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Asif A, Chen JS, Hsu GJ, Hussain B, Nagarajan V, Koner S, Huang SW, Hsu BM. Influence of Geothermal Fumaroles in Driving the Microbial Community Dynamics and Functions of Adjacent Ecosystems. J Basic Microbiol 2024; 64:e2400157. [PMID: 38859671 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202400157] [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: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that the hydrochemical properties of geothermal fumaroles may play a crucial role in shaping the diversity and functions of microbial communities in various environments. In the present study, the impact of geothermal furaneols on the microbial communities and their metabolic functions across the rock-soil-plant continuum was explored considering varying distances from the fumarole source. The results revealed that bacterial phylum Proteobacteria was predominant in all sample types, except in the 10 m rock sample, irrespective of the sampling distance. Archaeal phyla, such as Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota, were more prevalent in rock and soil samples, whereas bacterial phyla were more prevalent in plant samples. Thermoacidophilic archaeons, including Picrophilus, Ferroplasma, and Thermogymnomonas were dominant in rocks and soil samples of 1 and 5 m distances; acidophilic mesophiles, including Ferrimicrobium and Granulicella were abundant in the rhizoplane samples, whereas rhizosphere-associated microbes including Pseudomonas, Pedobacter, Rhizobium, and Novosphingobium were found dominant in the rhizosphere samples. The functional analysis highlighted the higher expression of sulfur oxidative pathways in the rock and soil samples; dark iron oxidation and nitrate/nitrogen respiratory functions in the rhizosphere samples. The findings underscore microbial adaptations across the rock-soil-plant continuum, emphasizing the intricate relationship between geothermal fumaroles and microbial communities in adjacent ecosystems. These insights offer a crucial understanding of the evolution of microbial life and highlight their pivotal roles in shaping ecosystem dynamics and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aslia Asif
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
- Doctoral Program in Science, Technology, Environment and Mathematics (STEM), National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Sheng Chen
- Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Gwo-Jong Hsu
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Bashir Hussain
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Viji Nagarajan
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Suprokash Koner
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Wei Huang
- Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Super Micro Research and Technology Center, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Mu Hsu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
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Fernandes-Martins MC, Colman DR, Boyd ES. Sulfide oxidation by members of the Sulfolobales. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgae201. [PMID: 38827816 PMCID: PMC11143483 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
The oxidation of sulfur compounds drives the acidification of geothermal waters. At high temperatures (>80°C) and in acidic conditions (pH <6.0), oxidation of sulfide has historically been considered an abiotic process that generates elemental sulfur (S0) that, in turn, is oxidized by thermoacidophiles of the model archaeal order Sulfolobales to generate sulfuric acid (i.e. sulfate and protons). Here, we describe five new aerobic and autotrophic strains of Sulfolobales comprising two species that were isolated from acidic hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and that can use sulfide as an electron donor. These strains significantly accelerated the rate and extent of sulfide oxidation to sulfate relative to abiotic controls, concomitant with production of cells. Yields of sulfide-grown cultures were ∼2-fold greater than those of S0-grown cultures, consistent with thermodynamic calculations indicating more available energy in the former condition than the latter. Homologs of sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (Sqr) were identified in nearly all Sulfolobales genomes from YNP metagenomes as well as those from other reference Sulfolobales, suggesting a widespread ability to accelerate sulfide oxidation. These observations expand the role of Sulfolobales in the oxidative sulfur cycle, the geobiological feedbacks that drive the formation of acidic hot springs, and landscape evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel R Colman
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
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Chen JS, Hussain B, Tsai HC, Nagarajan V, Koner S, Hsu BM. Analysis and interpretation of hot springs water, biofilms, and sediment bacterial community profiling and their metabolic potential in the area of Taiwan geothermal ecosystem. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159115. [PMID: 36181827 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159115] [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: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms developed a mechanism that copes with heat, acidity, and high dissolved metal concentrations that likely first evolved. The geothermal fluids emerging in the geothermal springs of Taiwan, located at a subduction zone, are still under signs of progress in the characterization of the various microbial taxonomic changes over time. However, no systematic studies have been performed to compare water, biofilms, and sediment bacterial communities and the primary driving force of dissolved and mineral substrates capable of supporting microbial metabolism. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was employed for bacterial community exploration, and their potential metabolic pathways involved from water, biofilms, and sediment samples, collected from the geothermal valley (Ti-re-ku). Metagenomic data revealed that the water samples had higher bacterial diversity and richness than biofilms and sediment samples. At the genus level, Alicyclobacillus, Thiomonas, Acidocella, Metallibacterium, Picrophilus, and Legionella were significantly abundant in the water samples. The biofilms were rich in Aciditerrimonas, Bacillus, Acidithiobacillus, and Lysinibacillus, whereas the sediment samples were abundant in Sulfobacillus. The PICRUSt2-predicted functional results revealed that heavy metal-related functions such as heavy-metal exporter system, cobalt‑zinc‑cadmium resistance, arsenical pump, high-affinity nickel-transport, and copper resistance metabolisms were significant in the water samples. Moreover, sulfur-related pathways such as thiosulfate oxidation, dissimilatory sulfate reduction, and assimilatory sulfate reduction were important in water samples, followed by biofilms and sediment. Therefore, our findings highlighted the comparative taxonomic diversity and functional composition contributions to geothermal fluid, with implications for understanding the evolution and ecological niche dimension of microbes which are the key to geothermal ecosystem function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Sheng Chen
- Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan
| | - Bashir Hussain
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Chi Tsai
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Hualien 970, Taiwan
| | - Viji Nagarajan
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621, Taiwan
| | - Suprokash Koner
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Mu Hsu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621, Taiwan; Center for Innovative Research on Aging Society (CIRAS), National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County 621, Taiwan.
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Mitrović M, Kostešić E, Marković T, Selak L, Hausmann B, Pjevac P, Orlić S. Microbial community composition and hydrochemistry of underexplored geothermal waters in Croatia. Syst Appl Microbiol 2022; 45:126359. [PMID: 36150364 DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2022.126359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
In Croatia, a variety of geothermal springs with a wide temperature range and varied hydrochemical conditions exist, and they may harbor different niches for the distribution of microbial communities. In this study, 19 different sites, mainly located in central and eastern Croatia, were selected for primary characterization of spring hydrochemistry and microbial community composition. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, it was found that the bacterial communities that dominated most geothermal waters were related to Proteobacteria and Campylobacteria, while most archaeal sequences were related to Crenarchaeota. At the genus level, the prokaryotic community was highly site-specific and was often dominated by a single genus, including sites dominated by Hydrogenophilus, Sulfuricurvum, Sulfurovum, Thiofaba and Nitrospira, while the most abundant archaeal genera were affiliated to the ammonia-oxidizing archaea, Candidatus Nitrosotenuis and Candidatus Nitrososphaera. Whereas the microbial communities were overall highly location-specific, temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrate, total nitrogen, sulfate and hydrogen sulfide, as well as dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, were the abiotic factors that significantly affected microbial community composition. Furthermore, an aquifer-type effect was observed in the community composition, but there was no pronounced seasonal variability for geothermal spring communities (i.e. the community structure was mainly stable during the three seasons sampled). These results surprisingly pointed to stable and geographically unique microbial communities that were adapted to different geothermal water environments throughout Croatia. Knowing which microbial communities are present in these extreme habitats is essential for future research. They will allow us to explore further the microbial metabolisms prevailing at these geothermal sites that have high potential for biotechnological uses, as well as the establishment of the links between microbial community structure and the physicochemical environment of geothermal waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Mitrović
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Materials Chemistry, Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Bijenička cesta 54, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Ema Kostešić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Materials Chemistry, Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Bijenička cesta 54, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Tamara Marković
- Croatian Geological Survey, Milan Sachs 2 Street, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lorena Selak
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Materials Chemistry, Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Bijenička cesta 54, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Bela Hausmann
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Petra Pjevac
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; University of Vienna, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Divison of Microbial Ecology, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandi Orlić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Division of Materials Chemistry, Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, Bijenička cesta 54, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia; Center of Excellence for Science and Technology-Integration of Mediterranean Region (STIM), Split, Croatia.
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Chen JS, Tsai HC, Hsu YL, Nagarajan V, Su HY, Hussain B, Hsu BM. Comprehensive assessment of bacterial communities and their functional profiles in the Huang Gang Creek in the Tatun Volcano Group basin, Taiwan using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 234:113375. [PMID: 35278991 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The microbial characteristics of water bodies located in the outflow of hot springs may affect the water quality parameters of the associated river ecosystem. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we investigated the bacterial diversity and functional profiles of the Huang Gang (HG) Creek, located in the trace metal-rich, acid-sulfate thermal springs zone of the Tatun Volcano Group (TVG). Biofilms and water samples were collected from the upstream, midstream, and geothermal valleys and downstream of the creek. The results showed that the biofilm and water samples had distinct bacterial diversity and abundance profiles. Acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were found to be more abundant in water samples, whereas aquatic photosynthetic bacterial communities were dominant in biofilms. The water samples were contaminated with Legionella and Chlamydiae, which could contaminate the nearby river and cause clinical infections in humans. The upstream samples were highly unique and displayed higher diversity than the other sites. Moderate thermo-acidophiles were dominant in the upstream and midstream regions, whereas the geothermal valley and downstream samples were abundant in thermo-acidophiles. In addition, functional profiling revealed higher expression of sulfur, arsenic, and iron-related functions in water and lead-related functions in the biofilms of the creek. As described in previous studies, the hydrochemical properties of the HG Creek were influenced by the TVG hot springs. Our findings indicated that the hydrochemical properties of the HG Creek were highly correlated with the bacterial diversity and functional potential of running water as compared to biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Sheng Chen
- Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Chi Tsai
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ling Hsu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ditmanson Medical Foundation Chia-Yi Christian Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Viji Nagarajan
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Yuan Su
- Department of Emergency Medicine, E-Da Hospital and I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; School of Chinese Medicine for Post Baccalaureate, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Bashir Hussain
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Mu Hsu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan.
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Nagarajan V, Tsai HC, Chen JS, Hussain B, Fan CW, Asif A, Hsu BM. The Evaluation of Bacterial Abundance and Functional Potentials in the Three Major Watersheds, Located in the Hot Spring Zone of the Tatun Volcano Group Basin, Taiwan. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10030500. [PMID: 35336075 PMCID: PMC8949176 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The Tatun Volcanic Group (TVG), located in northern Taiwan, is characterized by acidic hot springs where the outflow of the hot springs may affect the properties of the associated lotic water bodies. We investigated the bacterial diversity and functional profiles of the Peihuang (PHC), HuangGang (HGC), and Nanhuang Creeks (NHC) located in the TVG basin using 16S rRNA gene sequencing coupled with statistical analyses. Water samples were collected from various streams of the creeks for two months of the year. The NHC showed the highest diversity, richness, and a unique number of phyla, which was followed by the HGC. A reduced number of phyla and a lower diversity was noticed in the PHC. The NHC was found to be abundant in the genera Armatimonas, Prosthecobacter, Pirellula, and Bdellovibrio, whereas the HGC was rich in Thiomonas, Acidiphilium, Prevotella, Acidocella, Acidithiobacillus, and Metallibacterium. The PHC was abundant in Thiomonsa, Legionella, Acidocella, and Sulfuriferula. The samples did not show any strong seasonal variations with the bacterial diversity and abundance; however, the relative abundance of each sampling site varied within the sampling months. The iron transport protein- and the sulfur metabolism-related pathways were predicted to be the key functions in all the creeks, whereas the heavy metal-related functions, such as the cobalt/nickel transport protein and the cobalt–zinc–cadmium efflux system were found to be abundant in the HGC and PHC, respectively. The abundance of Bdellovibrio in the NHC, Diplorickettsia in the HGC, and Legionella in the PHC samples indicated a higher anthropogenic impact over the creek water quality. This study provides the data to understand the distinct bacterial community structure, as well as the functional potentials of the three major watersheds, and helps the knowledge of the impact of the physicochemical properties of the TVG hot springs upon the watersheds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viji Nagarajan
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621, Taiwan; (V.N.); (B.H.); (C.-W.F.); (A.A.)
| | - Hsin-Chi Tsai
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan;
- Department of Psychiatry, Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Hualien 970, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Sheng Chen
- Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan;
| | - Bashir Hussain
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621, Taiwan; (V.N.); (B.H.); (C.-W.F.); (A.A.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Wei Fan
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621, Taiwan; (V.N.); (B.H.); (C.-W.F.); (A.A.)
| | - Aslia Asif
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621, Taiwan; (V.N.); (B.H.); (C.-W.F.); (A.A.)
- Doctoral Program in Science, Technology, Environment and Mathematics (STEM), National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Mu Hsu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621, Taiwan; (V.N.); (B.H.); (C.-W.F.); (A.A.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-52-720-411 (ext. 66218)
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Rozanov AS, Korzhuk AV, Shekhovtsov SV, Vasiliev GV, Peltek SE. Microorganisms of Two Thermal Pools on Kunashir Island, Russia. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:924. [PMID: 34571800 PMCID: PMC8468003 DOI: 10.3390/biology10090924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The Kuril Archipelago is a part of the Circum-Pacific Belt (Ring of Fire). These islands have numerous thermal springs. There are very few studies on these microbial communities, and none of them have been conducted by modern molecular biological methods. Here we performed the first metagenomic study on two thermophilic microbial communities of Kunashir Island. Faust Lake is hot (48 °C) and highly acidic (pH 2.0). We constructed 28 metagenome-assembled genomes as well as 17 16S ribosomal RNA sequences. We found that bottom sediments of Faust Lake are dominated by a single species of red algae belonging to the Cyanidiaceae family. Archaeans in Faust Lake are more diverse than bacteria but less abundant. The Tretyakovsky Thermal Spring is also hot (52 °C) but only weakly acidic (pH 6.0). It has much higher microbial diversity (233 metagenome-assembled genomes; 93 16S ribosomal RNAs) and is dominated by bacteria, with only several archaeans and one fungus. Despite their geographic proximity, these two thermal springs were found to not share any species. A comparison of these two lakes with other thermal springs of the Circum-Pacific Belt revealed that only a few members of the communities are shared among different locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksei S. Rozanov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (S.V.S.); (G.V.V.); (S.E.P.)
| | - Anton V. Korzhuk
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (S.V.S.); (G.V.V.); (S.E.P.)
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Sergei V. Shekhovtsov
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (S.V.S.); (G.V.V.); (S.E.P.)
| | - Gennady V. Vasiliev
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (S.V.S.); (G.V.V.); (S.E.P.)
| | - Sergei E. Peltek
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (ICG SB RAS), 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (S.V.S.); (G.V.V.); (S.E.P.)
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Cavello I, Bezus B, Cavalitto S. The keratinolytic bacteria Bacillus cytotoxicus as a source of novel proteases and feather protein hydrolysates with antioxidant activities. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2021; 19:107. [PMID: 34292436 PMCID: PMC8298642 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-021-00207-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Argentina's geothermal areas are niches of a rich microbial diversity. In 2020, species of Bacillus cytotoxicus were isolated for the first time from these types of pristine natural areas. Bacillus cytotoxicus strains demonstrated the capability to grow and degrade chicken feathers with the concomitant production of proteases with keratinolytic activity, enzymes that have multitude of industrial applications. The aim of this research was to study the production of the proteolytic enzymes and its characterization. Also, feather protein hydrolysates produced during fermentation were characterized. RESULTS Among the thermotolerant strains isolated from the Domuyo geothermal area (Neuquén province, Argentina), Bacillus cytotoxicus LT-1 and Oll-15 were selected and put through submerged cultures using feather wastes as sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source in order to obtain proteolytic enzymes and protein hydrolysates. Complete degradation of feathers was achieved after 48 h. Zymograms demonstrated the presence of several proteolytic enzymes with an estimated molecular weight between 50 and > 120 kDa. Optimum pH and temperatures of Bacillus cytotoxicus LT-1 crude extract were 7.0 and 40 °C, meanwhile for Oll-15 were 7.0 and 50 °C. Crude extracts were inhibited by EDTA and 1,10 phenanthroline indicating the presence of metalloproteases. Feather protein hydrolysates showed an interesting antioxidant potential measured through radical-scavenging and Fe3+-reducing activities. CONCLUSION This work represents an initial approach on the study of the biotechnological potential of proteases produced by Bacillus cytotoxicus. The results demonstrated the importance of continuous search for new biocatalysts with new characteristics and enzymes to be able to cope with the demands in the market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Cavello
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (CINDEFI, CCT La Plata-CONICET, UNLP), Calle 47 y 115, (B1900ASH), La Plata, Argentina.
| | - Brenda Bezus
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (CINDEFI, CCT La Plata-CONICET, UNLP), Calle 47 y 115, (B1900ASH), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Cavalitto
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de la Plata (CINDEFI, CCT La Plata-CONICET, UNLP), Calle 47 y 115, (B1900ASH), La Plata, Argentina
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Microbial Diversity of Terrestrial Geothermal Springs in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh: A Review. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9071473. [PMID: 34361908 PMCID: PMC8307006 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbial diversity of high-altitude geothermal springs has been recently assessed to explore their biotechnological potential. However, little is known regarding the microbiota of similar ecosystems located on the Armenian Highland. This review summarizes the known information on the microbiota of nine high-altitude mineralized geothermal springs (temperature range 25.8–70 °C and pH range 6.0–7.5) in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. All these geothermal springs are at altitudes ranging from 960–2090 m above sea level and are located on the Alpide (Alpine–Himalayan) orogenic belt, a seismically active region. A mixed-cation mixed-anion composition, with total mineralization of 0.5 mg/L, has been identified for these thermal springs. The taxonomic diversity of hot spring microbiomes has been examined using culture-independent approaches, including denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), 16S rRNA gene library construction, 454 pyrosequencing, and Illumina HiSeq. The bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes are the predominant life forms in the studied springs. Archaea mainly include the phyla Euryarchaeota, Crenarchaeota, and Thaumarchaeota, and comprise less than 1% of the prokaryotic community. Comparison of microbial diversity in springs from Karvachar with that described for other terrestrial hot springs revealed that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Deinococcus–Thermus are the common bacterial groups in terrestrial hot springs. Contemporaneously, specific bacterial and archaeal taxa were observed in different springs. Evaluation of the carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolism in these hot spring communities has revealed diversity in terms of metabolic activity. Temperature seems to be an important factor in shaping the microbial communities of these springs. Overall, the diversity and richness of the microbiota are negatively affected by increasing temperature. Other abiotic factors, including pH, mineralization, and geological history, also impact the structure and function of the microbial community. More than 130 bacterial and archaeal strains (Bacillus, Geobacillus, Parageobacillus, Anoxybacillus, Paenibacillus, Brevibacillus Aeribacillus, Ureibacillus, Thermoactinomyces, Sporosarcina, Thermus, Rhodobacter, Thiospirillum, Thiocapsa, Rhodopseudomonas, Methylocaldum, Desulfomicrobium, Desulfovibrio, Treponema, Arcobacter, Nitropspira, and Methanoculleus) have been reported, some of which may be representative of novel species (sharing 91–97% sequence identity with their closest matches in GenBank) and producers of thermozymes and biomolecules with potential biotechnological applications. Whole-genome shotgun sequencing of T. scotoductus K1, as well as of the potentially new Treponema sp. J25 and Anoxybacillus sp. K1, were performed. Most of the phyla identified by 16S rRNA were also identified using metagenomic approaches. Detailed characterization of thermophilic isolates indicate the potential of the studied springs as a source of biotechnologically valuable microbes and biomolecules.
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Brenes-Guillén L, Vidaurre-Barahona D, Morales S, Mora-López M, Sittenfeld A, Uribe-Lorío L. Novel Cyanobacterial Diversity Found in Costa Rican Thermal Springs Associated with Rincon de la Vieja and Miravalles Volcanoes: A Polyphasic Approach. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2021; 57:183-198. [PMID: 33000870 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Central America is one of the most important biodiversity hot spots in the world, and Costa Rican microbial communities from thermal springs are the best characterized in the isthmus. Miravalles is an inactive quaternary stratovolcano, and the Rincón de la Vieja is a unique active volcano, in whose slopes diverse hydrothermal springs, such as Las Lilas, are located. These springs harbor extensive microbial mats, whose diversity has been studied. Based on their importance as primary producers, in this study we focused on cultured cyanobacterial diversity from two geothermal environments of northern Costa Rica. Several cultural, molecular and taxonomic techniques were employed to maximize the results of a polyphasic approach. Sample collection sites were physicochemically described, and strains were isolated and characterized by light and electron microscopy. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequences and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA). Fifty-six phylotypes were isolated and classified into 21 morphotypes and identified in 14 genera, some of them might be new species within these genera. Furthermore, according to phylogenetic analysis, there are three possible new genera in our collection. Miravalles and Las Lilas thermal springs are reservoirs of novel phylogeographic lineages of phototrophic microorganisms. This study is the first report of strains that belong to the genera Gloeocapsa, Stanieria, Microseira, Klisinema and Oculatella isolated from thermal springs and growing at temperatures above 50°C. We also obtained isolates assigned to Synechococcus, Leptolyngbya spp., and Fischerella, which are considered typical strains in these environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Brenes-Guillén
- Molecular and Biology Research Center, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | | | - Saylen Morales
- Molecular and Biology Research Center, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Marielos Mora-López
- Molecular and Biology Research Center, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Ana Sittenfeld
- Molecular and Biology Research Center, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Lorena Uribe-Lorío
- Molecular and Biology Research Center, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
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Plaza-Cazón J, Benítez L, Murray J, Kirschbaum P, Donati E. Influence of Extremophiles on the Generation of Acid Mine Drainage at the Abandoned Pan de Azúcar Mine (Argentina). Microorganisms 2021; 9:281. [PMID: 33573035 PMCID: PMC7912565 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The risk of generation of acid drainages in the tailings of the Pan de Azúcar mine that closed its activities more than three decades ago, was evaluated through biooxidation studies using iron- and sulfur-oxidizing extremophilic leaching consortia. Most of tailings showed a high potential for generating acid drainage, in agreement with the results from net acid generation (NAG) assays. In addition, molecular analysis of the microbial consortia obtained by enrichment of the samples, demonstrated that native leaching microorganisms are ubiquitous in the area and they seemed to be more efficient in the biooxidation of the tailings than the collection microorganisms. The acid drainages detected at the site and those formed by oxidation of the tailings, produced a significant ecotoxicological effect demonstrated by a bioassay. These drainages, even at high dilutions, could seriously affect a nearby Ramsar site (Laguna de Pozuelos) that is connected to the Pan de Azúcar mine through a hydrological route (Cincel River).
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefina Plaza-Cazón
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales, CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, 50 y 115, La Plata 1900, Argentina; (J.P.-C.); (L.B.)
| | - Leonardo Benítez
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales, CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, 50 y 115, La Plata 1900, Argentina; (J.P.-C.); (L.B.)
| | - Jésica Murray
- Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA (IBIGEO), CONICET-UNSa Av. 9 de Julio 14, Rosario de Lerma 4405, Argentina;
| | - Pablo Kirschbaum
- Cátedra de Suelos, Carrera de Geología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Av. Bolivia N° 5150, Salta 4400, Argentina;
| | - Edgardo Donati
- Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales, CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, 50 y 115, La Plata 1900, Argentina; (J.P.-C.); (L.B.)
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12
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Massello FL, Donati E. Effect of heavy metal-induced stress on two extremophilic microbial communities from Caviahue-Copahue, Argentina. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 268:115709. [PMID: 33010675 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Metal pollution is a great concern worldwide and the development of new technologies for more sustainable extraction methods as well as for the remediation of polluted sites is essential. Extremophilic microorganisms are attractive for this purpose since they have poly-resistance mechanisms which make them versatile. In this work, we sampled an acidic river and a hot spring of Caviahue-Copahue volcanic environment. The indigenous microbial communities were exposed to five heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni and Zn) in batch-cultures favouring different metabolisms of biotechnological interest. Remarkably, high tolerance values were reached in all the cultures, even though most of the metals studied were not present in the environmental sample. Particularly, outstanding tolerances were exhibited by acidophiles, which grew at concentrations as high as 400 mM of Zn and Ni. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene was used to study the indigenous communities and the resistant consortia. We took three approaches for the analysis: phylotypes, OTUs and amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). Interestingly, similar conclusions were drawn in all three cases. Analysing the phylogenetic structure and functional potential of the adapted consortia, we found that the strongest selection was exerted by the culture media. Notably, there was a poor correlation between alpha diversity and metal stress; furthermore, metal stress did not seem to harm the functional potential of the consortia. All these results reveal a great adaptability and versatility. At the end, 25 metal-resistant extremophilic consortia with potential uses in bioremediation, bioleaching or biomonitoring processes were obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco L Massello
- CINDEFI (CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Edgardo Donati
- CINDEFI (CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Distaso MA, Bargiela R, Brailsford FL, Williams GB, Wright S, Lunev EA, Toshchakov SV, Yakimov MM, Jones DL, Golyshin PN, Golyshina OV. High Representation of Archaea Across All Depths in Oxic and Low-pH Sediment Layers Underlying an Acidic Stream. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:576520. [PMID: 33329440 PMCID: PMC7716880 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.576520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Parys Mountain or Mynydd Parys (Isle of Anglesey, United Kingdom) is a mine-impacted environment, which accommodates a variety of acidophilic organisms. Our previous research of water and sediments from one of the surface acidic streams showed a high proportion of archaea in the total microbial community. To understand the spatial distribution of archaea, we sampled cores (0-20 cm) of sediment and conducted chemical analyses and taxonomic profiling of microbiomes using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in different core layers. The taxonomic affiliation of sequencing reads indicated that archaea represented between 6.2 and 54% of the microbial community at all sediment depths. Majority of archaea were associated with the order Thermoplasmatales, with the most abundant group of sequences being clustered closely with the phylotype B_DKE, followed by "E-plasma," "A-plasma," other yet uncultured Thermoplasmatales with Ferroplasma and Cuniculiplasma spp. represented in minor proportions. Thermoplasmatales were found at all depths and in the whole range of chemical conditions with their abundance correlating with sediment Fe, As, Cr, and Mn contents. The bacterial microbiome component was largely composed in all layers of sediment by members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, uncultured Chloroflexi (AD3 group), and Acidobacteria. This study has revealed a high abundance of Thermoplasmatales in acid mine drainage-affected sediment layers and pointed at these organisms being the main contributors to carbon, and probably to iron and sulfur cycles in this ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A. Distaso
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca L. Brailsford
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Gwion B. Williams
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel Wright
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Evgenii A. Lunev
- Institute of Living Systems, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | | | - Michail M. Yakimov
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, CNR, Messina, Italy
| | - David L. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Peter N. Golyshin
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Olga V. Golyshina
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
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Spieck E, Sass K, Keuter S, Hirschmann S, Spohn M, Indenbirken D, Kop LFM, Lücker S, Giaveno A. Defining Culture Conditions for the Hidden Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacterium Nitrolancea. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1522. [PMID: 32849321 PMCID: PMC7365893 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrification is a key process for N-removal in engineered and natural environments, but recent findings of novel nitrifying microorganisms with surprising features revealed that our knowledge of this functional guild is still incomplete. Especially nitrite oxidation - the second step of nitrification - is catalyzed by a phylogenetically diverse bacterial group, and only recently bacteria of the phylum Chloroflexi have been identified as thermophilic nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Among these, Nitrolancea hollandica was isolated from a laboratory-scale nitrifying bioreactor operated at 35°C with a high load of ammonium bicarbonate. However, its distribution remains cryptic as very few closely related environmental 16S rRNA gene sequences have been retrieved so far. In this study, we demonstrate how such thermophilic NOB can be enriched using modified mineral media inoculated with samples from a wastewater side-stream reactor operated at 39.5°C. Distinct cultivation conditions resulted in quick and reproducible high enrichment of two different strains of Nitrolancea, closely related to Nl. hollandica. The same cultivation approach was applied to a complex nitrite-oxidizing pre-enrichment at 42°C inoculated with biomass from a geothermal spring in the Copahue volcano area in Neuquen, Argentina. Here, an additional distinct representative of the genus Nitrolancea was obtained. This novel species had 16S rRNA and nitrite oxidoreductase alpha subunit (nxrA) gene sequence identities to Nl. hollandica of 98.5% and 97.2%, respectively. A genomic average nucleotide identity between the Argentinian strain and Nl. hollandica of 91.9% indicates that it indeed represents a distinct species. All Nitrolancea cultures formed lancet-shaped cells identical to Nl. hollandica and revealed similar physiological features, including the capability to grow at high nitrite concentrations. Growth was optimal at temperatures of 35-37°C and was strongly enhanced by ammonium supplementation. Genomic comparisons revealed that the four Nitrolancea strains share 2399 out of 3387 orthologous gene clusters and encode similar key functions. Our results define general growth conditions that enable the selective enrichment of Nitrolancea from artificial and natural environments. In most natural habitats these NOB apparently are of low abundance and their proliferation depends on the balanced presence of nitrite and ammonium, with an optimal incubation temperature of 37°C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Spieck
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Sass
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Keuter
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sophia Hirschmann
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Spohn
- Technology Platform Next Generation Sequencing, Heinrich Pette Institut, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Indenbirken
- Technology Platform Next Generation Sequencing, Heinrich Pette Institut, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Linnea F. M. Kop
- Department of Microbiology, IWWR, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Lücker
- Department of Microbiology, IWWR, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Alejandra Giaveno
- PROBIEN (CONICET-UNCo), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Neuquén, Argentina
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15
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Willis G, Nancucheo I, Hedrich S, Giaveno A, Donati E, Johnson DB. Enrichment and isolation of acid-tolerant sulfate-reducing microorganisms in the anoxic, acidic hot spring sediments from Copahue volcano, Argentina. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2020; 95:5610214. [PMID: 31665270 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The geothermal Copahue-Caviahue (GCC) system (Argentina) is an extreme acidic environment, dominated by the activity of Copahue volcano. Environments characterised by low pH values, such as volcanic areas, are of particular interest for the search of acidophilic microorganisms with application in biotechnological processes. In this work, sulfate-reducing microorganisms were investigated in geothermal acidic, anaerobic zones from GCC system. Sediment samples from Agua del Limón (AL1), Las Máquinas (LMa2), Las Maquinitas (LMi) and Baño 9 (B9-2, B9-3) were found to be acidic (pH values 2.1-3.0) to moderate acidic (5.1-5.2), containing small total organic carbon values, and ferric iron precipitates. The organic electron donor added to the enrichment was completely oxidised to CO2. Bacteria related to 'Desulfobacillus acidavidus' strain CL4 were found to be dominant (67-83% of the total number of clones) in the enrichment cultures, and their presence was confirmed by their isolation on overlay plates. Other bacteria were also detected with lower abundance (6-20% of the total number of clones), with representatives of the genera Acidithiobacillus, Sulfobacillus, Alicyclobacillus and Athalassotoga/Mesoaciditoga. These enrichment and isolates found at low pH confirm the presence of anaerobic activities in the acidic sediments from the geothermal Copahue-Caviahue system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graciana Willis
- CINDEFI (CONICET-UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - Ivan Nancucheo
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepción 4080871, Chile
| | - Sabrina Hedrich
- Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Resource Geochemistry, Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany
| | - Alejandra Giaveno
- PROBIEN (CONICET-UNCo), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Buenos Aires 1400, 8300 Neuquén, Argentina
| | - Edgardo Donati
- CINDEFI (CONICET-UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, 1900 La Plata, Argentina
| | - David Barrie Johnson
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Road, Bangor, LL57 2UW, UK
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Cavello I, Urbieta MS, Cavalitto S, Donati E. Bacillus cytotoxicus Isolated from a Pristine Natural Geothermal Area Reveals High Keratinolytic Activity. Microorganisms 2020; 8:E796. [PMID: 32466512 PMCID: PMC7355561 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8060796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Geothermal areas are the niches of a rich microbial diversity that is not only part of the intangible patrimony of a country but also the source of many microbial species with potential biotechnological applications. Particularly, microbial species in geothermal areas in Argentina have been scarcely explored regarding their possible biotechnological uses. The purpose of this work was to explore the proteolytic and keratinolytic enzymatic potential of microorganisms that inhabit in the Domuyo geothermal area in the Neuquén Province. To this end, we did enrichment cultures from two high-temperature natural samples in mineral media only supplemented with whole chicken feathers. After the isolation and the phylogenetic and morphologic characterization of different colonies, we obtained a collection of Bacillus cytotoxicus isolates, a species with no previous report of keratinolytic activity and only reported in rehydrated meals connected with food poisoning outbreaks. Its natural habitat has been unknown up to now. We characterized the proteolytic and keratinolytic capacities of the B. cytotoxicus isolates in different conditions, which proved to be remarkably high compared with those of other similar species. Thus, our work represents the first report of the isolation as well as the keratinolytic capacity characterization of strains of B. cytotixicus obtained from a natural environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María Sofía Urbieta
- CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 47 y 115, (B1900ASH) La Plata 1900, Argentina; (I.C.); (S.C.); (E.D.)
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Panosyan H, Margaryan A, Birkeland NK. Geothermal springs in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh: potential sources of hydrolase-producing thermophilic bacilli. Extremophiles 2020; 24:519-536. [PMID: 32390108 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-020-01173-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, scientists have increasingly focused on the microbial diversity of high-altitude hot springs to explore the biotechnological applications of extremophiles. In this regard, a total of 107 thermophilic bacilli were isolated from 9 high-altitude mineralized geothermal springs (of temperatures ranging from 27.5 to 70 °C) located within the territory of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The isolated bacilli were phylogenetically profiled and studied for their potential to produce extracellular hydrolytic enzymes (protease, amylase, and lipase). The identification of isolates based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed their relationship to members of more than 22 distinct species, of 8 different genera, namely Aeribacillus, Anoxybacillus, Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Geobacillus, Parageobacillus, Paenibacillus and Ureibacillus. Bacillus licheniformis, Parageobacillus toebii and Anoxybacillus flavithermus were found to be the most abundant species in the springs that were studied. Some of the isolated bacilli shared less than 91-97% sequence identity with their closest match in GenBank, indicating that Armenian geothermal springs harbor novel bacilli, at least at the species level. 71% of the isolates actively produced at least one or more extracellular proteases, amylases, or lipases. In total, 22 strains (28.6%) were efficient producers of all three types of thermostable enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hovik Panosyan
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Yerevan State University, Alex Manoogian 1, 0025, Yerevan, Armenia.
| | - Armine Margaryan
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Yerevan State University, Alex Manoogian 1, 0025, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Nils-Kåre Birkeland
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020, Bergen, Norway
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A Deeper Look into the Biodiversity of the Extremely Acidic Copahue volcano-Río Agrio System in Neuquén, Argentina. Microorganisms 2019; 8:microorganisms8010058. [PMID: 31905732 PMCID: PMC7027000 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8010058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Copahue volcano-Río Agrio system, on Patagonia Argentina, comprises the naturally acidic river Río Agrio, that runs from a few meters down the Copahue volcano crater to more than 40 km maintaining low pH waters, and the acidic lagoon that sporadically forms on the crater of the volcano, which is studied for the first time in this work. We used next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene of the entire prokaryotic community to study the biodiversity of this poorly explored extreme environment. The correlation of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs)s presence with physicochemical variables showed that the system contains three distinct environments: the crater lagoon, the Upper Río Agrio, and the Salto del Agrio waterfall, a point located approximately 12 km down the origin of the river, after it emerges from the Caviahue lake. The prokaryotic community of the Copahue Volcano-Río Agrio system is mainly formed by acidic bacteria and archaea, such as Acidithiobacillus, Ferroplasma, and Leptospirillum, which have been isolated from similar environments around the world. These results support the idea of a ubiquitous acidic biodiversity; however, this highly interesting extreme environment also has apparently autochthonous species such as Sulfuriferula, Acidianus copahuensis, and strains of Acidibacillus and Alicyclobacillus.
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Brenes-Guillén L, Fuentes-Schweizer P, García-Piñeres A, Uribe-Lorío L. Tolerance and sorption of Bromacil and Paraquat by thermophilic cyanobacteria Leptolyngbya 7M from Costa Rican thermal springs. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2019; 226:103539. [PMID: 31408829 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2019.103539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We studied the adsorption ability and tolerance of the thermophilic filamentous cyanobacteria Letolyngbya 7M towards Paraquat and Bromacil. Adsorption isotherms at pH = 7.0 showed an adsorption capacity of 24.4 mg/g and 66.8 mg/g, respectively, and a good fit to the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.97 and 0.99, respectively). To evaluate the effect of both herbicides on photosynthetic pigments and viability of cyanobacteria, cell autoflorescence and esterase activity was determined using flow cytometry. Autofluorescence was less sensitive to changes in cell viability, as it was only slightly reduced at high Paraquat and Bromacil concentrations. Herbicide effect on esterase activity is dose-dependent. Bromacil did not cause a significant effect on either chlorophyll a content or cell viability. This study demonstrates the potential of Leptolyngbya 7M to remove Paraquat and Bromacil herbicides from aqueous solution under laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Brenes-Guillén
- Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica.
| | - Paola Fuentes-Schweizer
- Centro de Investigación en Electroquímica y Energía Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica; Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
| | - Alfonso García-Piñeres
- Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica; Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
| | - Lorena Uribe-Lorío
- Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
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20
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Uribe-Lorío L, Brenes-Guillén L, Hernández-Ascencio W, Mora-Amador R, González G, Ramírez-Umaña CJ, Díez B, Pedrós-Alió C. The influence of temperature and pH on bacterial community composition of microbial mats in hot springs from Costa Rica. Microbiologyopen 2019; 8:e893. [PMID: 31271524 PMCID: PMC6813449 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
We used the 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing approach to investigate the microbial diversity and community composition in several Costa Rican hot springs alongside the latitudinal axis of the country, with a range of temperatures (37–63°C), pH (6–7.5) and other geochemical conditions. A principal component analyses of the physicochemical parameters showed the samples were separated into three geochemically distinct habitats associated with the location (North, Central, and South). Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi comprised 93% of the classified community, the former being the most abundant phylum in all samples except for Rocas Calientes 1, (63°C, pH 6), where Chloroflexi and Deinococcus‐Thermus represented 84% of the OTUs. Chloroflexi were more abundant as temperature increased. Proteobacteria, Bacteriodetes and Deinococcus‐Thermus comprised 5% of the OTUs represented. Other Phyla were present in very small percentages (<1%). A LINKTREE analysis showed that the community structure of the mats was shaped primarily by pH, separating samples with pH > 6.6 from samples with pH < 6.4. Thus, both pH and temperature were relevant for community composition even within the moderate ranges of variables studied. These results provide a basis for an understanding of the physicochemical influences in moderately thermophilic microbial mats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Uribe-Lorío
- Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular (CIBCM), Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Laura Brenes-Guillén
- Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular (CIBCM), Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Walter Hernández-Ascencio
- Centro de Investigación en Biología Celular y Molecular (CIBCM), Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Raúl Mora-Amador
- Escuela Centroamericana de Geología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Gino González
- Escuela Centroamericana de Geología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | | | - Beatriz Díez
- Departamento de Microbiología y Genética, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Pedrós-Alió
- Departamento de Biología de Sistemas, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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21
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Blanco Y, Rivas LA, González-Toril E, Ruiz-Bermejo M, Moreno-Paz M, Parro V, Palacín A, Aguilera Á, Puente-Sánchez F. Environmental parameters, and not phylogeny, determine the composition of extracellular polymeric substances in microbial mats from extreme environments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 650:384-393. [PMID: 30199683 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The ability to establish biofilms is a key trait for microorganisms growing in extreme environments. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) present in biofilms provide not only surface attachment, but also protection against all kinds of environmental stressors, including desiccation, salinity, temperature or heavy metal pollution. The acquisition of suitable biofilm characteristics might thus be an important process mediating the adaptation of microorganisms to novel environmental conditions. In this work we have characterized the EPS of 20 phylogenetically diverse biofilms collected in situ from five contrasting extreme environments, including two geothermal areas (Copahue, Argentina; Seltun, Iceland), two cold areas (Pastoruri glacier, Peru; Byers Peninsula, Antarctica) and one extremely acidic river (Río Tinto, Spain). Biofilms were subjected to biochemical characterization, glycan profiling and immunoprofiling with an antibody microarray. Our results showed that environmental conditions strongly influence biofilm characteristics, with microorganisms from the same environment achieving similar EPS compositions regardless of the phylogeny of their main species. The concentration of some monosaccharides in the EPS could be related to environmental conditions such as temperature or heavy metal toxicity, suggesting that in some cases stress resistance can be mediated by specific sugars. Overall, our results highlight the existence of conserved EPS compositional patterns for each extreme environment, which could in turn be exploited to engineer ecological adaptations in genetically modified microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Blanco
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Alfonso Rivas
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Elena González-Toril
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Ruiz-Bermejo
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Mercedes Moreno-Paz
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor Parro
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Arantxa Palacín
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ángeles Aguilera
- Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Carretera de Ajalvir Km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Puente-Sánchez
- Systems Biology Program, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, C/Darwin n° 3, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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22
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Korzhenkov AA, Toshchakov SV, Bargiela R, Gibbard H, Ferrer M, Teplyuk AV, Jones DL, Kublanov IV, Golyshin PN, Golyshina OV. Archaea dominate the microbial community in an ecosystem with low-to-moderate temperature and extreme acidity. MICROBIOME 2019; 7:11. [PMID: 30691532 PMCID: PMC6350386 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0623-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The current view suggests that in low-temperature acidic environments, archaea are significantly less abundant than bacteria. Thus, this study of the microbiome of Parys Mountain (Anglesey, UK) sheds light on the generality of this current assumption. Parys Mountain is a historically important copper mine and its acid mine drainage (AMD) water streams are characterised by constant moderate temperatures (8-18 °C), extremely low pH (1.7) and high concentrations of soluble iron and other metal cations. RESULTS Metagenomic and SSU rRNA amplicon sequencing of DNA from Parys Mountain revealed a significant proportion of archaea affiliated with Euryarchaeota, which accounted for ca. 67% of the community. Within this phylum, potentially new clades of Thermoplasmata were overrepresented (58%), with the most predominant group being "E-plasma", alongside low-abundant Cuniculiplasmataceae, 'Ca. Micrarchaeota' and 'Terrestrial Miscellaneous Euryarchaeal Group' (TMEG) archaea, which were phylogenetically close to Methanomassilicoccales and clustered with counterparts from acidic/moderately acidic settings. In the sediment, archaea and Thermoplasmata contributed the highest numbers in V3-V4 amplicon reads, in contrast with the water body community, where Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae, Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria outnumbered archaea. Cultivation efforts revealed the abundance of archaeal sequences closely related to Cuniculiplasma divulgatum in an enrichment culture established from the filterable fraction of the water sample. Enrichment cultures with unfiltered samples showed the presence of Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum, C. divulgatum, 'Ca. Mancarchaeum acidiphilum Mia14', 'Ca. Micrarchaeota'-related and diverse minor (< 2%) bacterial metagenomic reads. CONCLUSION Contrary to expectation, our study showed a high abundance of archaea in this extremely acidic mine-impacted environment. Further, archaeal populations were dominated by one particular group, suggesting that they are functionally important. The prevalence of archaea over bacteria in these microbiomes and their spatial distribution patterns represents a novel and important advance in our understanding of acidophile ecology. We also demonstrated a procedure for the specific enrichment of cell wall-deficient members of the archaeal component of this community, although the large fraction of archaeal taxa remained unculturable. Lastly, we identified a separate clustering of globally occurring acidophilic members of TMEG that collectively belong to a distinct order within Thermoplasmata with yet unclear functional roles in the ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksei A. Korzhenkov
- National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Akademika Kurchatova sq., 1, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Stepan V. Toshchakov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Federal Research Center for Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-Letiya Oktyabrya 7/2, Moscow, 117312 Russia
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, LL57 2UW UK
| | - Huw Gibbard
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, LL57 2UW UK
| | | | - Alina V. Teplyuk
- National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, Akademika Kurchatova sq., 1, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - David L. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, LL57 2UW UK
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 Australia
| | - Ilya V. Kublanov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Federal Research Center for Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect 60-Letiya Oktyabrya 7/2, Moscow, 117312 Russia
| | - Peter N. Golyshin
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, LL57 2UW UK
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, LL57 2UW UK
| | - Olga V. Golyshina
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, LL57 2UW UK
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Deiniol Rd, Bangor, LL57 2UW UK
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23
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Orellana R, Macaya C, Bravo G, Dorochesi F, Cumsille A, Valencia R, Rojas C, Seeger M. Living at the Frontiers of Life: Extremophiles in Chile and Their Potential for Bioremediation. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2309. [PMID: 30425685 PMCID: PMC6218600 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Extremophiles are organisms capable of adjust, survive or thrive in hostile habitats that were previously thought to be adverse or lethal for life. Chile gathers a wide range of extreme environments: salars, geothermal springs, and geysers located at Altiplano and Atacama Desert, salars and cold mountains in Central Chile, and ice fields, cold lakes and fjords, and geothermal sites in Patagonia and Antarctica. The aims of this review are to describe extremophiles that inhabit main extreme biotopes in Chile, and their molecular and physiological capabilities that may be advantageous for bioremediation processes. After briefly describing the main ecological niches of extremophiles along Chilean territory, this review is focused on the microbial diversity and composition of these biotopes microbiomes. Extremophiles have been isolated in diverse zones in Chile that possess extreme conditions such as Altiplano, Atacama Desert, Central Chile, Patagonia, and Antarctica. Interesting extremophiles from Chile with potential biotechnological applications include thermophiles (e.g., Methanofollis tationis from Tatio Geyser), acidophiles (e.g., Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Leptospirillum ferriphilum from Atacama Desert and Central Chile copper ores), halophiles (e.g., Shewanella sp. Asc-3 from Altiplano, Streptomyces sp. HKF-8 from Patagonia), alkaliphiles (Exiguobacterium sp. SH31 from Altiplano), xerotolerant bacteria (S. atacamensis from Atacama Desert), UV- and Gamma-resistant bacteria (Deinococcus peraridilitoris from Atacama Desert) and psychrophiles (e.g., Pseudomonas putida ATH-43 from Antarctica). The molecular and physiological properties of diverse extremophiles from Chile and their application in bioremediation or waste treatments are further discussed. Interestingly, the remarkable adaptative capabilities of extremophiles convert them into an attractive source of catalysts for bioremediation and industrial processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Orellana
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Constanza Macaya
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Guillermo Bravo
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Flavia Dorochesi
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Andrés Cumsille
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Ricardo Valencia
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Claudia Rojas
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Michael Seeger
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Biotecnología Ambiental, Departamento de Química and Centro de Biotecnología Daniel Alkalay Lowitt, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
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24
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Strunecký O, Kopejtka K, Goecke F, Tomasch J, Lukavský J, Neori A, Kahl S, Pieper DH, Pilarski P, Kaftan D, Koblížek M. High diversity of thermophilic cyanobacteria in Rupite hot spring identified by microscopy, cultivation, single-cell PCR and amplicon sequencing. Extremophiles 2018; 23:35-48. [PMID: 30284641 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-018-1058-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Genotypic and morphological diversity of cyanobacteria in the Rupite hot spring (Bulgaria) was investigated by means of optical microscopy, cultivation, single-cell PCR, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Altogether, 34 sites were investigated along the 71-39 °C temperature gradient. Analysis of samples from eight representative sites shown that Illumina, optical microscopy, and Roche 454 identified 72, 45 and 19% respective occurrences of all cumulatively present taxa. Optical microscopy failed to detect species of minor occurrence; whereas, amplicon sequencing technologies suffered from failed primer annealing and the presence of species with extensive extracellular polysaccharides production. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V5-V6 region performed by Illumina identified the cyanobacteria most reliably to the generic level. Nevertheless, only the combined use of optical microscopy, cultivation and sequencing methods allowed for reliable estimate of the cyanobacterial diversity. Here, we show that Rupite hot-spring system hosts one of the richest cyanobacterial flora reported from a single site above 50 °C. Chlorogloeopsis sp. was the most abundant at the highest temperature (68 °C), followed by Leptolyngbya boryana, Thermoleptolyngbya albertanoae, Synechococcus bigranulatus, Oculatella sp., and Desertifilum sp. thriving above 60 °C, while Leptolyngbya geysericola, Geitlerinema splendidum, and Cyanobacterium aponinum were found above 50 °C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otakar Strunecký
- Institute of Aquaculture, CENAKVA, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic. .,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Karel Kopejtka
- Center Algatech, Institute of Microbiology CAS, 37981, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Franz Goecke
- Center Algatech, Institute of Microbiology CAS, 37981, Třeboň, Czech Republic.,Department of Plant and Environmental Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Jürgen Tomasch
- Group Microbial Communication, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Jaromír Lukavský
- Department of Plant Ecology, Institute of Botany CAS, 37901, Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Amir Neori
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd., National Center for Mariculture, 88112, Eilat, Israel
| | - Silke Kahl
- Group Microbial Interactions and Processes, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Dietmar H Pieper
- Group Microbial Interactions and Processes, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Plamen Pilarski
- Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics BAS, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - David Kaftan
- Center Algatech, Institute of Microbiology CAS, 37981, Třeboň, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Koblížek
- Center Algatech, Institute of Microbiology CAS, 37981, Třeboň, Czech Republic
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25
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Proctor CR, Reimann M, Vriens B, Hammes F. Biofilms in shower hoses. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 131:274-286. [PMID: 29304381 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Shower hoses offer an excellent bacterial growth environment in close proximity to a critical end-user exposure route within building drinking water plumbing. However, the health risks associated with and processes underlying the development of biofilms in shower hoses are poorly studied. In a global survey, biofilms from 78 shower hoses from 11 countries were characterized in terms of cell concentration (4.1 × 104-5.8 × 108 cells/cm2), metal accumulation (including iron, lead, and copper), and microbiome composition (including presence of potential opportunistic pathogens). In countries using disinfectant, biofilms had on average lower cell concentrations and diversity. Metal accumulation (up to 5 μg-Fe/cm2, 75 ng-Pb/cm2, and 460 ng-Cu/cm2) seemed to be partially responsible for discoloration in biofilms, and likely originated from other pipes upstream in the building. While some genera that may contain potential opportunistic pathogens (Legionella, detected in 21/78 shower hoses) were positively correlated with biofilm cell concentration, others (Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas) had surprisingly non-existent or negative correlations with biofilm cell concentrations. In a controlled study, 15 identical shower hoses were installed for the same time period in the same country, and both stagnant and flowing water samples were collected. Ecological theory of dispersal and selection helped to explain microbiome composition and diversity of different sample types. Shower hose age was related to metal accumulation but not biofilm cell concentration, while frequency of use appeared to influence biofilm cell concentration. This study shows that shower hose biofilms are clearly a critical element of building drinking water plumbing, and a potential target for building drinking water plumbing monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin R Proctor
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland; Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mauro Reimann
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Bas Vriens
- Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Frederik Hammes
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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26
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Rozanov AS, Bryanskaya AV, Ivanisenko TV, Malup TK, Peltek SE. Biodiversity of the microbial mat of the Garga hot spring. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:254. [PMID: 29297382 PMCID: PMC5751763 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1106-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microbial mats are a good model system for ecological and evolutionary analysis of microbial communities. There are more than 20 alkaline hot springs on the banks of the Barguzin river inflows. Water temperature reaches 75 °C and pH is usually 8.0-9.0. The formation of microbial mats is observed in all hot springs. Microbial communities of hot springs of the Baikal rift zone are poorly studied. Garga is the biggest hot spring in this area. RESULTS In this study, we investigated bacterial and archaeal diversity of the Garga hot spring (Baikal rift zone, Russia) using 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. We studied two types of microbial communities: (i) small white biofilms on rocks in the points with the highest temperature (75 °C) and (ii) continuous thick phototrophic microbial mats observed at temperatures below 70 °C. Archaea (mainly Crenarchaeota; 19.8% of the total sequences) were detected only in the small biofilms. The high abundance of Archaea in the sample from hot springs of the Baikal rift zone supplemented our knowledge of the distribution of Archaea. Most archaeal sequences had low similarity to known Archaea. In the microbial mats, primary products were formed by cyanobacteria of the genus Leptolyngbya. Heterotrophic microorganisms were mostly represented by Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria in all studied samples of the microbial mats. Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and Chlorobi were abundant in the middle layer of the microbial mats, while heterotrophic microorganisms represented mostly by Firmicutes (Clostridia, strict anaerobes) dominated in the bottom part. Besides prokaryotes, we detect some species of Algae with help of detection their chloroplasts 16 s rRNA. CONCLUSIONS High abundance of Archaea in samples from hot springs of the Baikal rift zone supplemented our knowledge of the distribution of Archaea. Most archaeal sequences had low similarity to known Archaea. Metagenomic analysis of microbial communities of the microbial mat of Garga hot spring showed that the three studied points sampled at 70 °C, 55 °C, and 45 °C had similar species composition. Cyanobacteria of the genus Leptolyngbya dominated in the upper layer of the microbial mat. Chloroflexi and Chlorobi were less abundant and were mostly observed in the middle part of the microbial mat. We detected domains of heterotrophic organisms in high abundance (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomicetes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Thermi), according to metabolic properties of known relatives, which can form complete cycles of carbon, sulphur, and nitrogen in the microbial mat. The studied microbial mats evolved in early stages of biosphere formation. They can live autonomously, providing full cycles of substances and preventing live activity products poisoning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Sergeevich Rozanov
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.
| | - Alla Victorovna Bryanskaya
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Timofey Vladimirovich Ivanisenko
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Tatyana Konstantinovna Malup
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Sergey Evgenievich Peltek
- Federal Research Center Institute of Cytology and Genetics, the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
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27
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Double Hydrogen Bonding between Side Chain Carboxyl Groups in Aqueous Solutions of Poly (β-L-Malic Acid): Implication for the Evolutionary Origin of Nucleic Acids. Life (Basel) 2017; 7:life7030035. [PMID: 29061955 PMCID: PMC5617960 DOI: 10.3390/life7030035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The RNA world hypothesis holds that in the evolutionary events that led to the emergence of life RNA preceded proteins and DNA and is supported by the ability of RNA to act as both a genetic polymer and a catalyst. On the other hand, biosynthesis of nucleic acids requires a large number of enzymes and chemical synthesis of RNA under presumed prebiotic conditions is complicated and requires many sequential steps. These observations suggest that biosynthesis of RNA is the end product of a long evolutionary process. If so, what was the original polymer from which RNA and DNA evolved? In most syntheses of simpler RNA or DNA analogs, the D-ribose phosphate polymer backbone is altered and the purine and pyrimidine bases are retained for hydrogen bonding between complementary base pairs. However, the bases are themselves products of complex biosynthetic pathways and hence they too may have evolved from simpler polymer side chains that had the ability to form hydrogen bonds. We hypothesize that the earliest evolutionary predecessor of nucleic acids was the simple linear polyester, poly (β-D-malic acid), for which the carboxyl side chains could form double hydrogen bonds. In this study, we show that in accord with this hypothesis a closely related polyester, poly (β-L-malic acid), uses carboxyl side chains to form robust intramolecular double hydrogen bonds in moderately acidic solution.
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28
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Sakai HD, Kurosawa N. Sulfodiicoccus acidiphilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a sulfur-inhibited thermoacidophilic archaeon belonging to the order Sulfolobales isolated from a terrestrial acidic hot spring. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.001881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki D. Sakai
- Department of Science and Engineering for Sustainable Innovation, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Soka University, 1-236 Tangi-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
| | - Norio Kurosawa
- Department of Science and Engineering for Sustainable Innovation, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Soka University, 1-236 Tangi-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577, Japan
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29
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Yang Y, Mu Y, Zeng XC, Wu W, Yuan J, Liu Y, Guoji E, Luo F, Chen X, Li H, Wang J. Functional genes and thermophilic microorganisms responsible for arsenite oxidation from the shallow sediment of an untraversed hot spring outlet. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2017; 26:490-501. [PMID: 28251437 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-017-1779-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Hot Springs have unique geochemical features. Microorganisms-mediated arsenite oxidation is one of the major biogeochemical processes occurred in some hot springs. This study aimed to understand the diversities of genes and microorganisms involved in arsenite oxidation from the outlet of an untraversed hot spring located at an altitude of 4226 m. Microcosm assay indicated that the microbial community from the hot spring was able to efficiently oxidize As(III) using glucose, lactic acid, yeast extract or sodium bicarbonate as the sole carbon source. The microbial community contained 7 phyla of microorganisms, of which Proteobacteria and Firmicutes are largely dominant; this composition is unique and differs significantly from those of other described hot springs. Twenty one novel arsenite oxidase genes were identified from the samples, which are affiliated with the arsenite oxidase families of α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria or Archaea; this highlights the high diversity of the arsenite-oxidizing microorganisms from the hot spring. A cultivable arsenite-oxidizer Chelatococcu sp. GHS311 was also isolated from the sample using enrichment technique. It can completely convert 75.0 mg/L As(III) into As(V) in 18 days at 45 °C. The arsenite oxidase of GHS311 shares the maximal sequence identity (84.7%) to that of Hydrogenophaga sp. CL3, a non-thermotolerant bacterium. At the temperature lower than 30 °C or higher than 65 °C, the growth of this strain was completely inhibited. These data help us to better understand the diversity and functional features of the thermophilic arsenite-oxidizing microorganisms from hot springs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Yao Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Xian-Chun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weiwei Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Yichen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - E Guoji
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Feng Luo
- School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiaoming Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & Department of Biological Science and Technology, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China
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30
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Merkel AY, Pimenov NV, Rusanov II, Slobodkin AI, Slobodkina GB, Tarnovetckii IY, Frolov EN, Dubin AV, Perevalova AA, Bonch-Osmolovskaya EA. Microbial diversity and autotrophic activity in Kamchatka hot springs. Extremophiles 2016; 21:307-317. [DOI: 10.1007/s00792-016-0903-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Jensen HS, Sekar R, Shepherd WJ, Osborn AM, Tait S, Biggs CA. Spatial and temporal variability of bacterial communities within a combined sewer system. Microbiologyopen 2016; 5:616-25. [PMID: 27063341 PMCID: PMC4985595 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2015] [Revised: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This study describes the temporal and spatial variability of bacterial communities within a combined sewer system in England. Sampling was conducted over 9 months in a sewer system with intensive monitoring of hydraulic conditions. The bacterial communities were characterized by 16S rRNA gene-targeted terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. These data were related to the hydraulic data as well as the sample type, location, and time. Temporal and spatial variation was observed between and within wastewater communities and biofilm communities. The bacterial communities in biofilm were distinctly different from the communities in wastewater and exhibited greater spatial variation, while the wastewater communities exhibited variability between different months of sampling. This study highlights the variation of bacterial communities between biofilm and wastewater, and has shown both spatial and temporal variations in bacterial communities in combined sewers. The temporal variation is of interest for in-sewer processes, for example, sewer odor generation, as field measurements for these processes are often carried out over short durations and may therefore not capture the influence of this temporal variation of the bacterial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raju Sekar
- Department of Biological SciencesXi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Will J. Shepherd
- Department of Civil and Structural EngineeringUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | | | - Simon Tait
- Department of Civil and Structural EngineeringUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Catherine A. Biggs
- Department of Chemical and Biological EngineeringUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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32
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Charles CJ, Rout SP, Garratt EJ, Patel K, Laws AP, Humphreys PN. The enrichment of an alkaliphilic biofilm consortia capable of the anaerobic degradation of isosaccharinic acid from cellulosic materials incubated within an anthropogenic, hyperalkaline environment. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2015. [PMID: 26195600 PMCID: PMC4629871 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiv085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic hyperalkaline sites provide an environment that is analogous to proposed cementitious geological disposal facilities (GDF) for radioactive waste. Under anoxic, alkaline conditions cellulosic wastes will hydrolyze to a range of cellulose degradation products (CDP) dominated by isosaccharinic acids (ISA). In order to investigate the potential for microbial activity in a cementitious GDF, cellulose samples were incubated in the alkaline (∼pH 12), anaerobic zone of a lime kiln waste site. Following retrieval, these samples had undergone partial alkaline hydrolysis and were colonized by a Clostridia-dominated biofilm community, where hydrogenotrophic, alkaliphilic methanogens were also present. When these samples were used to establish an alkaline CDP fed microcosm, the community shifted away from Clostridia, methanogens became undetectable and a flocculate community dominated by Alishewanella sp. established. These flocs were composed of bacteria embedded in polysaccharides and proteins stabilized by extracellular DNA. This community was able to degrade all forms of ISA with >60% of the carbon flow being channelled into extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) production. This study demonstrated that alkaliphilic microbial communities can degrade the CDP associated with some radioactive waste disposal concepts at pH 11. These communities divert significant amounts of degradable carbon to EPS formation, suggesting that EPS has a central role in the protection of these communities from hyperalkaline conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Charles
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - S P Rout
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - E J Garratt
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - K Patel
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - A P Laws
- Department of Chemical Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
| | - P N Humphreys
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
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Urbieta MS, Porati GW, Segretín AB, González-Toril E, Giaveno MA, Donati ER. Copahue Geothermal System: A Volcanic Environment with Rich Extreme Prokaryotic Biodiversity. Microorganisms 2015; 3:344-63. [PMID: 27682093 PMCID: PMC5023244 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms3030344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The Copahue geothermal system is a natural extreme environment located at the northern end of the Cordillera de los Andes in Neuquén province in Argentina. The geochemistry and consequently the biodiversity of the area are dominated by the activity of the Copahue volcano. The main characteristic of Copahue is the extreme acidity of its aquatic environments; ponds and hot springs of moderate and high temperature as well as Río Agrio. In spite of being an apparently hostile location, the prokaryotic biodiversity detected by molecular ecology techniques as well as cultivation shows a rich and diverse environment dominated by acidophilic, sulphur oxidising bacteria or archaea, depending on the conditions of the particular niche studied. In microbial biofilms, found in the borders of the ponds where thermal activity is less intense, the species found are completely different, with a high presence of cyanobacteria and other photosynthetic species. Our results, collected during more than 10 years of work in Copahue, have enabled us to outline geomicrobiological models for the different environments found in the ponds and Río Agrio. Besides, Copahue seems to be the habitat of novel, not yet characterised autochthonous species, especially in the domain Archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Sofía Urbieta
- CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas-UNLP), calle 50 entre 115 y 116 N° 227 La Plata, Buenos Aires B8508, Argentina.
| | - Graciana Willis Porati
- CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas-UNLP), calle 50 entre 115 y 116 N° 227 La Plata, Buenos Aires B8508, Argentina.
| | - Ana Belén Segretín
- CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas-UNLP), calle 50 entre 115 y 116 N° 227 La Plata, Buenos Aires B8508, Argentina.
| | - Elena González-Toril
- Centro de Astrobiología, Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA-CSIC), Carretera de Ajalvir Km. 4, 28850, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid 28850, Spain.
| | - María Alejandra Giaveno
- Laboratorio de Biolixiviación, Departamentoo de Química-Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, PROBIEN (CONICET-UNCo) Buenos Aires 1400 (8300) Neuquén, Argentina.
| | - Edgardo Rubén Donati
- CINDEFI (CCT La Plata-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas-UNLP), calle 50 entre 115 y 116 N° 227 La Plata, Buenos Aires B8508, Argentina.
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