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Wutkowska M, Tláskal V, Bordel S, Stein LY, Nweze JA, Daebeler A. Leveraging genome-scale metabolic models to understand aerobic methanotrophs. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae102. [PMID: 38861460 PMCID: PMC11195481 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are valuable tools serving systems biology and metabolic engineering. However, GEMs are still an underestimated tool in informing microbial ecology. Since their first application for aerobic gammaproteobacterial methane oxidizers less than a decade ago, GEMs have substantially increased our understanding of the metabolism of methanotrophs, a microbial guild of high relevance for the natural and biotechnological mitigation of methane efflux to the atmosphere. Particularly, GEMs helped to elucidate critical metabolic and regulatory pathways of several methanotrophic strains, predicted microbial responses to environmental perturbations, and were used to model metabolic interactions in cocultures. Here, we conducted a systematic review of GEMs exploring aerobic methanotrophy, summarizing recent advances, pointing out weaknesses, and drawing out probable future uses of GEMs to improve our understanding of the ecology of methane oxidizers. We also focus on their potential to unravel causes and consequences when studying interactions of methane-oxidizing bacteria with other methanotrophs or members of microbial communities in general. This review aims to bridge the gap between applied sciences and microbial ecology research on methane oxidizers as model organisms and to provide an outlook for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Wutkowska
- Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Tláskal
- Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Sergio Bordel
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, School of Industrial Engineering, University of Valladolid, Valladolid 47011, Spain
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, Valladolid 47011, Spain
| | - Lisa Y Stein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Justus Amuche Nweze
- Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecosystem Biology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Physical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria
| | - Anne Daebeler
- Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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Coppens L, Tschirhart T, Leary DH, Colston SM, Compton JR, Hervey WJ, Dana KL, Vora GJ, Bordel S, Ledesma-Amaro R. Vibrio natriegens genome-scale modeling reveals insights into halophilic adaptations and resource allocation. Mol Syst Biol 2023; 19:e10523. [PMID: 36847213 PMCID: PMC10090949 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Vibrio natriegens is a Gram-negative bacterium with an exceptional growth rate that has the potential to become a standard biotechnological host for laboratory and industrial bioproduction. Despite this burgeoning interest, the current lack of organism-specific qualitative and quantitative computational tools has hampered the community's ability to rationally engineer this bacterium. In this study, we present the first genome-scale metabolic model (GSMM) of V. natriegens. The GSMM (iLC858) was developed using an automated draft assembly and extensive manual curation and was validated by comparing predicted yields, central metabolic fluxes, viable carbon substrates, and essential genes with empirical data. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics data confirmed the translation of at least 76% of the enzyme-encoding genes predicted to be expressed by the model during aerobic growth in a minimal medium. iLC858 was subsequently used to carry out a metabolic comparison between the model organism Escherichia coli and V. natriegens, leading to an analysis of the model architecture of V. natriegens' respiratory and ATP-generating system and the discovery of a role for a sodium-dependent oxaloacetate decarboxylase pump. The proteomics data were further used to investigate additional halophilic adaptations of V. natriegens. Finally, iLC858 was utilized to create a Resource Balance Analysis model to study the allocation of carbon resources. Taken together, the models presented provide useful computational tools to guide metabolic engineering efforts in V. natriegens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Coppens
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tanya Tschirhart
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Dagmar H Leary
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sophie M Colston
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jaimee R Compton
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, USA
| | - William Judson Hervey
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Gary J Vora
- US Naval Research Laboratory, Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sergio Bordel
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, School of Industrial Engineering, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro
- Department of Bioengineering and Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Zhang L, Hong W, Pan Z, Fang W, Shen Z, Cai H. Wastewater treatment effectiveness is facilitated by crucial bacterial communities in the wetland ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:159375. [PMID: 36240933 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms play essential roles in nutrient removal and biogeochemical cycling during wastewater treatment. However, little is known about the main roles of key functional bacterial communities in wastewater treatment processes. We collected 18 water samples and 15 sediment samples from the six operational subsystems of the constructed wetland, among which the contact oxidation pond, enhanced hybrid biofilm reactor, and central stabilization pond are the main wastewater treatment units in the constructed wetland, and then investigated the bacterial communities using 16S rRNA gene targeting and sequencing to address this knowledge gap. The results indicated that the composition of the bacterial community is closely related to the efficiency of pollutant removal. The abundant carbon metabolism function increased the removal of nitrate‑nitrogen (NO3--N) and total nitrogen (TN) by the contact oxidation pond by 89.84 % and 38.91 %, respectively. The overlap of ecological niches and the presence of pathogenic bacteria substantially affect effluent wastewater treatment. Second, NO3--N (p < 0.001) was the most important factor driving the bacterial community composition in water and sediments. Furthermore, the positive structure was prevalent in the cooccurrence network of water samples (87.24 %) and sediments (76.53 %) of the wetland, and this positive structure with keystone species was critical for the adaptation of the bacterial community to environmental filtration. In summary, this study reveals the distribution patterns of bacterial communities in different wastewater treatment processes and their driving factors and provides new perspectives on the link between the bacterial community composition and wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou 239000, China.
| | - Wenqing Hong
- School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou 239000, China
| | - Zhongling Pan
- School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou 239000, China
| | - Wangkai Fang
- School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan 232000, China
| | - Zhen Shen
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Hua Cai
- School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Chuzhou University, Chuzhou 239000, China
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Li C, Ding A, Guo J, Song F, Lu P. Response of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation enrichment to salinity stress: Process and microbiology. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 214:114069. [PMID: 35964668 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) is a novel biological process which could decrease nitrogen pollution and methane emission simultaneously in wastewater treatment. Salinity as a key environmental factor has important effects on microbial community and activity, however, it remains unclear for DAMO microorganisms. In this study, response of the enrichment of DAMO archaea and bacteria to different salinity was investigated from the aspect of process and microbiology. The results showed that the increasing salinity from 0.14% to 25% evidently deteriorated DAMO process, with the average removal rate of nitrate and methane decreased from 1.91 mg N/(L·d) to 0.07 mg N/(L·d) and 3.22 μmol/d to 0.59 μmol/d, respectively. The observed IC50 value of salinity on the DAMO culture was 1.73%. Further microbial analyses at the gene level suggested that the relative abundance of DAMO archaea in the enrichment decreased to 46%, 39%, 38% and 33% of the initial value. However, DAMO bacteria suffered less impact with the relative abundance maintaining over 75% of the initial value (except 1% salinity). In functional genes of DAMO bacteria, pmoA, decreased gradually from 100% to 86%, 43%, 15% and 2%, while mcrA (DAMO archaea) maintained at 67%-97%. This difference probably indicated DAMO bacteria appeared functional inhibition prior to community inhibition, which was opposite for the DAMO archaea. Results above-mentioned concluded that, though the process of nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation was driven by the couple of DAMO archaea and bacteria, they individually featured different response to high salinity stress. These findings could be helpful for the application of DAMO-based process in high salinity wastewater treatment, and also the understanding to DAMO microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China; Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region 's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China; Department of Environmental Science, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Aqiang Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China; Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region 's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China; Department of Environmental Science, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China.
| | - Junliang Guo
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Fuzhong Song
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China; Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region 's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China; Department of Environmental Science, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China
| | - Peili Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China; Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region 's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China; Department of Environmental Science, College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China.
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Carmona-Martínez AA, Marcos-Rodrigo E, Bordel S, Marín D, Herrero-Lobo R, García-Encina PA, Muñoz R. Elucidating the key environmental parameters during the production of ectoines from biogas by mixed methanotrophic consortia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 298:113462. [PMID: 34365180 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a robust biotechnology for the valorisation of organic waste into biogas. However, the rapid decrease in renewable electricity prices requires alternative uses of biogas. In this context, the engineering of innovative platforms for the bio-production of chemicals from CH4 has recently emerged. The extremolyte and osmoprotectant ectoine, with a market price of ~1000€/Kg, is the industrial flagship of CH4-based bio-chemicals. This work aimed at optimizing the accumulation of ectoines using mixed microbial consortia enriched from saline environments (a salt lagoon and a salt river) and activated sludge, and biogas as feedstock. The influence of NaCl (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 %) and Na2WO4 (0, 35 and 70 μg L-1) concentrations and incubation temperature (15, 25 and 35 °C) on the stoichiometry and kinetics of the methanotrophic consortia was investigated. Consortia enriched from activated sludge at 15 °C accumulated the highest yields of ectoine and hydroxyectoine at 6 % NaCl (105.0 ± 27.2 and 24.2 ± 5.4 mgextremolyte gbiomass-1, respectively). The consortia enriched from the salt lagoon accumulated the highest yield of ectoine and hydroxyectoine at 9 % NaCl (56.6 ± 2.5 and 51.0 ± 2.0 mgextremolyte gbiomass-1, respectively) at 25 °C. The supplementation of tungsten to the cultivation medium did not impact on the accumulation of ectoines in any of the consortia. A molecular characterization of the enrichments revealed a relative abundance of ectoine-accumulating methanotrophs of 7-16 %, with Methylomicrobium buryatense and Methylomicrobium japanense as the main players in the bioconversion of methane into ectoine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro A Carmona-Martínez
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain
| | - Eva Marcos-Rodrigo
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain
| | - Sergio Bordel
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain
| | - David Marín
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain
| | - Raquel Herrero-Lobo
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain
| | - Pedro A García-Encina
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain
| | - Raúl Muñoz
- Institute of Sustainable Processes, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology, University of Valladolid, Dr. Mergelina s/n., Valladolid, 47011, Spain.
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Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Responses to Carbon and Nitrogen Sources in Methylomicrobium album BG8. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e0038521. [PMID: 33893121 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00385-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Methanotrophs use methane as their sole carbon and energy source and represent an attractive platform for converting single-carbon feedstocks into value-added compounds. Optimizing these species for biotechnological applications involves choosing an optimal growth substrate based on an understanding of cellular responses to different nutrients. Although many studies of methanotrophs have examined growth rate, yield, and central carbon flux in cultures grown with different carbon and nitrogen sources, few studies have examined more global cellular responses to different media. Here, we evaluated global transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of Methylomicrobium album BG8 when grown with methane or methanol as the carbon source and nitrate or ammonium as the nitrogen source. We identified five key physiological changes during growth on methanol: M. album BG8 cultures upregulated transcripts for the Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways for sugar catabolism, produced more ribosomes, remodeled the phospholipid membrane, activated various stress response systems, and upregulated glutathione-dependent formaldehyde detoxification. When using ammonium, M. album BG8 upregulated hydroxylamine dehydrogenase (haoAB) and overall central metabolic activity, whereas when using nitrate, cultures upregulated genes for nitrate assimilation and conversion. Overall, we identified several nutrient source-specific responses that could provide a valuable basis for future research on the biotechnological optimization of these species. IMPORTANCE Methanotrophs are gaining increasing interest for their biotechnological potential to convert single-carbon compounds into value-added products such as industrial chemicals, fuels, and bioplastics. Optimizing these species for biotechnological applications requires a detailed understanding of how cellular activity and metabolism vary across different growth substrates. Although each of the two most commonly used carbon sources (methane or methanol) and nitrogen sources (ammonium or nitrate) in methanotroph growth media have well-described advantages and disadvantages in an industrial context, their effects on global cellular activity remain poorly characterized. Here, we comprehensively describe the transcriptomic and metabolomic changes that characterize the growth of an industrially promising methanotroph strain on multiple combinations of carbon and nitrogen sources. Our results represent a more holistic evaluation of cellular activity than previous studies of core metabolic pathways and provide a valuable basis for the future biotechnological optimization of these species.
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