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Gaines MC, Sivabalasarma S, Isupov MN, Haque RU, McLaren M, Hanus C, Gold VAM, Albers SV, Daum B. CryoEM reveals the structure of an archaeal pilus involved in twitching motility. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5050. [PMID: 38877033 PMCID: PMC11178815 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45831-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Amongst the major types of archaeal filaments, several have been shown to closely resemble bacterial homologues of the Type IV pili (T4P). Within Sulfolobales, member species encode for three types of T4P, namely the archaellum, the UV-inducible pilus system (Ups) and the archaeal adhesive pilus (Aap). Whereas the archaellum functions primarily in swimming motility, and the Ups in UV-induced cell aggregation and DNA-exchange, the Aap plays an important role in adhesion and twitching motility. Here, we present a cryoEM structure of the Aap of the archaeal model organism Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. We identify the component subunit as AapB and find that while its structure follows the canonical T4P blueprint, it adopts three distinct conformations within the pilus. The tri-conformer Aap structure that we describe challenges our current understanding of pilus structure and sheds new light on the principles of twitching motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew C Gaines
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Shamphavi Sivabalasarma
- Institute of Biology, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michail N Isupov
- Henry Wellcome Building for Biocatalysis, Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Risat Ul Haque
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Mathew McLaren
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Cyril Hanus
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neurosciences of Paris, Inserm UMR1266 - Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Vicki A M Gold
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Institute of Biology, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBBS, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bertram Daum
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Exeter, UK.
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2
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Bartoš O, Chmel M, Swierczková I. The overlooked evolutionary dynamics of 16S rRNA revises its role as the "gold standard" for bacterial species identification. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9067. [PMID: 38643216 PMCID: PMC11032355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59667-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of 16S rRNA has been and largely remains crucial for the identification of microbial organisms. Although 16S rRNA could certainly be described as one of the most studied sequences ever, the current view of it remains somewhat ambiguous. While some consider 16S rRNA to be a variable marker with resolution power down to the strain level, others consider them to be living fossils that carry information about the origin of domains of cellular life. We show that 16S rRNA is clearly an evolutionarily very rigid sequence, making it a largely unique and irreplaceable marker, but its applicability beyond the genus level is highly limited. Interestingly, it seems that the evolutionary rigidity is not driven by functional constraints of the sequence (RNA-protein interactions), but rather results from the characteristics of the host organism. Our results suggest that, at least in some lineages, Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) within genera plays an important role for the evolutionary non-dynamics (stasis) of 16S rRNA. Such genera exhibit an apparent lack of diversification at the 16S rRNA level in comparison to the rest of a genome. However, why it is limited specifically and solely to 16S rRNA remains enigmatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oldřich Bartoš
- Military Health Institute, Military Medical Agency, 16200, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Martin Chmel
- Military Health Institute, Military Medical Agency, 16200, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Infectious Diseases, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, 12108, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Swierczková
- Military Health Institute, Military Medical Agency, 16200, Prague, Czech Republic
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3
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Pi HW, Chiang YR, Li WH. Mapping Geological Events and Nitrogen Fixation Evolution Onto the Timetree of the Evolution of Nitrogen-Fixation Genes. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae023. [PMID: 38319744 PMCID: PMC10881105 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae023] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen is essential for all organisms, but biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) occurs only in a small fraction of prokaryotes. Previous studies divided nitrogenase-gene-carrying prokaryotes into Groups I to IV and provided evidence that BNF first evolved in bacteria. This study constructed a timetree of the evolution of nitrogen-fixation genes and estimated that archaea evolved BNF much later than bacteria and that nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria evolved later than 1,900 MYA, considerably younger than the previous estimate of 2,200 MYA. Moreover, Groups III and II/I diverged ∼2,280 MYA, after the Kenorland supercontinent breakup (∼2,500-2,100 MYA) and the Great Oxidation Event (∼2,400-2,100 MYA); Groups III and Vnf/Anf diverged ∼2,086 MYA, after the Yarrabubba impact (∼2,229 MYA); and Groups II and I diverged ∼1,920 MYA, after the Vredefort impact (∼2,023 MYA). In summary, this study provided a timescale of BNF events and discussed the possible effects of geological events on BNF evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Wei Pi
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115201, Taiwan
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Ru Chiang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115201, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Hsiung Li
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115201, Taiwan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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4
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Liu Q, Li Y, Sun Y, Xie K, Zeng Q, Hao Y, Yang Q, Pu Y, Shi S, Gong Z. Deterioration of sludge characteristics and promotion of antibiotic resistance genes spread with the co-existing of polyvinylchloride microplastics and tetracycline in the sequencing batch reactor. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167544. [PMID: 37797771 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167544] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
With the continuous increase in microplastics (MPs) and tetracycline (TC) entering wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) along with sewage, the co-existence of MPs and TC in the biological treatment of wastewater has attracted extensive attention. This study investigated the effect of 1 mg/L polyvinyl chloride (PVC) MPs and 100 ng/L TC co-existing on sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) (S2) treating phenol wastewater in contrast to the control with TC alone (S1). The phenol removal efficiency was significantly inhibited by the co-existence of PVC MPs and TC. Sludge characteristics were also distinctively influenced. The decreased zone sludge velocity (ZSV) and increased sludge volume index (SVI) indicated that the combined effect of PVC MPs and TC deteriorated sludge settleability, which had positive and negative linear correlations with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content and the protein (PN)/polysaccharide (PS) ratio, respectively. Moreover, the decreased and increased relative abundances of potential phenol-degraders and antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) carriers may elucidate the inhibition of phenol removal and promotion of ARGs propagation with the co-occurrence of PVC MPs and TC. In addition, the enhanced potential ARGs hosts, loss of the EPS protective effect, and increased membrane permeability induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) jointly promoted ARGs dissemination in the co-existence of PVC MPs and TC. Notably, the co-occurrence of ARGs and mobile genetic element (MGEs) indicated that the co-existence of PVC MPs and TC promoted the spread of some transposase-associated ARGs mediated by horizontal gene transfer (HGT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiangwei Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Yuxin Li
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Yanan Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Kunpeng Xie
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Qianzhi Zeng
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Yiming Hao
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Qing Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Yunhong Pu
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China
| | - Shengnan Shi
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China..
| | - Zheng Gong
- School of Life Sciences, Liaoning Normal University; Key Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology of Liaoning Province, Dalian, Liaoning 116081, PR China..
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Abbas Q, Muhammad MA, Shakir NA, Aslam M, Rashid N. Molecular cloning and characterization of Pcal_0039, an ATP-/NAD +-independent DNA ligase from hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum calidifontis. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:126711. [PMID: 37673141 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126711] [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: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
The genome sequence of hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrobaculum calidifontis contains an open reading frame, Pcal_0039, which encodes a putative DNA ligase. Structural analysis disclosed the presence of signature sequences of ATP-dependent DNA ligases. We have heterologously expressed Pcal_0039 gene in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein, majorly produced in soluble form, was purified and functionally characterized. Recombinant Pcal_0039 displayed nick-joining activity between 40 and 85 °C. Optimal activity was observed at 70 °C and pH 5.5. Nick-joining activity was retained even after heating for 1 h at 90 °C, indicating highly thermostable nature of Pcal_0039. The nick-joining activity, displayed by Pcal_0039, was metal ion dependent and Mg2+ was the most preferred. NaCl and KCl inhibited the nick-joining activity at or above 200 mmol/L. The activity catalyzed by recombinant Pcal_0039 was independent of addition of ATP or NAD+ or any other nucleotide cofactor. A mismatch adjacent to the nick, either at 3'- or 5'-end, abolished the nick-joining activity. These characteristics make Pcal_0039 a potential candidate for applications in DNA diagnostics. To the best of our knowledge, Pcal_0039 is the only DNA ligase, characterized from genus Pyrobaculum, which exhibits optimum nick-joining activity at pH below 6.0 and independent of any nucleotide cofactor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qamar Abbas
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Majida Atta Muhammad
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Nisar Ahmad Shakir
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Mehwish Aslam
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Naeem Rashid
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan.
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6
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García I, Chouaia B, Llabrés M, Simeoni M. Exploring the expressiveness of abstract metabolic networks. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281047. [PMID: 36758030 PMCID: PMC9910719 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolism is characterised by chemical reactions linked to each other, creating a complex network structure. The whole metabolic network is divided into pathways of chemical reactions, such that every pathway is a metabolic function. A simplified representation of metabolism, which we call an abstract metabolic network, is a graph in which metabolic pathways are nodes and there is an edge between two nodes if their corresponding pathways share one or more compounds. The abstract metabolic network of a given organism results in a small network that requires low computational power to be analysed and makes it a suitable model to perform a large-scale comparison of organisms' metabolism. To explore the potentials and limits of such a basic representation, we considered a comprehensive set of KEGG organisms, represented through their abstract metabolic network. We performed pairwise comparisons using graph kernel methods and analyse the results through exploratory data analysis and machine learning techniques. The results show that abstract metabolic networks discriminate macro evolutionary events, indicating that they are expressive enough to capture key steps in metabolism evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene García
- Mathematics and Computer Science Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| | - Bessem Chouaia
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
| | - Mercè Llabrés
- Mathematics and Computer Science Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| | - Marta Simeoni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Informatica e Statistica, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy
- European Centre for Living Technology (ECLT), Venice, Italy
- * E-mail:
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7
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Zeldes B, Poehlein A, Jain S, Baum C, Daniel R, Müller V, Basen M. DNA uptake from a laboratory environment drives unexpected adaptation of a thermophile to a minor medium component. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:2. [PMID: 37938748 PMCID: PMC9834392 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00211-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
DNA uptake is widespread among microorganisms and considered a strategy for rapid adaptation to new conditions. While both DNA uptake and adaptation are referred to in the context of natural environments, they are often studied in laboratories under defined conditions. For example, a strain of the thermophile Thermoanaerobacter kivui had been adapted to growth on high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO). Unusual phenotypes of the CO-adapted strain prompted us to examine it more closely, revealing a horizontal gene transfer (HGT) event from another thermophile, Thermoanaerobacter sp. strain X514, being cultured in the same laboratory. The transferred genes conferred on T. kivui the ability to utilize trehalose, a trace component of the yeast-extract added to the media during CO-adaptation. This same HGT event simultaneously deleted a native operon for thiamine biosynthesis, which likely explains why the CO-adapted strain grows poorly without added vitamins. Attempts to replicate this HGT by providing T. kivui with genomic DNA from Thermoanaerobacter sp. strain X514 revealed that it is easily reproducible in the lab. This subtle form of "genome contamination" is difficult to detect, since the genome remains predominantly T. kivui, and no living cells from the original contamination remain. Unexpected HGT between two microorganisms as well as simultaneous adaptation to several conditions may occur often and unrecognized in laboratory environments, requiring caution and careful monitoring of phenotype and genotype of microorganisms that are naturally-competent for DNA uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Zeldes
- Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Anja Poehlein
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Surbhi Jain
- Molecular Microbiology & Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Christoph Baum
- Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology & Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Volker Müller
- Molecular Microbiology & Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Mirko Basen
- Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
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8
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Genomic attributes of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic bacteria and archaea. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 38:135. [PMID: 35695998 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-022-03327-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Thermophiles and hyperthermophiles are immensely useful in understanding the evolution of life, besides their utility in environmental and industrial biotechnology. Advancements in sequencing technologies have revolutionized the field of microbial genomics. The massive generation of data enhances the sequencing coverage multi-fold and allows to analyse the entire genomic features of microbes efficiently and accurately. The mandate of a pure isolate can also be bypassed where whole metagenome-assembled genomes and single cell-based sequencing have fulfilled the majority of the criteria to decode various attributes of microbial genomes. A boom has, therefore, been seen in analysing the extremophilic bacteria and archaea using sequence-based approaches. Due to extensive sequence analysis, it becomes easier to understand the gene flow and their evolution among the members of bacteria and archaea. For instance, sequencing unveiled that Thermotoga maritima shares around 24% of genes of archaeal origin. Comparative and functional genomics provide an analytical view to understanding the microbial diversity of thermophilic bacteria and archaea, their interactions with other microbes, their adaptations, gene flow, and evolution over time. In this review, the genomic features of thermophilic bacteria and archaea are dealt with comprehensively.
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9
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Wani AK, Akhtar N, Sher F, Navarrete AA, Américo-Pinheiro JHP. Microbial adaptation to different environmental conditions: molecular perspective of evolved genetic and cellular systems. Arch Microbiol 2022; 204:144. [PMID: 35044532 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-022-02757-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms are ubiquitous on Earth and can inhabit almost every environment. In a complex heterogeneous environment or in face of ecological disturbance, the microbes adjust to fluctuating environmental conditions through a cascade of cellular and molecular systems. Their habitats differ from cold microcosms of Antarctica to the geothermal volcanic areas, terrestrial to marine, highly alkaline zones to the extremely acidic areas and freshwater to brackish water sources. The diverse ecological microbial niches are attributed to the versatile, adaptable nature under fluctuating temperature, nutrient availability and pH of the microorganisms. These organisms have developed a series of mechanisms to face the environmental changes and thereby keep their role in mediate important ecosystem functions. The underlying mechanisms of adaptable microbial nature are thoroughly investigated at the cellular, genetic and molecular levels. The adaptation is mediated by a spectrum of processes like natural selection, genetic recombination, horizontal gene transfer, DNA damage repair and pleiotropy-like events. This review paper provides the fundamentals insight into the microbial adaptability besides highlighting the molecular network of microbial adaptation under different environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atif Khurshid Wani
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Nahid Akhtar
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Farooq Sher
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK
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Lecocq M, Groussin M, Gouy M, Brochier-Armanet C. The Molecular Determinants of Thermoadaptation: Methanococcales as a Case Study. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:1761-1776. [PMID: 33450027 PMCID: PMC8097290 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous reports have shown that environmental temperature impacts proteome evolution in Bacteria and Archaea. However, it is unknown whether thermoadaptation mainly occurs via the sequential accumulation of substitutions, massive horizontal gene transfers, or both. Measuring the real contribution of amino acid substitution to thermoadaptation is challenging, because of confounding environmental and genetic factors (e.g., pH, salinity, genomic G + C content) that also affect proteome evolution. Here, using Methanococcales, a major archaeal lineage, as a study model, we show that optimal growth temperature is the major factor affecting variations in amino acid frequencies of proteomes. By combining phylogenomic and ancestral sequence reconstruction approaches, we disclose a sequential substitutional scheme in which lysine plays a central role by fine tuning the pool of arginine, serine, threonine, glutamine, and asparagine, whose frequencies are strongly correlated with optimal growth temperature. Finally, we show that colonization to new thermal niches is not associated with high amounts of horizontal gene transfers. Altogether, although the acquisition of a few key proteins through horizontal gene transfer may have favored thermoadaptation in Methanococcales, our findings support sequential amino acid substitutions as the main factor driving thermoadaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Lecocq
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mathieu Groussin
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Manolo Gouy
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Céline Brochier-Armanet
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Villeurbanne, France
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11
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Banerjee R, Chaudhari NM, Lahiri A, Gautam A, Bhowmik D, Dutta C, Chattopadhyay S, Huson DH, Paul S. Interplay of Various Evolutionary Modes in Genome Diversification and Adaptive Evolution of the Family Sulfolobaceae. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:639995. [PMID: 34248865 PMCID: PMC8267890 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.639995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sulfolobaceae family, comprising diverse thermoacidophilic and aerobic sulfur-metabolizing Archaea from various geographical locations, offers an ideal opportunity to infer the evolutionary dynamics across the members of this family. Comparative pan-genomics coupled with evolutionary analyses has revealed asymmetric genome evolution within the Sulfolobaceae family. The trend of genome streamlining followed by periods of differential gene gains resulted in an overall genome expansion in some species of this family, whereas there was reduction in others. Among the core genes, both Sulfolobus islandicus and Saccharolobus solfataricus showed a considerable fraction of positively selected genes and also higher frequencies of gene acquisition. In contrast, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius genomes experienced substantial amount of gene loss and strong purifying selection as manifested by relatively lower genome size and higher genome conservation. Central carbohydrate metabolism and sulfur metabolism coevolved with the genome diversification pattern of this archaeal family. The autotrophic CO2 fixation with three significant positively selected enzymes from S. islandicus and S. solfataricus was found to be more imperative than heterotrophic CO2 fixation for Sulfolobaceae. Overall, our analysis provides an insight into the interplay of various genomic adaptation strategies including gene gain-loss, mutation, and selection influencing genome diversification of Sulfolobaceae at various taxonomic levels and geographical locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachana Banerjee
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Narendrakumar M. Chaudhari
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Abhishake Lahiri
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Anupam Gautam
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
- Department of Pharmacoinformatics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
| | - Debaleena Bhowmik
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
| | - Chitra Dutta
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Sujay Chattopadhyay
- JIS Institute of Advanced Studies and Research, JIS University, Kolkata, India
| | - Daniel H. Huson
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence: Controlling Microbes to Fight Infection, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sandip Paul
- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, India
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12
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Spatial Metagenomics of Three Geothermal Sites in Pisciarelli Hot Spring Focusing on the Biochemical Resources of the Microbial Consortia. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25174023. [PMID: 32899230 PMCID: PMC7570011 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25174023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial hot springs are of great interest to the general public and to scientists alike due to their unique and extreme conditions. These have been sought out by geochemists, astrobiologists, and microbiologists around the globe who are interested in their chemical properties, which provide a strong selective pressure on local microorganisms. Drivers of microbial community composition in these springs include temperature, pH, in-situ chemistry, and biogeography. Microbes in these communities have evolved strategies to thrive in these conditions by converting hot spring chemicals and organic matter into cellular energy. Following our previous metagenomic analysis of Pisciarelli hot springs (Naples, Italy), we report here the comparative metagenomic study of three novel sites, formed in Pisciarelli as result of recent geothermal activity. This study adds comprehensive information about phylogenetic diversity within Pisciarelli hot springs by peeking into possible mechanisms of adaptation to biogeochemical cycles, and high applicative potential of the entire set of genes involved in the carbohydrate metabolism in this environment (CAZome). This site is an excellent model for the study of biodiversity on Earth and biosignature identification, and for the study of the origin and limits of life.
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13
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Song Y, Zhu Z, Zhou W, Zhang YHPJ. High-efficiency transformation of archaea by direct PCR products with its application to directed evolution of a thermostable enzyme. Microb Biotechnol 2020; 14:453-464. [PMID: 32602260 PMCID: PMC7936305 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperthermophilic archaea with unique biochemical and physiological characteristics are important organisms for fundamental research of life science and have great potential for biotechnological applications. However, low transformation efficiency of foreign DNA molecules impedes developments in genetic modification tools and industrial applications. In this study, we applied prolonged overlap extension PCR (POE-PCR) to generate multimeric DNA molecules and then transformed them into two hyperthermophilic archaea, Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 and Pyrococcus yayanosii A1. This study was the first example to demonstrate the enhanced transformation efficiencies of POE-PCR products by a factor of approximately 100 for T. kodakarensis KOD1 and 8 for P. yayanosii A1, respectively, relative to circular shuttle plasmids. Furthermore, directed evolution of a modestly thermophilic enzyme, Methanothermococcus okinawensis 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGR), was conducted to obtain more stable ones due to high transformation efficiency of T. kodakarensis (i.e. ~3 × 104 CFU per μg DNA). T. kodakarensis harbouring the most thermostable MoHMGR mutant can grow in the presence of a thermostable antibiotic simvastatin at 85°C and even higher temperatures. This high transformation efficiency technique could not only help develop more hyperthermophilic enzyme mutants via directed evolution but also simplify genetical modification of archaea, which could be novel hosts for industrial biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhong Song
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Zhiguang Zhu
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, China
| | - Yi-Heng P Job Zhang
- Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin, 300308, China
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14
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Gong P, Lei P, Wang S, Zeng A, Lou H. Post-Translational Modifications Aid Archaeal Survival. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10040584. [PMID: 32290118 PMCID: PMC7226565 DOI: 10.3390/biom10040584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the pioneering work of Carl Woese, Archaea have fascinated biologists of almost all areas given their unique evolutionary status, wide distribution, high diversity, and ability to grow in special environments. Archaea often thrive in extreme conditions such as high temperature, high/low pH, high salinity, and anoxic ecosystems. All of these are threats to the stability and proper functioning of biological molecules, especially proteins and nucleic acids. Post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, and glycosylation, are reportedly widespread in Archaea and represent a critical adaptive mechanism to extreme habitats. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the contributions of PTMs to aid in extremophile survival, with a particular focus on the maintenance of genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Gong
- Hunan Institute of Microbiology, Changsha 410009, China; (P.L.); (S.W.); (A.Z.)
- Correspondence: (P.G.); (H.L.)
| | - Ping Lei
- Hunan Institute of Microbiology, Changsha 410009, China; (P.L.); (S.W.); (A.Z.)
| | - Shengping Wang
- Hunan Institute of Microbiology, Changsha 410009, China; (P.L.); (S.W.); (A.Z.)
| | - Ao Zeng
- Hunan Institute of Microbiology, Changsha 410009, China; (P.L.); (S.W.); (A.Z.)
| | - Huiqiang Lou
- State Key Laboratory of Agro-Biotechnology and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, No.2 Yuan-Ming-Yuan West Road, Beijing 100193, China
- Correspondence: (P.G.); (H.L.)
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15
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Shi H, Huang Y, Gan Q, Rui M, Chen H, Tu C, Yang Z, Oger P, Zhang L. Biochemical characterization of a thermostable DNA ligase from the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Thermococcus barophilus Ch5. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:3795-3806. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-09736-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 03/03/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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16
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Filippidou S, Junier T, Wunderlin T, Kooli WM, Palmieri I, Al-Dourobi A, Molina V, Lienhard R, Spangenberg JE, Johnson SL, Chain PSG, Dorador C, Junier P. Adaptive Strategies in a Poly-Extreme Environment: Differentiation of Vegetative Cells in Serratia ureilytica and Resistance to Extreme Conditions. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:102. [PMID: 30804904 PMCID: PMC6370625 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly-extreme terrestrial habitats are often used as analogs to extra-terrestrial environments. Understanding the adaptive strategies allowing bacteria to thrive and survive under these conditions could help in our quest for extra-terrestrial planets suitable for life and understanding how life evolved in the harsh early earth conditions. A prime example of such a survival strategy is the modification of vegetative cells into resistant resting structures. These differentiated cells are often observed in response to harsh environmental conditions. The environmental strain (strain Lr5/4) belonging to Serratia ureilytica was isolated from a geothermal spring in Lirima, Atacama Desert, Chile. The Atacama Desert is the driest habitat on Earth and furthermore, due to its high altitude, it is exposed to an increased amount of UV radiation. The geothermal spring from which the strain was isolated is oligotrophic and the temperature of 54°C exceeds mesophilic conditions (15 to 45°C). Although the vegetative cells were tolerant to various environmental insults (desiccation, extreme pH, glycerol), a modified cell type was formed in response to nutrient deprivation, UV radiation and thermal shock. Scanning (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analyses of vegetative cells and the modified cell structures were performed. In SEM, a change toward a circular shape with reduced size was observed. These circular cells possessed what appears as extra coating layers under TEM. The resistance of the modified cells was also investigated, they were resistant to wet heat, UV radiation and desiccation, while vegetative cells did not withstand any of those conditions. A phylogenomic analysis was undertaken to investigate the presence of known genes involved in dormancy in other bacterial clades. Genes related to spore-formation in Myxococcus and Firmicutes were found in S. ureilytica Lr5/4 genome; however, these genes were not enough for a full sporulation pathway that resembles either group. Although, the molecular pathway of cell differentiation in S. ureilytica Lr5/4 is not fully defined, the identified genes may contribute to the modified phenotype in the Serratia genus. Here, we show that a modified cell structure can occur as a response to extremity in a species that was previously not known to deploy this strategy. This strategy may be widely spread in bacteria, but only expressed under poly-extreme environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sevasti Filippidou
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
- Microbial Ecology Group, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom
- Space Microbiology Research Group, Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR e.V.), Cologne, Germany
| | - Thomas Junier
- Vital-IT Group, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tina Wunderlin
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Wafa M. Kooli
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Ilona Palmieri
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Andrej Al-Dourobi
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Veronica Molina
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile
| | | | - Jorge E. Spangenberg
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Cristina Dorador
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana y Ecología Funcional, Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Centre for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Pilar Junier
- Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
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17
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Haverkamp THA, Geslin C, Lossouarn J, Podosokorskaya OA, Kublanov I, Nesbø CL. Thermosipho spp. Immune System Differences Affect Variation in Genome Size and Geographical Distributions. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:2853-2866. [PMID: 30239713 PMCID: PMC6211235 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermosipho species inhabit thermal environments such as marine hydrothermal vents, petroleum reservoirs, and terrestrial hot springs. A 16S rRNA phylogeny of available Thermosipho spp. sequences suggested habitat specialists adapted to living in hydrothermal vents only, and habitat generalists inhabiting oil reservoirs, hydrothermal vents, and hotsprings. Comparative genomics of 15 Thermosipho genomes separated them into three distinct species with different habitat distributions: The widely distributed T. africanus and the more specialized, T. melanesiensis and T. affectus. Moreover, the species can be differentiated on the basis of genome size (GS), genome content, and immune system composition. For instance, the T. africanus genomes are largest and contained the most carbohydrate metabolism genes, which could explain why these isolates were obtained from ecologically more divergent habitats. Nonetheless, all the Thermosipho genomes, like other Thermotogae genomes, show evidence of genome streamlining. GS differences between the species could further be correlated to differences in defense capacities against foreign DNA, which influence recombination via HGT. The smallest genomes are found in T. affectus that contain both CRISPR-cas Type I and III systems, but no RM system genes. We suggest that this has caused these genomes to be almost devoid of mobile elements, contrasting the two other species genomes that contain a higher abundance of mobile elements combined with different immune system configurations. Taken together, the comparative genomic analyses of Thermosipho spp. revealed genetic variation allowing habitat differentiation within the genus as well as differentiation with respect to invading mobile DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H A Haverkamp
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway.,Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | - Claire Geslin
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) - UMR 6197, Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO), Plouzané, France.,CNRS, IUEM - UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Plouzané, France.,Ifremer, UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Technopôle Pointe du diable, Plouzané, France
| | - Julien Lossouarn
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) - UMR 6197, Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO), Plouzané, France.,CNRS, IUEM - UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Plouzané, France.,Ifremer, UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Technopôle Pointe du diable, Plouzané, France
| | - Olga A Podosokorskaya
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ilya Kublanov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Camilla L Nesbø
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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18
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Lemor M, Kong Z, Henry E, Brizard R, Laurent S, Bossé A, Henneke G. Differential Activities of DNA Polymerases in Processing Ribonucleotides during DNA Synthesis in Archaea. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:4908-4924. [PMID: 30342933 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Consistent with the fact that ribonucleotides (rNTPs) are in excess over deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs) in vivo, recent findings indicate that replicative DNA polymerases (DNA Pols) are able to insert ribonucleotides (rNMPs) during DNA synthesis, raising crucial questions about the fidelity of DNA replication in both Bacteria and Eukarya. Here, we report that the level of rNTPs is 20-fold higher than that of dNTPs in Pyrococcus abyssi cells. Using dNTP and rNTP concentrations present in vivo, we recorded rNMP incorporation in a template-specific manner during in vitro synthesis, with the family-D DNA Pol (PolD) having the highest propensity compared with the family-B DNA Pol and the p41/p46 complex. We also showed that ribonucleotides accumulate at a relatively high frequency in the genome of wild-type Thermococcales cells, and this frequency significantly increases upon deletion of RNase HII, the major enzyme responsible for the removal of RNA from DNA. Because ribonucleotides remain in genomic DNA, we then analyzed the effects on polymerization activities by the three DNA Pols. Depending on the identity of the base and the sequence context, all three DNA Pols bypass rNMP-containing DNA templates with variable efficiency and nucleotide (mis)incorporation ability. Unexpectedly, we found that PolD correctly base-paired a single ribonucleotide opposite rNMP-containing DNA templates. An evolutionary scenario is discussed concerning rNMP incorporation into DNA and genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Lemor
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Ziqing Kong
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Etienne Henry
- CNRS, Ifremer, Univ Brest, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Raphaël Brizard
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Sébastien Laurent
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Audrey Bossé
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Ghislaine Henneke
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
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19
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Wang Y, Zhang L, Zhu X, Li Y, Shi H, Oger P, Yang Z. Biochemical characterization of a thermostable endonuclease V from the hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Thermococcus barophilus Ch5. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 117:17-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.05.155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Revised: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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20
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González-Torres P, Gabaldón T. Genome Variation in the Model Halophilic Bacterium Salinibacter ruber. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1499. [PMID: 30072959 PMCID: PMC6060240 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The halophilic bacterium Salinibacter ruber is an abundant and ecologically important member of halophilic communities worldwide. Given its broad distribution and high intraspecific genetic diversity, S. ruber is considered one of the main models for ecological and evolutionary studies of bacterial adaptation to hypersaline environments. However, current insights on the genomic diversity of this species is limited to the comparison of the genomes of two co-isolated strains. Here, we present a comparative genomic analysis of eight S. ruber strains isolated at two different time points in each of two different Mediterranean solar salterns. Our results show an open pangenome with contrasting evolutionary patterns in the core and accessory genomes. We found that the core genome is shaped by extensive homologous recombination (HR), which results in limited sequence variation within population clusters. In contrast, the accessory genome is modulated by horizontal gene transfer (HGT), with genomic islands and plasmids acting as gateways to the rest of the genome. In addition, both types of genetic exchange are modulated by restriction and modification (RM) or CRISPR-Cas systems. Finally, genes differentially impacted by such processes reveal functional processes potentially relevant for environmental interactions and adaptation to extremophilic conditions. Altogether, our results support scenarios that conciliate “Neutral” and “Constant Diversity” models of bacterial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro González-Torres
- Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.,Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Toni Gabaldón
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Ciències Experimentals i de la Salut, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain
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21
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Abby SS, Melcher M, Kerou M, Krupovic M, Stieglmeier M, Rossel C, Pfeifer K, Schleper C. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:28. [PMID: 29434576 PMCID: PMC5797428 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally at 68°C under chemolithoautotrophic conditions on ammonia or urea converting ammonia stoichiometrically into nitrite with a generation time of approximately 23 h. Phylogenetic analyses based on ribosomal proteins place the organism as a sister group to all known mesophilic AOA. The 1.58 Mb genome of Ca. N. cavascurensis harbors an amoAXCB gene cluster encoding ammonia monooxygenase and genes for a 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway for autotrophic carbon fixation, but also genes that indicate potential alternative energy metabolisms. Although a bona fide gene for nitrite reductase is missing, the organism is sensitive to NO-scavenging, underlining the potential importance of this compound for AOA metabolism. Ca. N. cavascurensis is distinct from all other AOA in its gene repertoire for replication, cell division and repair. Its genome has an impressive array of mobile genetic elements and other recently acquired gene sets, including conjugative systems, a provirus, transposons and cell appendages. Some of these elements indicate recent exchange with the environment, whereas others seem to have been domesticated and might convey crucial metabolic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie S Abby
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Laboratoire Techniques de l'Ingénierie Médicale et de la Complexité - Informatique, Mathématiques et Applications, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Michael Melcher
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Melina Kerou
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Unité Biologie Moléculaire du Gène chez les Extrêmophiles, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Michaela Stieglmeier
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Rossel
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kevin Pfeifer
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christa Schleper
- Division of Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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22
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Cuecas A, Kanoksilapatham W, Gonzalez JM. Evidence of horizontal gene transfer by transposase gene analyses in Fervidobacterium species. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0173961. [PMID: 28426805 PMCID: PMC5398504 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT) plays an important role in the physiology and evolution of microorganisms above all thermophilic prokaryotes. Some members of the Phylum Thermotogae (i.e., Thermotoga spp.) have been reported to present genomes constituted by a mosaic of genes from a variety of origins. This study presents a novel approach to search on the potential plasticity of Fervidobacterium genomes using putative transposase-encoding genes as the target of analysis. Transposases are key proteins involved in genomic DNA rearrangements. A comprehensive comparative analysis, including phylogeny, non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis of tetranucleotide frequencies, repetitive flanking sequences and divergence estimates, was performed on the transposase genes detected in four Fervidobacterium genomes: F. nodosum, F. pennivorans, F. islandicum and a new isolate (Fervidobacterium sp. FC2004). Transposase sequences were classified in different groups by their degree of similarity. The different methods used in this study pointed that over half of the transposase genes represented putative HGT events with closest relative sequences within the phylum Firmicutes, being Caldicellulosiruptor the genus showing highest gene sequence proximity. These results confirmed a direct evolutionary relationship through HGT between specific Fervidobacterium species and thermophilic Firmicutes leading to potential gene sequence and functionality sharing to thrive under similar environmental conditions. Transposase-encoding genes represent suitable targets to approach the plasticity and potential mosaicism of bacterial genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Cuecas
- Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology, Spanish Council for Research, IRNAS-CSIC, Avda. Rena Mercedes 10, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Wirojne Kanoksilapatham
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Juan M. Gonzalez
- Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology, Spanish Council for Research, IRNAS-CSIC, Avda. Rena Mercedes 10, Sevilla, Spain
- * E-mail:
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23
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Li Z, Li X, Xiao X, Xu J. An Integrative Genomic Island Affects the Adaptations of the Piezophilic Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus yayanosii to High Temperature and High Hydrostatic Pressure. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1927. [PMID: 27965650 PMCID: PMC5126054 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments are characterized by high hydrostatic pressure and sharp temperature and chemical gradients. Horizontal gene transfer is thought to play an important role in the microbial adaptation to such an extreme environment. In this study, a 21.4-kb DNA fragment was identified as a genomic island, designated PYG1, in the genomic sequence of the piezophilic hyperthermophile Pyrococcus yayanosii. According to the sequence alignment and functional annotation, the genes in PYG1 could tentatively be divided into five modules, with functions related to mobility, DNA repair, metabolic processes and the toxin-antitoxin system. Integrase can mediate the site-specific integration and excision of PYG1 in the chromosome of P. yayanosii A1. Gene replacement of PYG1 with a SimR cassette was successful. The growth of the mutant strain ΔPYG1 was compared with its parent strain P. yayanosii A2 under various stress conditions, including different pH, salinity, temperature, and hydrostatic pressure. The ΔPYG1 mutant strain showed reduced growth when grown at 100°C, while the biomass of ΔPYG1 increased significantly when cultured at 80 MPa. Differential expression of the genes in module III of PYG1 was observed under different temperature and pressure conditions. This study demonstrates the first example of an archaeal integrative genomic island that could affect the adaptation of the hyperthermophilic piezophile P. yayanosii to high temperature and high hydrostatic pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai, China; Institute of Oceanology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Xuegong Li
- Institute of Oceanology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai, China; Deep-Sea Cellular Microbiology, Department of Deep-Sea Science, Sanya Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of SciencesSanya, China
| | - Xiang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai, China; Institute of Oceanology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Jun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai, China; Institute of Oceanology, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai, China
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24
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Abstract
The intercellular transfer of DNA is a phenomenon that occurs in all domains of life and is a major driving force of evolution. Upon UV-light treatment, cells of the crenarchaeal genus Sulfolobus express Ups pili, which initiate cell aggregate formation. Within these aggregates, chromosomal DNA, which is used for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks, is exchanged. Because so far no clear homologs of bacterial DNA transporters have been identified among the genomes of Archaea, the mechanisms of archaeal DNA transport have remained a puzzling and underinvestigated topic. Here we identify saci_0568 and saci_0748, two genes from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius that are highly induced upon UV treatment, encoding a transmembrane protein and a membrane-bound VirB4/HerA homolog, respectively. DNA transfer assays showed that both proteins are essential for DNA transfer between Sulfolobus cells and act downstream of the Ups pili system. Our results moreover revealed that the system is involved in the import of DNA rather than the export. We therefore propose that both Saci_0568 and Saci_0748 are part of a previously unidentified DNA importer. Given the fact that we found this transporter system to be widely spread among the Crenarchaeota, we propose to name it the Crenarchaeal system for exchange of DNA (Ced). In this study we have for the first time to our knowledge described an archaeal DNA transporter.
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Wang Q, Cen Z, Zhao J. The survival mechanisms of thermophiles at high temperatures: an angle of omics. Physiology (Bethesda) 2015; 30:97-106. [PMID: 25729055 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00066.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermophiles are referred to as microorganisms with optimal growth temperatures of >60 °C. Over the past few years, a number of studies have been conducted regarding thermophiles, especially using the omics strategies. This review provides a systematic view of the survival physiology of thermophiles from an "omics" perspective, which suggests that the adaptive ability of thermophiles is based on a cooperative mode with multi-dimensional regulations integrating genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanhui Wang
- Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; and BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhen Cen
- Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; and
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; and
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26
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Fei L, Tian S, Moysey R, Misca M, Barker JJ, Smith MA, McEwan PA, Pilka ES, Crawley L, Evans T, Sun D. Structural and biochemical studies of a moderately thermophilic exonuclease I from Methylocaldum szegediense. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117470. [PMID: 25658953 PMCID: PMC4319927 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2014] [Accepted: 12/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel exonuclease, designated as MszExo I, was cloned from Methylocaldum szegediense, a moderately thermophilic methanotroph. It specifically digests single-stranded DNA in the 3ʹ to 5ʹ direction. The protein is composed of 479 amino acids, and it shares 47% sequence identity with E. coli Exo I. The crystal structure of MszExo I was determined to a resolution of 2.2 Å and it aligns well with that of E. coli Exo I. Comparative studies revealed that MszExo I and E. coli Exo I have similar metal ion binding affinity and similar activity at mesophilic temperatures (25–47°C). However, the optimum working temperature of MszExo I is 10°C higher, and the melting temperature is more than 4°C higher as evaluated by both thermal inactivation assays and DSC measurements. More importantly, two thermal transitions during unfolding of MszExo I were monitored by DSC while only one transition was found in E. coli Exo I. Further analyses showed that magnesium ions not only confer structural stability, but also affect the unfolding of MszExo I. MszExo I is the first reported enzyme in the DNA repair systems of moderately thermophilic bacteria, which are predicted to have more efficient DNA repair systems than mesophilic ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Fei
- New England Biolabs Shanghai R&D Center, Building 5, 917 Halei Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, China
| | - SiSi Tian
- New England Biolabs Shanghai R&D Center, Building 5, 917 Halei Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruth Moysey
- Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd., Edmund Cartwright House, 4 Robert Robinson Avenue Oxford Science Park, Oxford OX4, United Kingdom
| | - Mihaela Misca
- Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd., Edmund Cartwright House, 4 Robert Robinson Avenue Oxford Science Park, Oxford OX4, United Kingdom
| | - John J. Barker
- Evotec (UK) Ltd, 114 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RZ, United Kingdom
| | - Myron A. Smith
- Evotec (UK) Ltd, 114 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RZ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A. McEwan
- Evotec (UK) Ltd, 114 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RZ, United Kingdom
| | - Ewa S. Pilka
- Evotec (UK) Ltd, 114 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RZ, United Kingdom
| | - Lauren Crawley
- Evotec (UK) Ltd, 114 Innovation Drive, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RZ, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Evans
- New England Biolabs, 240 County Road, Ipswich, MA 01938–2723, United States of America
| | - Dapeng Sun
- New England Biolabs Shanghai R&D Center, Building 5, 917 Halei Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail:
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27
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Metcalf JA, Funkhouser-Jones LJ, Brileya K, Reysenbach AL, Bordenstein SR. Antibacterial gene transfer across the tree of life. eLife 2014; 3. [PMID: 25422936 PMCID: PMC4241558 DOI: 10.7554/elife.04266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Though horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is widespread, genes and taxa experience biased rates of transferability. Curiously, independent transmission of homologous DNA to archaea, bacteria, eukaryotes, and viruses is extremely rare and often defies ecological and functional explanations. Here, we demonstrate that a bacterial lysozyme family integrated independently in all domains of life across diverse environments, generating the only glycosyl hydrolase 25 muramidases in plants and archaea. During coculture of a hydrothermal vent archaeon with a bacterial competitor, muramidase transcription is upregulated. Moreover, recombinant lysozyme exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial action in a dose-dependent manner. Similar to bacterial transfer of antibiotic resistance genes, transfer of a potent antibacterial gene across the universal tree seemingly bestows a niche-transcending adaptation that trumps the barriers against parallel HGT to all domains. The discoveries also comprise the first characterization of an antibacterial gene in archaea and support the pursuit of antibiotics in this underexplored group. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04266.001 Living things inherit most of their genetic material from their parents, so genes tend to be passed on from one generation to the next—from ancestors to descendants. Sometimes, however, DNA is transferred from one organism to another by other means. These events, collectively called horizontal gene transfer, are fairly common in nature; genes have been passed between different species as well as between different groups of organisms. For example, genes that confer resistance to antibacterial drugs have transferred from one species of bacteria to another, and other genes have also ‘jumped’ from bacteria to plants or animals. Now Metcalf et al. have studied a gene that first arose in bacteria and that encodes an enzyme called a lysozyme. This enzyme breaks down the outer casing of a bacterial cell: a step that is required for a bacterium to reproduce and divide in two. When Metcalf et al. searched for relatives of the lysozyme gene, they found copies in many other species of bacteria and revealed that this gene has been repeatedly transferred between different bacteria. Members of the lysozyme gene family have also ‘jumped out’ of bacteria and into other organisms at least four times. Metcalf et al. found related lysozyme genes in a plant, an insect, many species of fungi, and a single-celled microbe (called an archaeon) that lives at hot, deep-sea vents. A gene family being spread this widely across the tree of life has not been seen before. Nevertheless, as DNA is a common biological language to all living things, it is likely that all the different species that have received a lysozyme gene might use it for similar purposes. Metcalf et al. reveal that the lysozyme could be being used as an antibacterial molecule. The archaeon lysozyme can kill a broad range of bacteria; and when the gene was transferred into Escherichia coli bacteria, only the bacteria that mutated the lysozyme gene to render it useless were able to survive. Metcalf et al. also revealed that the archaeon microbe produces more of the enzyme if bacteria are present, which allows it to outcompete these bacteria. These findings suggest that there may be a number of horizontally transferred genes that have antibacterial activity against a wide range of bacteria. Searching for these genes—particularly in the largely underexplored group of archaea—might reveal new sources for antibiotic drugs to treat bacterial infections. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04266.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Metcalf
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
| | | | - Kristen Brileya
- Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, United States
| | | | - Seth R Bordenstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, United States
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28
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Xiong H, Yang Y, Hu XP, He YM, Ma BG. Sequence determinants of prokaryotic gene expression level under heat stress. Gene 2014; 551:92-102. [PMID: 25168890 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2014.08.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2014] [Accepted: 08/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Prokaryotic gene expression is environment-dependent and temperature plays an important role in shaping the gene expression profile. Revealing the regulation mechanisms of gene expression pertaining to temperature has attracted tremendous efforts in recent years particularly owning to the yielding of transcriptome and proteome data by high-throughput techniques. However, most of the previous works concentrated on the characterization of the gene expression profile of individual organism and little effort has been made to disclose the commonality among organisms, especially for the gene sequence features. In this report, we collected the transcriptome and proteome data measured under heat stress condition from recently published literature and studied the sequence determinants for the expression level of heat-responsive genes on multiple layers. Our results showed that there indeed exist commonness and consistent patterns of the sequence features among organisms for the differentially expressed genes under heat stress condition. Some features are attributed to the requirement of thermostability while some are dominated by gene function. The revealed sequence determinants of bacterial gene expression level under heat stress complement the knowledge about the regulation factors of prokaryotic gene expression responding to the change of environmental conditions. Furthermore, comparisons to thermophilic adaption have been performed to reveal the similarity and dissimilarity of the sequence determinants for the response to heat stress and for the adaption to high habitat temperature, which elucidates the complex landscape of gene expression related to the same physical factor of temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Xiong
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiao-Pan Hu
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yi-Ming He
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Bin-Guang Ma
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
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Tan DX, Zheng X, Kong J, Manchester LC, Hardeland R, Kim SJ, Xu X, Reiter RJ. Fundamental issues related to the origin of melatonin and melatonin isomers during evolution: relation to their biological functions. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:15858-90. [PMID: 25207599 PMCID: PMC4200856 DOI: 10.3390/ijms150915858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2014] [Revised: 08/15/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Melatonin and melatonin isomers exist and/or coexist in living organisms including yeasts, bacteria and plants. The levels of melatonin isomers are significantly higher than that of melatonin in some plants and in several fermented products such as in wine and bread. Currently, there are no reports documenting the presence of melatonin isomers in vertebrates. From an evolutionary point of view, it is unlikely that melatonin isomers do not exist in vertebrates. On the other hand, large quantities of the microbial flora exist in the gut of the vertebrates. These microorganisms frequently exchange materials with the host. Melatonin isomers, which are produced by these organisms inevitably enter the host's system. The origins of melatonin and its isomers can be traced back to photosynthetic bacteria and other primitive unicellular organisms. Since some of these bacteria are believed to be the precursors of mitochondria and chloroplasts these cellular organelles may be the primary sites of melatonin production in animals or in plants, respectively. Phylogenic analysis based on its rate-limiting synthetic enzyme, serotonin N-acetyltransferase (SNAT), indicates its multiple origins during evolution. Therefore, it is likely that melatonin and its isomer are also present in the domain of archaea, which perhaps require these molecules to protect them against hostile environments including extremely high or low temperature. Evidence indicates that the initial and primary function of melatonin and its isomers was to serve as the first-line of defence against oxidative stress and all other functions were acquired during evolution either by the process of adoption or by the extension of its antioxidative capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dun-Xian Tan
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, the University of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
| | - Xiaodong Zheng
- Institute for Horticultural Plants, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Jin Kong
- Institute for Horticultural Plants, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Lucien C Manchester
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, the University of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
| | - Ruediger Hardeland
- Johann Friedrich Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen 37073, Germany.
| | - Seok Joong Kim
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, the University of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
| | - Xiaoying Xu
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, the University of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
| | - Russel J Reiter
- Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, the University of Texas, Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
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30
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Li SJ, Hua ZS, Huang LN, Li J, Shi SH, Chen LX, Kuang JL, Liu J, Hu M, Shu WS. Microbial communities evolve faster in extreme environments. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6205. [PMID: 25158668 PMCID: PMC4145313 DOI: 10.1038/srep06205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary analysis of microbes at the community level represents a new research avenue linking ecological patterns to evolutionary processes, but remains insufficiently studied. Here we report a relative evolutionary rates (rERs) analysis of microbial communities from six diverse natural environments based on 40 metagenomic samples. We show that the rERs of microbial communities are mainly shaped by environmental conditions, and the microbes inhabiting extreme habitats (acid mine drainage, saline lake and hot spring) evolve faster than those populating benign environments (surface ocean, fresh water and soil). These findings were supported by the observation of more relaxed purifying selection and potentially frequent horizontal gene transfers in communities from extreme habitats. The mechanism of high rERs was proposed as high mutation rates imposed by stressful conditions during the evolutionary processes. This study brings us one stage closer to an understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the adaptation of microbes to extreme environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Jin Li
- 1] State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China [2]
| | - Zheng-Shuang Hua
- 1] State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China [2]
| | - Li-Nan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Su-Hua Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin-Xing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Jia-Liang Kuang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Sheng Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Dynamics and Conservation of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Ecology and Evolution, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, People's Republic of China
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31
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Szalkai B, Scheer I, Nagy K, Vértessy BG, Grolmusz V. The metagenomic telescope. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101605. [PMID: 25054802 PMCID: PMC4108317 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Next generation sequencing technologies led to the discovery of numerous new microbe species in diverse environmental samples. Some of the new species contain genes never encountered before. Some of these genes encode proteins with novel functions, and some of these genes encode proteins that perform some well-known function in a novel way. A tool, named the Metagenomic Telescope, is described here that applies artificial intelligence methods, and seems to be capable of identifying new protein functions even in the well-studied model organisms. As a proof-of-principle demonstration of the Metagenomic Telescope, we considered DNA repair enzymes in the present work. First we identified proteins in DNA repair in well-known organisms (i.e., proteins in base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair and DNA break repair); next we applied multiple alignments and then built hidden Markov profiles for each protein separately, across well-researched organisms; next, using public depositories of metagenomes, originating from extreme environments, we identified DNA repair genes in the samples. While the phylogenetic classification of the metagenomic samples are not typically available, we hypothesized that some very special DNA repair strategies need to be applied in bacteria and Archaea living in those extreme circumstances. It is a difficult task to evaluate the results obtained from mostly unknown species; therefore we applied again the hidden Markov profiling: for the identified DNA repair genes in the extreme metagenomes, we prepared new hidden Markov profiles (for each genes separately, subsequent to a cluster analysis); and we searched for similarities to those profiles in model organisms. We have found well known DNA repair proteins, numerous proteins with unknown functions, and also proteins with known, but different functions in the model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balázs Szalkai
- PIT Bioinformatics Group, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Scheer
- Laboratory of Genome Metabolism, Institute of Enzymology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kinga Nagy
- Laboratory of Genome Metabolism, Institute of Enzymology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Beáta G. Vértessy
- Laboratory of Genome Metabolism, Institute of Enzymology, Research Center for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary
- * E-mail: (BGV); (VG)
| | - Vince Grolmusz
- PIT Bioinformatics Group, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary
- Uratim Ltd., Budapest, Hungary
- * E-mail: (BGV); (VG)
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Pandey A, Dhakar K, Sharma A, Priti P, Sati P, Kumar B. Thermophilic bacteria that tolerate a wide temperature and pH range colonize the Soldhar (95 °C) and Ringigad (80 °C) hot springs of Uttarakhand, India. ANN MICROBIOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s13213-014-0921-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
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33
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van Wolferen M, Ajon M, Driessen AJM, Albers SV. Molecular analysis of the UV-inducible pili operon from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Microbiologyopen 2013; 2:928-37. [PMID: 24106028 PMCID: PMC3892339 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 07/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Upon ultraviolet (UV) stress, hyperthermophilic Sulfolobus species show a highly induced transcription of a gene cluster responsible for pili biogenesis: the UV-inducible pili operon (ups operon). This operon is involved in UV-induced pili assembly, cellular aggregation, and subsequent DNA exchange between cells. As the system increases the fitness of Sulfolobus cells after UV light exposure, we assume that transfer of DNA takes place in order to repair UV-induced DNA damages via homologous recombination. Here, we studied all genes present in the ups cluster via gene deletion analysis with a focus on UpsX, a protein that shows no identifiable functional domains. UspX does not seem to be structurally essential for UV-induced pili formation and cellular aggregation, but appears to be important for efficient DNA transfer. In addition, we could show that pilin subunits UpsA and UpsB probably both function as major pilin subunits in the ups pili.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Max Planck Institute for terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
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