151
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Cultivation and sequencing of rumen microbiome members from the Hungate1000 Collection. Nat Biotechnol 2018; 36:359-367. [PMID: 29553575 PMCID: PMC6118326 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.4110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 317] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Rumen microbiome biology gets a boost with the release of 410 high-quality reference genomes from the Hungate1000 project. Productivity of ruminant livestock depends on the rumen microbiota, which ferment indigestible plant polysaccharides into nutrients used for growth. Understanding the functions carried out by the rumen microbiota is important for reducing greenhouse gas production by ruminants and for developing biofuels from lignocellulose. We present 410 cultured bacteria and archaea, together with their reference genomes, representing every cultivated rumen-associated archaeal and bacterial family. We evaluate polysaccharide degradation, short-chain fatty acid production and methanogenesis pathways, and assign specific taxa to functions. A total of 336 organisms were present in available rumen metagenomic data sets, and 134 were present in human gut microbiome data sets. Comparison with the human microbiome revealed rumen-specific enrichment for genes encoding de novo synthesis of vitamin B12, ongoing evolution by gene loss and potential vertical inheritance of the rumen microbiome based on underrepresentation of markers of environmental stress. We estimate that our Hungate genome resource represents ∼75% of the genus-level bacterial and archaeal taxa present in the rumen.
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152
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Porter TM, Hajibabaei M. Scaling up: A guide to high-throughput genomic approaches for biodiversity analysis. Mol Ecol 2018; 27:313-338. [PMID: 29292539 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Revised: 12/11/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to present the most common and emerging DNA-based methods used to generate data for biodiversity and biomonitoring studies. As environmental assessment and monitoring programmes may require biodiversity information at multiple levels, we pay particular attention to the DNA metabarcoding method and discuss a number of bioinformatic tools and considerations for producing DNA-based indicators using operational taxonomic units (OTUs), taxa at a variety of ranks and community composition. By developing the capacity to harness the advantages provided by the newest technologies, investigators can "scale up" by increasing the number of samples and replicates processed, the frequency of sampling over time and space, and even the depth of sampling such as by sequencing more reads per sample or more markers per sample. The ability to scale up is made possible by the reduced hands-on time and cost per sample provided by the newest kits, platforms and software tools. Results gleaned from broad-scale monitoring will provide opportunities to address key scientific questions linked to biodiversity and its dynamics across time and space as well as being more relevant for policymakers, enabling science-based decision-making, and provide a greater socio-economic impact. As genomic approaches are continually evolving, we provide this guide to methods used in biodiversity genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresita M Porter
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario and Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.,Natural Resources Canada, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada
| | - Mehrdad Hajibabaei
- Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario and Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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153
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Stewart RD, Auffret MD, Warr A, Wiser AH, Press MO, Langford KW, Liachko I, Snelling TJ, Dewhurst RJ, Walker AW, Roehe R, Watson M. Assembly of 913 microbial genomes from metagenomic sequencing of the cow rumen. Nat Commun 2018; 9:870. [PMID: 29491419 PMCID: PMC5830445 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03317-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 303] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The cow rumen is adapted for the breakdown of plant material into energy and nutrients, a task largely performed by enzymes encoded by the rumen microbiome. Here we present 913 draft bacterial and archaeal genomes assembled from over 800 Gb of rumen metagenomic sequence data derived from 43 Scottish cattle, using both metagenomic binning and Hi-C-based proximity-guided assembly. Most of these genomes represent previously unsequenced strains and species. The draft genomes contain over 69,000 proteins predicted to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism, over 90% of which do not have a good match in public databases. Inclusion of the 913 genomes presented here improves metagenomic read classification by sevenfold against our own data, and by fivefold against other publicly available rumen datasets. Thus, our dataset substantially improves the coverage of rumen microbial genomes in the public databases and represents a valuable resource for biomass-degrading enzyme discovery and studies of the rumen microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Stewart
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, EH25 9RG, UK
| | | | - Amanda Warr
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Andrew H Wiser
- Phase Genomics, 4000 Mason Road, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | | | | | - Ivan Liachko
- Phase Genomics, 4000 Mason Road, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | | | | | - Alan W Walker
- The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK
| | - Rainer Roehe
- Scotland's Rural College, Edinburgh, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Mick Watson
- The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, EH25 9RG, UK.
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154
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Bernatchez S, Anoop V, Saikali Z, Breton M. A microbial identification framework for risk assessment. Food Chem Toxicol 2018; 116:60-65. [PMID: 29458165 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.02.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Micro-organisms are increasingly used in a variety of products for commercial uses, including cleaning products. Such microbial-based cleaning products (MBCP) are represented as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to chemically based cleaning products. The identity of the micro-organisms formulated into these products is often considered confidential business information and is not revealed or it is only partly revealed (i.e., identification to the genus, not to the species). That paucity of information complicates the evaluation of the risk associated with their use. The accurate taxonomic identification of those micro-organisms is important so that a suitable risk assessment of the products can be conducted. To alleviate difficulties associated with adequate identification of micro-organisms in MBCP and other products containing micro-organisms, a microbial identification framework for risk assessment (MIFRA) has been elaborated. It serves to provide guidance on a polyphasic tiered approach, combining the data obtained from the use of various methods (i.e., polyphasic approach) combined with the sequential selection of the methods (i.e., tiered) to achieve a satisfactory identity of the micro-organism to an acceptable taxonomic level. The MIFRA is suitable in various risk assessment contexts for micro-organisms used in any commercial product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Bernatchez
- Biotechnology Section, New Substances Control and Assessment Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Valar Anoop
- Biotechnology Section, New Substances Control and Assessment Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Zeina Saikali
- Regulatory Science and Policy, Biotechnology Section, Emerging Priorities Division, Environment Canada, Gatineau, Québec K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Marie Breton
- Biotechnology Section, New Substances Control and Assessment Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0K9, Canada.
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155
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Abstract
CRISPR-Cas genome editing technologies have revolutionized modern molecular biology by making targeted DNA edits simple and scalable. These technologies are developed by domesticating naturally occurring microbial adaptive immune systems that display wide diversity of functionality for targeted nucleic acid cleavage. Several CRISPR-Cas single effector enzymes have been characterized and engineered for use in mammalian cells. The unique properties of the single effector enzymes can make a critical difference in experimental use or targeting specificity. This review describes known single effector enzymes and discusses their use in genome engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neena K. Pyzocha
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Sidi Chen
- Department of Genetics, Yale University, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United States
- System Biology Institute, 850 West Campus Drive, ISTC 361, West Haven, Connecticut 06516, United States
- MCGD Program, Yale University, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United States
- Immunobiology Program, Yale University, 300 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United States
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United States
- Stem Cell Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United States
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156
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Free-living bacteria and potential bacterial pathogens in sewage treatment plants. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:2455-2464. [PMID: 29396586 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8796-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
To comprehensively understand the profile of free-living bacteria and potential bacterial pathogens in sewage treatment plants (STPs), this study applied high-throughput sequencing-based metagenomics approaches to investigate the effects of activated sludge (AS) treatment process and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection on the community of bacterial pathogens in two full-scale STPs. A total of 23 bacterial genera were identified as free-living bacteria, and 243 species/OTU97% were identified as potential bacterial pathogens, 6 of which were confidently detected in the STPs (with the total abundances ranging from 0.02 to 14.19%). Both diversity and relative abundance of the detected bacterial pathogens decreased obviously after AS treatment process (p < 0.05), and increased slightly after sedimentation (p < 0.05). UV disinfection shows no obvious effects on the total relative abundance of the free-living pathogenic bacteria in sewage. Although large amounts of the particle-bound pathogens were eliminated through the sewage treatment process, the STPs could not effectively remove the free-living bacterial pathogens, and some pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa) present in the effluent had higher relative abundance after UV disinfection. Overall, the results extend our knowledge regarding the community of potential pathogens (especially free-living pathogens) in STPs.
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157
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.Newton MS, Arcus VL, Gerth ML, Patrick WM. Enzyme evolution: innovation is easy, optimization is complicated. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2018; 48:110-116. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2017.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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158
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Increased diversity of peptidic natural products revealed by modification-tolerant database search of mass spectra. Nat Microbiol 2018; 3:319-327. [PMID: 29358742 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-017-0094-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Peptidic natural products (PNPs) include many antibiotics and other bioactive compounds. While the recent launch of the Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) molecular networking infrastructure is transforming PNP discovery into a high-throughput technology, PNP identification algorithms are needed to realize the potential of the GNPS project. GNPS relies on the assumption that each connected component of a molecular network (representing related metabolites) illuminates the 'dark matter of metabolomics' as long as it contains a known metabolite present in a database. We reveal a surprising diversity of PNPs produced by related bacteria and show that, contrary to the 'comparative metabolomics' assumption, two related bacteria are unlikely to produce identical PNPs (even though they are likely to produce similar PNPs). Since this observation undermines the utility of GNPS, we developed a PNP identification tool, VarQuest, that illuminates the connected components in a molecular network even if they do not contain known PNPs and only contain their variants. VarQuest reveals an order of magnitude more PNP variants than all previous PNP discovery efforts and demonstrates that GNPS already contains spectra from 41% of the currently known PNP families. The enormous diversity of PNPs suggests that biosynthetic gene clusters in various microorganisms constantly evolve to generate a unique spectrum of PNP variants that differ from PNPs in other species.
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159
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Delgado-Baquerizo M, Oliverio AM, Brewer TE, Benavent-González A, Eldridge DJ, Bardgett RD, Maestre FT, Singh BK, Fierer N. A global atlas of the dominant bacteria found in soil. Science 2018; 359:320-325. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aap9516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 914] [Impact Index Per Article: 152.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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160
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Acuña-Amador L, Primot A, Cadieu E, Roulet A, Barloy-Hubler F. Genomic repeats, misassembly and reannotation: a case study with long-read resequencing of Porphyromonas gingivalis reference strains. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:54. [PMID: 29338683 PMCID: PMC5771137 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-4429-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Without knowledge of their genomic sequences, it is impossible to make functional models of the bacteria that make up human and animal microbiota. Unfortunately, the vast majority of publicly available genomes are only working drafts, an incompleteness that causes numerous problems and constitutes a major obstacle to genotypic and phenotypic interpretation. In this work, we began with an example from the class Bacteroidia in the phylum Bacteroidetes, which is preponderant among human orodigestive microbiota. We successfully identify the genetic loci responsible for assembly breaks and misassemblies and demonstrate the importance and usefulness of long-read sequencing and curated reannotation. RESULTS We showed that the fragmentation in Bacteroidia draft genomes assembled from massively parallel sequencing linearly correlates with genomic repeats of the same or greater size than the reads. We also demonstrated that some of these repeats, especially the long ones, correspond to misassembled loci in three reference Porphyromonas gingivalis genomes marked as circularized (thus complete or finished). We prove that even at modest coverage (30X), long-read resequencing together with PCR contiguity verification (rrn operons and an integrative and conjugative element or ICE) can be used to identify and correct the wrongly combined or assembled regions. Finally, although time-consuming and labor-intensive, consistent manual biocuration of three P. gingivalis strains allowed us to compare and correct the existing genomic annotations, resulting in a more accurate interpretation of the genomic differences among these strains. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we demonstrate the usefulness and importance of long-read sequencing in verifying published genomes (even when complete) and generating assemblies for new bacterial strains/species with high genomic plasticity. We also show that when combined with biological validation processes and diligent biocurated annotation, this strategy helps reduce the propagation of errors in shared databases, thus limiting false conclusions based on incomplete or misleading information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Acuña-Amador
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, CNRS, UMR6290, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.,Laboratorio de Investigación en Bacteriología Anaerobia, Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Aline Primot
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, CNRS, UMR6290, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Edouard Cadieu
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, CNRS, UMR6290, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France
| | - Alain Roulet
- GenoToul Genome & Transcriptome (GeT-PlaGe), INRA, US1426, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Frédérique Barloy-Hubler
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, CNRS, UMR6290, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes, France.
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161
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Carro L, Nouioui I, Sangal V, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Trujillo ME, Montero-Calasanz MDC, Sahin N, Smith DL, Kim KE, Peluso P, Deshpande S, Woyke T, Shapiro N, Kyrpides NC, Klenk HP, Göker M, Goodfellow M. Genome-based classification of micromonosporae with a focus on their biotechnological and ecological potential. Sci Rep 2018; 8:525. [PMID: 29323202 PMCID: PMC5765111 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17392-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a need to clarify relationships within the actinobacterial genus Micromonospora, the type genus of the family Micromonosporaceae, given its biotechnological and ecological importance. Here, draft genomes of 40 Micromonospora type strains and two non-type strains are made available through the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project and used to generate a phylogenomic tree which showed they could be assigned to well supported phyletic lines that were not evident in corresponding trees based on single and concatenated sequences of conserved genes. DNA G+C ratios derived from genome sequences showed that corresponding data from species descriptions were imprecise. Emended descriptions include precise base composition data and approximate genome sizes of the type strains. antiSMASH analyses of the draft genomes show that micromonosporae have a previously unrealised potential to synthesize novel specialized metabolites. Close to one thousand biosynthetic gene clusters were detected, including NRPS, PKS, terpenes and siderophores clusters that were discontinuously distributed thereby opening up the prospect of prioritising gifted strains for natural product discovery. The distribution of key stress related genes provide an insight into how micromonosporae adapt to key environmental variables. Genes associated with plant interactions highlight the potential use of micromonosporae in agriculture and biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Carro
- School of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
| | - Imen Nouioui
- School of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Vartul Sangal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Jan P Meier-Kolthoff
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Inhoffenstraße 7B, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Martha E Trujillo
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Genetica, Lab 214, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | | | - Nevzat Sahin
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Art and Science, Ondokuz Mayis University, Kurupelit-Samsun, Turkey
| | - Darren Lee Smith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Kristi E Kim
- Pacific Biosciences, 1380 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Paul Peluso
- Pacific Biosciences, 1380 Willow Rd, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | | | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA
| | - Nicole Shapiro
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California, USA
| | | | - Hans-Peter Klenk
- School of Biology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
| | - Markus Göker
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Inhoffenstraße 7B, Braunschweig, Germany
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162
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Janata J, Kamenik Z, Gazak R, Kadlcik S, Najmanova L. Biosynthesis and incorporation of an alkylproline-derivative (APD) precursor into complex natural products. Nat Prod Rep 2018. [DOI: 10.1039/c7np00047b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
This review covers the biosynthetic and evolutionary aspects of lincosamide antibiotics, antitumour pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBDs) and the quorum-sensing molecule hormaomycin.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Janata
- Institute of Microbiology
- Czech Academy of Sciences
- BIOCEV
- Vestec
- Czech Republic
| | - Z. Kamenik
- Institute of Microbiology
- Czech Academy of Sciences
- BIOCEV
- Vestec
- Czech Republic
| | - R. Gazak
- Institute of Microbiology
- Czech Academy of Sciences
- BIOCEV
- Vestec
- Czech Republic
| | - S. Kadlcik
- Institute of Microbiology
- Czech Academy of Sciences
- BIOCEV
- Vestec
- Czech Republic
| | - L. Najmanova
- Institute of Microbiology
- Czech Academy of Sciences
- BIOCEV
- Vestec
- Czech Republic
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163
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Abstract
Sequence and structure space are nowadays sufficiently large that we can use computational methods to model the structure of proteins based on sequence similarity alone. Not only useful as a standalone tool, homology modelling has also had a transformative effect on the ease with which we can solve crystal structures and electron density maps. Another technique-molecular dynamics-aims to model protein structures from first principles and, thanks to increases in computational power, is slowly becoming a viable tool for studying protein complexes. Finally, the prediction of protein assembly pathways from three-dimensional structures of complexes is also now becoming possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan N Wells
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - L Therese Bergendahl
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joseph A Marsh
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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164
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Baltz RH. Synthetic biology, genome mining, and combinatorial biosynthesis of NRPS-derived antibiotics: a perspective. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 45:635-649. [PMID: 29288438 DOI: 10.1007/s10295-017-1999-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Combinatorial biosynthesis of novel secondary metabolites derived from nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) has been in slow development for about a quarter of a century. Progress has been hampered by the complexity of the giant multimodular multienzymes. More recently, advances have been made on understanding the chemical and structural biology of these complex megaenzymes, and on learning the design rules for engineering functional hybrid enzymes. In this perspective, I address what has been learned about successful engineering of complex lipopeptides related to daptomycin, and discuss how synthetic biology and microbial genome mining can converge to broaden the scope and enhance the speed and robustness of combinatorial biosynthesis of NRPS-derived natural products for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard H Baltz
- CognoGen Biotechnology Consulting, 7636 Andora Drive, Sarasota, FL, 34238, USA.
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165
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Yassin AF, Langenberg S, Huntemann M, Clum A, Pillay M, Palaniappan K, Varghese N, Mikhailova N, Mukherjee S, Reddy TBK, Daum C, Shapiro N, Ivanova N, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC. Draft genome sequence of Actinotignum schaalii DSM 15541T: Genetic insights into the lifestyle, cell fitness and virulence. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0188914. [PMID: 29216246 PMCID: PMC5720513 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The permanent draft genome sequence of Actinotignum schaalii DSM 15541T is presented. The annotated genome includes 2,130,987 bp, with 1777 protein-coding and 58 rRNA-coding genes. Genome sequence analysis revealed absence of genes encoding for: components of the PTS systems, enzymes of the TCA cycle, glyoxylate shunt and gluconeogensis. Genomic data revealed that A. schaalii is able to oxidize carbohydrates via glycolysis, the nonoxidative pentose phosphate and the Entner-Doudoroff pathways. Besides, the genome harbors genes encoding for enzymes involved in the conversion of pyruvate to lactate, acetate and ethanol, which are found to be the end products of carbohydrate fermentation. The genome contained the gene encoding Type I fatty acid synthase required for de novo FAS biosynthesis. The plsY and plsX genes encoding the acyltransferases necessary for phosphatidic acid biosynthesis were absent from the genome. The genome harbors genes encoding enzymes responsible for isoprene biosynthesis via the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. Genes encoding enzymes that confer resistance to reactive oxygen species (ROS) were identified. In addition, A. schaalii harbors genes that protect the genome against viral infections. These include restriction-modification (RM) systems, type II toxin-antitoxin (TA), CRISPR-Cas and abortive infection system. A. schaalii genome also encodes several virulence factors that contribute to adhesion and internalization of this pathogen such as the tad genes encoding proteins required for pili assembly, the nanI gene encoding exo-alpha-sialidase, genes encoding heat shock proteins and genes encoding type VII secretion system. These features are consistent with anaerobic and pathogenic lifestyles. Finally, resistance to ciprofloxacin occurs by mutation in chromosomal genes that encode the subunits of DNA-gyrase (GyrA) and topisomerase IV (ParC) enzymes, while resistant to metronidazole was due to the frxA gene, which encodes NADPH-flavin oxidoreductase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atteyet F. Yassin
- Institut für medizinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie der Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Stefan Langenberg
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde/Chirurgie, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marcel Huntemann
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Alicia Clum
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Manoj Pillay
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Krishnaveni Palaniappan
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Neha Varghese
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohrenheilkunde/Chirurgie, Bonn, Germany
| | - Natalia Mikhailova
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Supratim Mukherjee
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - T. B. K. Reddy
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Chris Daum
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Nicole Shapiro
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Natalia Ivanova
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Tanja Woyke
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
| | - Nikos C. Kyrpides
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Genome Biology Program, Walnut Creek, CA, United States of America
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166
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Nelson CE, Attia MA, Rogowski A, Morland C, Brumer H, Gardner JG. Comprehensive functional characterization of the glycoside hydrolase family 3 enzymes from Cellvibrio japonicus reveals unique metabolic roles in biomass saccharification. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:5025-5039. [PMID: 29052930 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Lignocellulose degradation is central to the carbon cycle and renewable biotechnologies. The xyloglucan (XyG), β(1→3)/β(1→4) mixed-linkage glucan (MLG) and β(1→3) glucan components of lignocellulose represent significant carbohydrate energy sources for saprophytic microorganisms. The bacterium Cellvibrio japonicus has a robust capacity for plant polysaccharide degradation, due to a genome encoding a large contingent of Carbohydrate-Active enZymes (CAZymes), many of whose specific functions remain unknown. Using a comprehensive genetic and biochemical approach, we have delineated the physiological roles of the four C. japonicus glycoside hydrolase family 3 (GH3) members on diverse β-glucans. Despite high protein sequence similarity and partially overlapping activity profiles on disaccharides, these β-glucosidases are not functionally equivalent. Bgl3A has a major role in MLG and sophorose utilization, and supports β(1→3) glucan utilization, while Bgl3B underpins cellulose utilization and supports MLG utilization. Bgl3C drives β(1→3) glucan utilization. Finally, Bgl3D is the crucial β-glucosidase for XyG utilization. This study not only sheds the light on the metabolic machinery of C. japonicus, but also expands the repertoire of characterized CAZymes for future deployment in biotechnological applications. In particular, the precise functional analysis provided here serves as a reference for informed bioinformatics on the genomes of other Cellvibrio and related species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra E Nelson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD, USA
| | - Mohamed A Attia
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Artur Rogowski
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Carl Morland
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
| | - Harry Brumer
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jeffrey G Gardner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD, USA
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167
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Wang L, Dash S, Ng CY, Maranas CD. A review of computational tools for design and reconstruction of metabolic pathways. Synth Syst Biotechnol 2017; 2:243-252. [PMID: 29552648 PMCID: PMC5851934 DOI: 10.1016/j.synbio.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic pathways reflect an organism's chemical repertoire and hence their elucidation and design have been a primary goal in metabolic engineering. Various computational methods have been developed to design novel metabolic pathways while taking into account several prerequisites such as pathway stoichiometry, thermodynamics, host compatibility, and enzyme availability. The choice of the method is often determined by the nature of the metabolites of interest and preferred host organism, along with computational complexity and availability of software tools. In this paper, we review different computational approaches used to design metabolic pathways based on the reaction network representation of the database (i.e., graph or stoichiometric matrix) and the search algorithm (i.e., graph search, flux balance analysis, or retrosynthetic search). We also put forth a systematic workflow that can be implemented in projects requiring pathway design and highlight current limitations and obstacles in computational pathway design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Satyakam Dash
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Chiam Yu Ng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Costas D Maranas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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168
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Starr AE, Deeke SA, Li L, Zhang X, Daoud R, Ryan J, Ning Z, Cheng K, Nguyen LVH, Abou-Samra E, Lavallée-Adam M, Figeys D. Proteomic and Metaproteomic Approaches to Understand Host–Microbe Interactions. Anal Chem 2017; 90:86-109. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b04340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E. Starr
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Shelley A. Deeke
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Leyuan Li
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Xu Zhang
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Rachid Daoud
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - James Ryan
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Zhibin Ning
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Kai Cheng
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Linh V. H. Nguyen
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Elias Abou-Samra
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Mathieu Lavallée-Adam
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Daniel Figeys
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
- Molecular Architecture of Life Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1M1, Canada
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169
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Van Goethem MW, Makhalanyane TP, Cowan DA, Valverde A. Cyanobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria May Facilitate Cooperative Interactions in Niche Communities. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2099. [PMID: 29118751 PMCID: PMC5660985 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypoliths, microbial assemblages found below translucent rocks, provide important ecosystem services in deserts. While several studies have assessed microbial diversity of hot desert hypoliths and whether these communities are metabolically active, the interactions among taxa remain unclear. Here, we assessed the structure, diversity, and co-occurrence patterns of hypolithic communities from the hyperarid Namib Desert by comparing total (DNA) and potentially active (RNA) communities. The potentially active and total hypolithic communities differed in their composition and diversity, with significantly higher levels of Cyanobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria in potentially active hypoliths. Several phyla known to be abundant in total hypolithic communities were metabolically inactive, indicating that some hypolithic taxa may be dormant or dead. The potentially active hypolith network was highly modular in structure with almost exclusively positive co-occurrences (>95% of the total) between taxa. Members of the Cyanobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria were identified as potential keystone taxa, and exhibited numerous positive co-occurrences with other microbes, suggesting that these groups might have important roles in maintaining network topological structure despite their low abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc W Van Goethem
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Thulani P Makhalanyane
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Angel Valverde
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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170
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Kono N, Tomita M, Arakawa K. eRP arrangement: a strategy for assembled genomic contig rearrangement based on replication profiling in bacteria. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:784. [PMID: 29029602 PMCID: PMC5640929 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-4162-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The reduced cost of sequencing has made de novo sequencing and the assembly of draft microbial genomes feasible in any ordinary biology lab. However, the process of finishing and completing the genome remains labor-intensive and computationally challenging in some cases, such as in the study of complete genome sequences, genomic rearrangements, long-range syntenic relationships, and structural variations. Methods Here, we show a contig reordering strategy based on experimental replication profiling (eRP) to recapitulate the bacterial genome structure within draft genomes. During the exponential growth phase, the majority of bacteria show a global genomic copy number gradient that is enriched near the replication origin and gradually declines toward the terminus. Therefore, if genome sequencing is performed with appropriate timing, the short-read coverage reflects this copy number gradient, providing information about the contig positions relative to the replication origin and terminus. Results We therefore investigated the appropriate timing for genomic DNA sampling and developed an algorithm for the reordering of the contigs based on eRP. As a result, this strategy successfully recapitulates the genomic structure of various structural mutants with draft genome sequencing. Conclusions Our strategy was successful for contig rearrangement with intracellular DNA replication behavior mechanisms and can be applied to almost all bacteria because the DNA replication system is highly conserved. Therefore, eRP makes it possible to understand genomic structural information and long-range syntenic relationships using a draft genome that is based on short reads. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-017-4162-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuaki Kono
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Mizukami 246-2, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan.
| | - Masaru Tomita
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Mizukami 246-2, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan
| | - Kazuharu Arakawa
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Mizukami 246-2, Kakuganji, Tsuruoka, Yamagata, 997-0052, Japan
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171
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Draft Genome Sequence of Rubricoccus marinus SG-29 T, a Marine Bacterium within the Family Rhodothermaceae, Which Contains Two Different Rhodopsin Genes. GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS 2017; 5:5/38/e00990-17. [PMID: 28935744 PMCID: PMC5609423 DOI: 10.1128/genomea.00990-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Rubricoccus marinus SG-29T, a bacterium isolated from the western North Pacific Ocean. R. marinus SG-29T possesses two different types of rhodopsin genes and belongs to the family Rhodothermaceae, with which halophilic, thermophilic, and marine bacteria are associated.
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172
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Bartling P, Brinkmann H, Bunk B, Overmann J, Göker M, Petersen J. The Composite 259-kb Plasmid of Martelella mediterranea DSM 17316 T-A Natural Replicon with Functional RepABC Modules from Rhodobacteraceae and Rhizobiaceae. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1787. [PMID: 28983283 PMCID: PMC5613091 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A multipartite genome organization with a chromosome and many extrachromosomal replicons (ECRs) is characteristic for Alphaproteobacteria. The best investigated ECRs of terrestrial rhizobia are the symbiotic plasmids for legume root nodulation and the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. RepABC plasmids represent the most abundant alphaproteobacterial replicon type. The currently known homologous replication modules of rhizobia and Rhodobacteraceae are phylogenetically distinct. In this study, we surveyed type-strain genomes from the One Thousand Microbial Genomes (KMG-I) project and identified a roseobacter-specific RepABC-type operon in the draft genome of the marine rhizobium Martelella mediterranea DSM 17316T. PacBio genome sequencing demonstrated the presence of three circular ECRs with sizes of 593, 259, and 170-kb. The rhodobacteral RepABC module is located together with a rhizobial equivalent on the intermediate sized plasmid pMM259, which likely originated in the fusion of a pre-existing rhizobial ECR with a conjugated roseobacter plasmid. Further evidence for horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is given by the presence of a roseobacter-specific type IV secretion system on the 259-kb plasmid and the rhodobacteracean origin of 62% of the genes on this plasmid. Functionality tests documented that the genuine rhizobial RepABC module from the Martelella 259-kb plasmid is only maintained in A. tumefaciens C58 (Rhizobiaceae) but not in Phaeobacter inhibens DSM 17395 (Rhodobacteraceae). Unexpectedly, the roseobacter-like replication system is functional and stably maintained in both host strains, thus providing evidence for a broader host range than previously proposed. In conclusion, pMM259 is the first example of a natural plasmid that likely mediates genetic exchange between roseobacters and rhizobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Bartling
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell CulturesBraunschweig, Germany
| | - Henner Brinkmann
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell CulturesBraunschweig, Germany
| | - Boyke Bunk
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell CulturesBraunschweig, Germany
| | - Jörg Overmann
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell CulturesBraunschweig, Germany
| | - Markus Göker
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell CulturesBraunschweig, Germany
| | - Jörn Petersen
- Leibniz-Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell CulturesBraunschweig, Germany
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173
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Recovery of nearly 8,000 metagenome-assembled genomes substantially expands the tree of life. Nat Microbiol 2017; 2:1533-1542. [PMID: 28894102 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-017-0012-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 976] [Impact Index Per Article: 139.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Challenges in cultivating microorganisms have limited the phylogenetic diversity of currently available microbial genomes. This is being addressed by advances in sequencing throughput and computational techniques that allow for the cultivation-independent recovery of genomes from metagenomes. Here, we report the reconstruction of 7,903 bacterial and archaeal genomes from >1,500 public metagenomes. All genomes are estimated to be ≥50% complete and nearly half are ≥90% complete with ≤5% contamination. These genomes increase the phylogenetic diversity of bacterial and archaeal genome trees by >30% and provide the first representatives of 17 bacterial and three archaeal candidate phyla. We also recovered 245 genomes from the Patescibacteria superphylum (also known as the Candidate Phyla Radiation) and find that the relative diversity of this group varies substantially with different protein marker sets. The scale and quality of this data set demonstrate that recovering genomes from metagenomes provides an expedient path forward to exploring microbial dark matter.
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174
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Gerlt JA. Genomic Enzymology: Web Tools for Leveraging Protein Family Sequence-Function Space and Genome Context to Discover Novel Functions. Biochemistry 2017; 56:4293-4308. [PMID: 28826221 PMCID: PMC5569362 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
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The exponentially increasing number
of protein and nucleic acid
sequences provides opportunities to discover novel enzymes, metabolic
pathways, and metabolites/natural products, thereby adding to our
knowledge of biochemistry and biology. The challenge has evolved from
generating sequence information to mining the databases to integrating
and leveraging the available information, i.e., the availability of
“genomic enzymology” web tools. Web tools that allow
identification of biosynthetic gene clusters are widely used by the
natural products/synthetic biology community, thereby facilitating
the discovery of novel natural products and the enzymes responsible
for their biosynthesis. However, many novel enzymes with interesting
mechanisms participate in uncharacterized small-molecule metabolic
pathways; their discovery and functional characterization also can
be accomplished by leveraging information in protein and nucleic acid
databases. This Perspective focuses on two genomic enzymology web
tools that assist the discovery novel metabolic pathways: (1) Enzyme
Function Initiative-Enzyme Similarity Tool (EFI-EST) for generating
sequence similarity networks to visualize and analyze sequence–function
space in protein families and (2) Enzyme Function Initiative-Genome
Neighborhood Tool (EFI-GNT) for generating genome neighborhood networks
to visualize and analyze the genome context in microbial and fungal
genomes. Both tools have been adapted to other applications to facilitate
target selection for enzyme discovery and functional characterization.
As the natural products community has demonstrated, the enzymology
community needs to embrace the essential role of web tools that allow
the protein and genome sequence databases to be leveraged for novel
insights into enzymological problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Gerlt
- Departments of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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175
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