (Cervus elaphus) residing in the Madison-Firehole (MF) River basin, and to evaluate potential arsenic exposure pathways. Concentrations of total arsenic in MF elk were significantly higher than in control elk populations, and analysis of arsenic in surface waters, elk forage, sediments, and soils suggests that the predominant arsenic exposure pathways are forage species found in aquatic and riparian habitats. Analysis of arsenic species in selected plant and elk samples indicated that the ingested forms of arsenic are predominantly inorganic, while the appearance of dimethylarsonate in elk rumen and feces suggests that arsenic is subject to methylation reactions after ingestion, potentially contributing to arsenic detoxification. Arsenic:creatinine ratios of elk urine samples analyzed across three different winters increased during winter progression and were correlated with total snow water equivalent as an index of winter severity. Exposure to arsenic and other trace elements (fluorine) may contribute to the previously observed decreased life expectancy of MF elk relative to control populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Kocar
- Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94305, USA
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48
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Macur RE, Jackson CR, Botero LM, McDermott TR, Inskeep WP. Bacterial populations associated with the oxidation and reduction of arsenic in an unsaturated soil. Environ Sci Technol 2004; 38:104-111. [PMID: 14740724 DOI: 10.1021/es034455a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Microbial populations responsible for the oxidation and reduction of As were examined in unsaturated (aerobic) soil columns treated with 75 microM arsenite [As(III)] or 250 microM arsenate [As(V)]. Arsenite [As(III)] was rapidly oxidized to As(V) via microbial activity, whereas no apparent reduction of As(V) was observed in the column experiments. Eight aerobic heterotrophic bacteria with varying As redox phenotypes were isolated from the same columns. Three isolates, identified as Agrobacterium tumefaciens-, Pseudomonas fluorescens-, and Variovorax paradoxus-like organisms (based on 16S sequence), were As(III) oxidizers, and all were detected in community DNA fingerprints generated by PCR coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The five other isolates were identified (16S gene sequence) as A. tumefaciens, Flavobacterium sp., Microbacterium sp., and two Arthrobacter sp. -like organisms and were shown to rapidly reduce As(V) under aerobic conditions. Although the two A. tumefaciens-like isolates exhibited opposite As redox activity,their 16S rDNA sequences (approximately 1400 bp) were 100% identical, and both were shown to contain putative arsC genes. Our results support the hypothesis that bacteria capable of either oxidizing As(III) or reducing As(V) coexist and are ubiquitous in soil environments, suggesting that the relative abundance and metabolic activity of specific microbial populations plays an important role in the speciation of inorganic As in soil pore waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard E Macur
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University-Bozeman, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
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49
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Abstract
Photochemical reactions involving aqueous Fe(III) complexes are known to generate free radical species such as OH* that are capable of oxidizing numerous inorganic and organic compounds. Recent work has shown that As(III) can be oxidized to As(V) via photochemical reactions in ferric-citrate solutions; however, the mechanisms of As(III) oxidation and the potential importance of photochemical oxidation in natural waters are poorly understood. Consequently, the objectives of this study were to evaluate oxidation rates of As(III) in irradiated ferrioxalate solutions as a function of pH, identify mechanisms of photochemical As(III) oxidation, and evaluate the oxidation of As(III) in a representative natural water containing dissolved organic C (DOC). The oxidation of As(III) was studied in irradiated ferrioxalate solutions as a function of pH (3-7), As(III), Fe(III), and 2-propanol concentration. Rates of As(III) oxidation (0.5-254 microM h(-1)) were first-order in As(III) and Fe(III) concentration and increased with decreasing pH. Experiments conducted at pH 5.0 using 2-propanol as an OH* scavenger in light and dark reactions suggested that OH* is the important free radical responsible for As(III) oxidation. Significant rates of As(III) oxidation (4-6 microM h(-1)) were also observed in a natural water sample containing DOC, indicating that photochemical oxidation of As(III) may contribute to arsenic (As) cycling in natural waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Kocar
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717-3120, USA
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50
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Macur RE, Wheeler JT, McDermott TR, Inskeep WP. Microbial populations associated with the reduction and enhanced mobilization of arsenic in mine tailings. Environ Sci Technol 2001; 35:3676-3682. [PMID: 11783644 DOI: 10.1021/es0105461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Microbial reduction of arsenate [As(V)] to arsenite [As(III)] and the subsequent effects on As mobilization in contaminated mine tailings were studied under transport conditions. Molecular analysis of bacterial populations and traditional isolation techniques were used in conjunction with column experiments designed to observe relationships among pH (limed vs unlimed treatments), redox potential (Pt electrode), and mobilization of As. Liming increased pH values from approximately 4 to 8, resulting in a 5-fold increase in total As eluted from sterile columns. Elution of As from limed columns was further enhanced by microbial activity. As(III) was the predominant As species eluted from oxic, nonsterile columns. Conversely, in sterile treatments, As(V) was the predominant valence state in column effluent. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis coupled with sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene segments revealed that liming of the mine tailings stimulated specific Caulobacter-, Sphingomonas-, and Rhizobium-like populations. Pure culture isolates of these bacteria demonstrated the ability to rapidly reduce As(V) in aerated serum bottles. An intracellular As detoxification pathway was implicated in the reduction of As(V) by these isolates. These results indicate that microbial reduction of As(V) in As-contaminated soils may occur under aerobic conditions over relatively short time scales resulting in enhanced As mobilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Macur
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University-Bozeman, 59717, USA
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