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Ramón A, Esteves A, Villadóniga C, Chalar C, Castro-Sowinski S. A general overview of the multifactorial adaptation to cold: biochemical mechanisms and strategies. Braz J Microbiol 2023; 54:2259-2287. [PMID: 37477802 PMCID: PMC10484896 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-023-01057-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cold environments are more frequent than people think. They include deep oceans, cold lakes, snow, permafrost, sea ice, glaciers, cold soils, cold deserts, caves, areas at elevations greater than 3000 m, and also artificial refrigeration systems. These environments are inhabited by a diversity of eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms that must adapt to the hard conditions imposed by cold. This adaptation is multifactorial and includes (i) sensing the cold, mainly through the modification of the liquid-crystalline membrane state, leading to the activation of a two-component system that transduce the signal; (ii) adapting the composition of membranes for proper functions mainly due to the production of double bonds in lipids, changes in hopanoid composition, and the inclusion of pigments; (iii) producing cold-adapted proteins, some of which show modifications in the composition of amino acids involved in stabilizing interactions and structural adaptations, e.g., enzymes with high catalytic efficiency; and (iv) producing ice-binding proteins and anti-freeze proteins, extracellular polysaccharides and compatible solutes that protect cells from intracellular and extracellular ice. However, organisms also respond by reprogramming their metabolism and specifically inducing cold-shock and cold-adaptation genes through strategies such as DNA supercoiling, distinctive signatures in promoter regions and/or the action of CSPs on mRNAs, among others. In this review, we describe the main findings about how organisms adapt to cold, with a focus in prokaryotes and linking the information with findings in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Ramón
- Sección Bioquímica, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La República, Igua 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Adriana Esteves
- Sección Bioquímica, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La República, Igua 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Carolina Villadóniga
- Laboratorio de Biocatalizadores Y Sus Aplicaciones, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Química Biológica, Universidad de La República, Igua 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Cora Chalar
- Sección Bioquímica, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La República, Igua 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Susana Castro-Sowinski
- Sección Bioquímica, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La República, Igua 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay.
- Laboratorio de Biocatalizadores Y Sus Aplicaciones, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Química Biológica, Universidad de La República, Igua 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay.
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Varliero G, Rafiq M, Singh S, Summerfield A, Sgouridis F, Cowan DA, Barker G. Microbial characterisation and Cold-Adapted Predicted Protein (CAPP) database construction from the active layer of Greenland's permafrost. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:fiab127. [PMID: 34468725 PMCID: PMC8445667 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiab127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Permafrost represents a reservoir for the biodiscovery of cold-adapted proteins which are advantageous in industrial and medical settings. Comparisons between different thermo-adapted proteins can give important information for cold-adaptation bioengineering. We collected permafrost active layer samples from 34 points along a proglacial transect in southwest Greenland. We obtained a deep read coverage assembly (>164x) from nanopore and Illumina sequences for the purposes of i) analysing metagenomic and metatranscriptomic trends of the microbial community of this area, and ii) creating the Cold-Adapted Predicted Protein (CAPP) database. The community showed a similar taxonomic composition in all samples along the transect, with a solid permafrost-shaped community, rather than microbial trends typical of proglacial systems. We retrieved 69 high- and medium-quality metagenome-assembled clusters, 213 complete biosynthetic gene clusters and more than three million predicted proteins. The latter constitute the CAPP database that can provide cold-adapted protein sequence information for protein- and taxon-focused amino acid sequence modifications for the future bioengineering of cold-adapted enzymes. As an example, we focused on the enzyme polyphenol oxidase, and demonstrated how sequence variation information could inform its protein engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilda Varliero
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Natural Sciences 2 Building, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Muhammad Rafiq
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Airport Road, Baleli, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RL, United Kingdom
| | - Swati Singh
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Cl, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom
| | - Annabel Summerfield
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Fotis Sgouridis
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol BS8 1RL, United Kingdom
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Natural Sciences 2 Building, Private Bag X20, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - Gary Barker
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Ave, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
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Sayed AM, Hassan MHA, Alhadrami HA, Hassan HM, Goodfellow M, Rateb ME. Extreme environments: microbiology leading to specialized metabolites. J Appl Microbiol 2019; 128:630-657. [PMID: 31310419 DOI: 10.1111/jam.14386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of multidrug-resistant microbial pathogens due to the continued misuse and overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and medicine is raising the prospect of a return to the preantibiotic days of medicine at the time of diminishing numbers of drug leads. The good news is that an increased understanding of the nature and extent of microbial diversity in natural habitats coupled with the application of new technologies in microbiology and chemistry is opening up new strategies in the search for new specialized products with therapeutic properties. This review explores the premise that harsh environmental conditions in extreme biomes, notably in deserts, permafrost soils and deep-sea sediments select for micro-organisms, especially actinobacteria, cyanobacteria and fungi, with the potential to synthesize new druggable molecules. There is evidence over the past decade that micro-organisms adapted to life in extreme habitats are a rich source of new specialized metabolites. Extreme habitats by their very nature tend to be fragile hence there is a need to conserve those known to be hot-spots of novel gifted micro-organisms needed to drive drug discovery campaigns and innovative biotechnology. This review also provides an overview of microbial-derived molecules and their biological activities focusing on the period from 2010 until 2018, over this time 186 novel structures were isolated from 129 representatives of microbial taxa recovered from extreme habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Sayed
- Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - M H A Hassan
- Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - H A Alhadrami
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.,Special Infectious Agent Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Centre, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - H M Hassan
- Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nahda University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.,Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - M Goodfellow
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - M E Rateb
- School of Computing, Engineering & Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK
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Mackelprang R, Burkert A, Haw M, Mahendrarajah T, Conaway CH, Douglas TA, Waldrop MP. Microbial survival strategies in ancient permafrost: insights from metagenomics. ISME JOURNAL 2017; 11:2305-2318. [PMID: 28696425 PMCID: PMC5607373 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.93] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
In permafrost (perennially frozen ground) microbes survive oligotrophic conditions, sub-zero temperatures, low water availability and high salinity over millennia. Viable life exists in permafrost tens of thousands of years old but we know little about the metabolic and physiological adaptations to the challenges presented by life in frozen ground over geologic time. In this study we asked whether increasing age and the associated stressors drive adaptive changes in community composition and function. We conducted deep metagenomic and 16 S rRNA gene sequencing across a Pleistocene permafrost chronosequence from 19 000 to 33 000 years before present (kyr). We found that age markedly affected community composition and reduced diversity. Reconstruction of paleovegetation from metagenomic sequence suggests vegetation differences in the paleo record are not responsible for shifts in community composition and function. Rather, we observed shifts consistent with long-term survival strategies in extreme cryogenic environments. These include increased reliance on scavenging detrital biomass, horizontal gene transfer, chemotaxis, dormancy, environmental sensing and stress response. Our results identify traits that may enable survival in ancient cryoenvironments with no influx of energy or new materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Mackelprang
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA
| | - Alexander Burkert
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA
| | - Monica Haw
- US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Tara Mahendrarajah
- Department of Biology, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA, USA
| | | | - Thomas A Douglas
- US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Fort Wainwright, AK, USA
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Ronholm J, Raymond-Bouchard I, Creskey M, Cyr T, Cloutis EA, Whyte LG. Characterizing the surface-exposed proteome of Planococcus halocryophilus during cryophilic growth. Extremophiles 2015; 19:619-29. [PMID: 25832669 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-015-0743-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Accepted: 03/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Planococcus halocryophilus OR1 is a bacterial isolate capable of growth at temperatures ranging from -15 to +37 °C. During sub-zero (cryophilic) growth, nodular features appear on its cell surface; however, the biochemical compositions of these features as well as any cold-adaptive benefits they may offer are not understood. This study aimed to identify differences in the cell surface proteome (surfaceome) of P. halocryophilus cells grown under optimal (24 °C, no added salt), low- and mid-salt (5 and 12 % NaCl, respectively) at 24 °C, and low- and mid-salt sub-zero (5 % NaCl at -5 °C and 12 % NaCl at -10 °C) culture conditions, for the purpose of gaining insight into cold-adapted proteomic traits at the cell surface. Mid-log cells were harvested, treated briefly with trypsin and the resultant peptides were purified followed by identification by LC-MS/MS analysis. One hundred and forty-four proteins were subsequently identified in at least one culture condition. Statistically significant differences in amino acid usage, a known indicator of cold adaptation, were identified through in silico analysis. Two proteins with roles in peptidoglycan (PG) metabolism, an N-acetyl-L-alanine amidase and a multimodular transpeptidase-transglycosylase, were detected, though each was only detected under optimal conditions, indicating that high-salt and high-cold stress each affect PG metabolism. Two iron transport-binding proteins, associated with two different iron transport strategies, were identified, indicating that P. halocryophilus uses a different iron acquisition strategy at very low temperatures. Here we present the first set of data that describes bacterial adaptations at the cellular surface that occur as a cryophilic bacterium is transitioned from optimal to near-inhibitory sub-zero culture conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Ronholm
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Rd. Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Montreal, QC, H9X3V9, Canada,
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Abstract
Permafrost constitutes a major portion of the terrestrial cryosphere of the Earth and is a unique ecological niche for cold-adapted microorganisms. There is a relatively high microbial diversity in permafrost, although there is some variation in community composition across different permafrost features and between sites. Some microorganisms are even active at subzero temperatures in permafrost. An emerging concern is the impact of climate change and the possibility of subsequent permafrost thaw promoting microbial activity in permafrost, resulting in increased potential for greenhouse-gas emissions. This Review describes new data on the microbial ecology of permafrost and provides a platform for understanding microbial life strategies in frozen soil as well as the impact of climate change on permafrost microorganisms and their functional roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet K Jansson
- 1] Ecology Department, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, MS 70A-3317 Berkeley, California 94720, USA. [2] Joint Genome Institute (JGI), 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, California 94598, USA. [3] Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville, California 94608, USA. [4] Danish Center for Permafrost (CENPERM), University of Copenhagen, Oester Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen, Denmark. [5] Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, 111 Koshland Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-3102, USA
| | - Neslihan Taş
- Ecology Department, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, MS 70A-3317 Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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Goordial J, Lamarche-Gagnon G, Lay CY, Whyte L. Left Out in the Cold: Life in Cryoenvironments. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-6488-0_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
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Defining the functional potential and active community members of a sediment microbial community in a high-arctic hypersaline subzero spring. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:3637-48. [PMID: 23563939 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00153-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Lost Hammer (LH) Spring is the coldest and saltiest terrestrial spring discovered to date and is characterized by perennial discharges at subzero temperatures (-5°C), hypersalinity (salinity, 24%), and reducing (≈-165 mV), microoxic, and oligotrophic conditions. It is rich in sulfates (10.0%, wt/wt), dissolved H2S/sulfides (up to 25 ppm), ammonia (≈381 μM), and methane (11.1 g day(-1)). To determine its total functional and genetic potential and to identify its active microbial components, we performed metagenomic analyses of the LH Spring outlet microbial community and pyrosequencing analyses of the cDNA of its 16S rRNA genes. Reads related to Cyanobacteria (19.7%), Bacteroidetes (13.3%), and Proteobacteria (6.6%) represented the dominant phyla identified among the classified sequences. Reconstruction of the enzyme pathways responsible for bacterial nitrification/denitrification/ammonification and sulfate reduction appeared nearly complete in the metagenomic data set. In the cDNA profile of the LH Spring active community, ammonia oxidizers (Thaumarchaeota), denitrifiers (Pseudomonas spp.), sulfate reducers (Desulfobulbus spp.), and other sulfur oxidizers (Thermoprotei) were present, highlighting their involvement in nitrogen and sulfur cycling. Stress response genes for adapting to cold, osmotic stress, and oxidative stress were also abundant in the metagenome. Comparison of the composition of the functional community of the LH Spring to metagenomes from other saline/subzero environments revealed a close association between the LH Spring and another Canadian high-Arctic permafrost environment, particularly in genes related to sulfur metabolism and dormancy. Overall, this study provides insights into the metabolic potential and the active microbial populations that exist in this hypersaline cryoenvironment and contributes to our understanding of microbial ecology in extreme environments.
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Kuhn E. Toward understanding life under subzero conditions: the significance of exploring psychrophilic "cold-shock" proteins. ASTROBIOLOGY 2012; 12:1078-86. [PMID: 23082745 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2012.0858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the behavior of proteins under freezing conditions is vital for detecting and locating extraterrestrial life in cold environments, such as those found on Mars and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. This review highlights the importance of studying psychrophilic "cold-shock" proteins, a topic that has yet to be explored. A strategy for analyzing the psychrophilic RNA helicase protein CsdA (Psyc_1082) from Psychrobacter arcticus 273-4 as a key protein for life under freezing temperatures is proposed. The experimental model presented here was developed based on previous data from investigations of Escherichia coli, P. arcticus 273-4, and RNA helicases. P. arcticus 273-4 is considered a model for life in freezing environments. It is capable of growing in temperatures as cold as -10°C by using physiological strategies to survive not only in freezing temperatures but also under low-water-activity and limited-nutrient-availability conditions. The analyses of its genome, transcriptome, and proteome revealed specific adaptations that allow it to inhabit freezing environments by adopting a slow metabolic strategy rather than a cellular dormancy state. During growth at subzero temperatures, P. arcticus 273-4 genes related to energy metabolism and carbon substrate incorporation are downregulated, and genes for maintenance of membranes, cell walls, and nucleic acid motion are upregulated. At -6°C, P. arcticus 273-4 does not upregulate the expression of either RNA or protein chaperones; however, it upregulates the expression of its cold-shock induced DEAD-box RNA helicase protein A (CsdA - Psyc_1082). CsdA - Psyc_1082 was investigated as a key helper protein for sustaining life in subzero conditions. Proving CsdA - Psyc_1082 to be functional as a key protein for life under freezing temperatures may extend the known minimum growth temperature of a mesophilic cell and provide key information about the mechanisms that underlie cold-induced biological systems in icy worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Kuhn
- Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada 89512, USA.
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Hinsa-Leasure SM, Bhavaraju L, Rodrigues JLM, Bakermans C, Gilichinsky DA, Tiedje JM. Characterization of a bacterial community from a Northeast Siberian seacoast permafrost sample. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2010; 74:103-13. [PMID: 20695892 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.00945.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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