1
|
Smrzka D, Zwicker J, Schulz-Vogt H, Little CTS, Rieder M, Meister P, Gier S, Peckmann J. Fossilized giant sulfide-oxidizing bacteria from the Devonian Hollard Mound seep deposit, Morocco. GEOBIOLOGY 2024; 22:e12581. [PMID: 38059419 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12581] [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: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
The giant sulfide-oxidizing bacteria are particularly prone to preservation in the rock record, and their fossils have been identified in ancient phosphorites, cherts, and carbonates. This study reports putative spherical fossils preserved in the Devonian Hollard Mound hydrocarbon-seep deposit. Based on petrographical, mineralogical, and geochemical evidence the putative microfossils are interpreted as sulfide-oxidizing bacteria similar to the present-day genus Thiomargarita, which is also found at modern hydrocarbon seeps. The morphology, distribution, size, and occurrence of the fossilized cells show a large degree of similarity to their modern counterparts. Some of the spherical fossils adhere to worm tubes analogous to the occurrence of modern Thiomargarita on the tubes of seep-dwelling siboglinid worms. Fluorapatite crystals were identified within the fossilized cell walls, suggesting the intercellular storage of phosphorus analogous to modern Thiomargarita cells. The preservation of large sulfide-oxidizing bacteria was probably linked to changing biogeochemical processes at the Hollard Mound seep or, alternatively, may have been favored by the sulfide-oxidizing bacteria performing nitrate-dependent sulfide oxidation-a process known to induce carbonate precipitation. The presence of sulfide-oxidizing bacteria at a Devonian hydrocarbon seep highlights the similarities of past and present chemosynthesis-based ecosystems and provides valuable insight into the antiquity of biogeochemical processes and element cycling at Phanerozoic seeps.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Smrzka
- Faculty of Geosciences, Universität Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences, Bremen, Germany
| | - Jennifer Zwicker
- Institute for Mineralogy und Crystallography, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria
| | - Heide Schulz-Vogt
- Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Rostock, Germany
| | - Crispin T S Little
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | | | | | - Susanne Gier
- Department of Geology, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria
| | - Jörn Peckmann
- Institute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Volland JM, Gonzalez-Rizzo S, Gros O, Tyml T, Ivanova N, Schulz F, Goudeau D, Elisabeth NH, Nath N, Udwary D, Malmstrom RR, Guidi-Rontani C, Bolte-Kluge S, Davies KM, Jean MR, Mansot JL, Mouncey NJ, Angert ER, Woyke T, Date SV. A centimeter-long bacterium with DNA contained in metabolically active, membrane-bound organelles. Science 2022; 376:1453-1458. [PMID: 35737788 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb3634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cells of most bacterial species are around 2 micrometers in length, with some of the largest specimens reaching 750 micrometers. Using fluorescence, x-ray, and electron microscopy in conjunction with genome sequencing, we characterized Candidatus (Ca.) Thiomargarita magnifica, a bacterium that has an average cell length greater than 9000 micrometers and is visible to the naked eye. These cells grow orders of magnitude over theoretical limits for bacterial cell size, display unprecedented polyploidy of more than half a million copies of a very large genome, and undergo a dimorphic life cycle with asymmetric segregation of chromosomes into daughter cells. These features, along with compartmentalization of genomic material and ribosomes in translationally active organelles bound by bioenergetic membranes, indicate gain of complexity in the Thiomargarita lineage and challenge traditional concepts of bacterial cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marie Volland
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Silvina Gonzalez-Rizzo
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, Université des Antilles, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Campus de Fouillole, Pointe-à-Pitre, France
| | - Olivier Gros
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, Université des Antilles, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Campus de Fouillole, Pointe-à-Pitre, France.,Centre Commun de Caractérisation des Matériaux des Antilles et de la Guyane, Université des Antilles, UFR des Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
| | - Tomáš Tyml
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Natalia Ivanova
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Frederik Schulz
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Danielle Goudeau
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Nathalie H Elisabeth
- Department of Energy Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Nandita Nath
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Udwary
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Rex R Malmstrom
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Chantal Guidi-Rontani
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité CNRS UMR 7205, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Susanne Bolte-Kluge
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS FRE3631, Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, Paris, France
| | - Karen M Davies
- Department of Energy Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Maïtena R Jean
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, Université des Antilles, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Campus de Fouillole, Pointe-à-Pitre, France
| | - Jean-Louis Mansot
- Centre Commun de Caractérisation des Matériaux des Antilles et de la Guyane, Université des Antilles, UFR des Sciences Exactes et Naturelles, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France
| | - Nigel J Mouncey
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Esther R Angert
- Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Tanja Woyke
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, Menlo Park, CA, USA.,University of California Merced, School of Natural Sciences, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Shailesh V Date
- Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, Menlo Park, CA, USA.,University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hourdez S, Boidin-Wichlacz C, Jollivet D, Massol F, Rayol MC, Bruno R, Zeppilli D, Thomas F, Lesven L, Billon G, Duperron S, Tasiemski A. Investigation of Capitella spp. symbionts in the context of varying anthropic pressures: First occurrence of a transient advantageous epibiosis with the giant bacteria Thiomargarita sp. to survive seasonal increases of sulfides in sediments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 798:149149. [PMID: 34375231 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Capitella spp. is considered as an important ecological indicator of eutrophication due to its high densities in organic-rich, reduced, and sometimes polluted coastal ecosystems. We investigated whether such ability to cope with adverse ecological contexts might be a response to the microorganisms these worms are associated with. In populations from the French Atlantic coast (Roscoff, Brittany), we observed an epibiotic association covering the tegument of 20-30% specimens from an anthropized site while individuals from a reference, non-anthropized site were devoid of any visible epibionts. Using RNAseq, molecular and microscopic analyses, we described and compared the microbial communities associated with the epibiotic versus the non-epibiotic specimens at both locations. Interestingly, data showed that the epibiosis is characterized by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria among which the giant bacterium Thiomargarita sp., to date only described in deep sea habitats. Survey of Capitella combined with the geochemical analysis of their sediment revealed that epibiotic specimens are always found in muds with the highest concentration of sulfides, mostly during the summer. Concomitantly, tolerance tests demonstrated that the acquisition of epibionts increased survival against toxic level of sulfides. Overall, the present data highlight for the first time a peculiar plastic adaptation to seasonal variations of the habitat based on a transcient epibiosis allowing a coastal species to survive temporary harsher conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Hourdez
- Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer, UMR 8222 CNRS-SU, avenue Pierre Fabre, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | - Céline Boidin-Wichlacz
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR9017-CIIL-Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 - Evo-Eco-Paleo, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Didier Jollivet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS UMR 7144 'Adaptation et Diversité en Milieux Marins' (AD2M), Team 'Dynamique de la Diversité Marine' (DyDiv), Station biologique de Roscoff, Place G. Teissier, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - François Massol
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR9017-CIIL-Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 - Evo-Eco-Paleo, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Maria Claudia Rayol
- Centro Interdisciplinar em Energia e Ambiente - CIEnAm, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40170-115 Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Renato Bruno
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR9017-CIIL-Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 - Evo-Eco-Paleo, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Daniela Zeppilli
- IFREMER, Centre Brest, REM/EEP/LEP, ZI de la Pointe du Diable, CS10070, 29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC/CREES, UMR IRD-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Ludovic Lesven
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516 - LASIRE, Laboratoire Avancé de Spectroscopie pour les Interactions, la Réactivité et l'Environnement, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Gabriel Billon
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516 - LASIRE, Laboratoire Avancé de Spectroscopie pour les Interactions, la Réactivité et l'Environnement, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Sébastien Duperron
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR7245 Mécanismes de Communication et Adaptation des Micro-organismes, 12 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Aurélie Tasiemski
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019-UMR9017-CIIL-Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Lille, France; Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198 - Evo-Eco-Paleo, F-59000 Lille, France.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Flood BE, Louw DC, Van der Plas AK, Bailey JV. Giant sulfur bacteria (Beggiatoaceae) from sediments underlying the Benguela upwelling system host diverse microbiomes. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258124. [PMID: 34818329 PMCID: PMC8612568 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to their lithotrophic metabolisms, morphological complexity and conspicuous appearance, members of the Beggiatoaceae have been extensively studied for more than 100 years. These bacteria are known to be primarily sulfur-oxidizing autotrophs that commonly occur in dense mats at redox interfaces. Their large size and the presence of a mucous sheath allows these cells to serve as sites of attachment for communities of other microorganisms. But little is known about their individual niche preferences and attached microbiomes, particularly in marine environments, due to a paucity of cultivars and their prevalence in habitats that are difficult to access and study. Therefore, in this study, we compare Beggiatoaceae strain composition, community composition, and geochemical profiles collected from sulfidic sediments at four marine stations off the coast of Namibia. To elucidate community members that were directly attached and enriched in both filamentous Beggiatoaceae, namely Ca. Marithioploca spp. and Ca. Maribeggiatoa spp., as well as non-filamentous Beggiatoaceae, Ca. Thiomargarita spp., the Beggiatoaceae were pooled by morphotype for community analysis. The Beggiatoaceae samples collected from a highly sulfidic site were enriched in strains of sulfur-oxidizing Campylobacterota, that may promote a more hospitable setting for the Beggiatoaceae, which are known to have a lower tolerance for high sulfide to oxygen ratios. We found just a few host-specific associations with the motile filamentous morphotypes. Conversely, we detected 123 host specific enrichments with non-motile chain forming Beggiatoaceae. Potential metabolisms of the enriched strains include fermentation of host sheath material, syntrophic exchange of H2 and acetate, inorganic sulfur metabolism, and nitrite oxidation. Surprisingly, we did not detect any enrichments of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria as previously suggested and postulate that less well-studied anaerobic ammonium oxidation pathways may be occurring instead.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beverly E. Flood
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Deon C. Louw
- National Marine Information and Research Centre, Swakopmund, Namibia
| | | | - Jake V. Bailey
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Guevara Campoverde NC, Hassenrück C, Buttigieg PL, Gärdes A. Characterization of bacterioplankton communities and quantification of organic carbon pools off the Galapagos Archipelago under contrasting environmental conditions. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5984. [PMID: 30533298 PMCID: PMC6282939 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria play a crucial role in the marine carbon cycle, contributing to the production and degradation of organic carbon. Here, we investigated organic carbon pools, aggregate formation, and bacterioplankton communities in three contrasting oceanographic settings in the Galapagos Archipelago. We studied a submarine CO2 vent at Roca Redonda (RoR), an upwelling site at Bolivar Channel (BoC) subjected to a weak El Niño event at the time of sampling in October 2014, as well as a site without volcanic or upwelling influence at Cowley Islet (CoI). We recorded physico-chemical parameters, and quantified particulate and dissolved organic carbon, transparent exopolymeric particles, and the potential of the water to form larger marine aggregates. Free-living and particle-attached bacterial communities were assessed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Both RoR and BoC exhibited temperatures elevated by 1–1.5 °C compared to CoI. RoR further experienced reduced pH between 6.8 and 7.4. We observed pronounced differences in organic carbon pools at each of the three sites, with highest dissolved organic carbon concentrations at BoC and RoR, and highest particulate organic carbon concentrations and aggregate formation at BoC. Bacterioplankton communities at BoC were dominated by opportunistic copiotrophic taxa, such as Alteromonas and Roseobacter, known to thrive in phytoplankton blooms, as opposed to oligotrophic taxa dominating at CoI, such as members of the SAR11 clade. Therefore, we propose that bacterial communities were mainly influenced by the availability of organic carbon at the investigated sites. Our study provides a comprehensive characterization of organic carbon pools and bacterioplankton communities, highlighting the high heterogeneity of various components of the marine carbon cycle around the Galapagos Archipelago.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nataly Carolina Guevara Campoverde
- Galapagos Science Center, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.,Tropical Marine Microbiology, Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Reseach, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christiane Hassenrück
- Tropical Marine Microbiology, Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Reseach, Bremen, Germany
| | - Pier Luigi Buttigieg
- HGF-MPG Group for Deep Sea Ecology and Technology, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Astrid Gärdes
- Tropical Marine Microbiology, Department of Biogeochemistry and Geology, Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Reseach, Bremen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Kolter
- Department of MicrobiologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMA 02115 USA
| | - Scott Chimileski
- Department of MicrobiologyHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMA 02115 USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
The largest known bacteria, Thiomargarita spp., have yet to be isolated in pure culture, but their large size allows for individual cells to be monitored in time course experiments or to be individually sorted for omics-based investigations. Here we investigated the metabolism of individual cells of Thiomargarita spp. by using a novel application of a tetrazolium-based dye that measures oxidoreductase activity. When coupled with microscopy, staining of the cells with a tetrazolium-formazan dye allows metabolic responses in Thiomargarita spp. to be to be tracked in the absence of observable cell division. Additionally, the metabolic activity of Thiomargarita sp. cells can be differentiated from the metabolism of other microbes in specimens that contain adherent bacteria. The results of our redox dye-based assay suggest that Thiomargarita is the most metabolically versatile under anoxic conditions, where it appears to express cellular oxidoreductase activity in response to the electron donors succinate, acetate, citrate, formate, thiosulfate, H2, and H2S. Under hypoxic conditions, formazan staining results suggest the metabolism of succinate and likely acetate, citrate, and H2S. Cells incubated under oxic conditions showed the weakest formazan staining response, and then only to H2S, citrate, and perhaps succinate. These results provide experimental validation of recent genomic studies of Candidatus Thiomargarita nelsonii that suggest metabolic plasticity and mixotrophic metabolism. The cellular oxidoreductase response of bacteria attached to the exterior of Thiomargarita also supports the possibility of trophic interactions between these largest of known bacteria and attached epibionts. The metabolic potential of many microorganisms that cannot be grown in the laboratory is known only from genomic data. Genomes of Thiomargarita spp. suggest that these largest of known bacteria are mixotrophs, combining lithotrophic metabolism with organic carbon degradation. Our use of a redox-sensitive tetrazolium dye to query the metabolism of these bacteria provides an independent line of evidence that corroborates the apparent metabolic plasticity of Thiomargarita observed in recently produced genomes. Finding new cultivation-independent means of testing genomic results is critical to testing genome-derived hypotheses on the metabolic potentials of uncultivated microorganisms.
Collapse
|
8
|
Wasmund K, Mußmann M, Loy A. The life sulfuric: microbial ecology of sulfur cycling in marine sediments. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2017; 9:323-344. [PMID: 28419734 PMCID: PMC5573963 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Almost the entire seafloor is covered with sediments that can be more than 10 000 m thick and represent a vast microbial ecosystem that is a major component of Earth's element and energy cycles. Notably, a significant proportion of microbial life in marine sediments can exploit energy conserved during transformations of sulfur compounds among different redox states. Sulfur cycling, which is primarily driven by sulfate reduction, is tightly interwoven with other important element cycles (carbon, nitrogen, iron, manganese) and therefore has profound implications for both cellular- and ecosystem-level processes. Sulfur-transforming microorganisms have evolved diverse genetic, metabolic, and in some cases, peculiar phenotypic features to fill an array of ecological niches in marine sediments. Here, we review recent and selected findings on the microbial guilds that are involved in the transformation of different sulfur compounds in marine sediments and emphasise how these are interlinked and have a major influence on ecology and biogeochemistry in the seafloor. Extraordinary discoveries have increased our knowledge on microbial sulfur cycling, mainly in sulfate-rich surface sediments, yet many questions remain regarding how sulfur redox processes may sustain the deep-subsurface biosphere and the impact of organic sulfur compounds on the marine sulfur cycle.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Wasmund
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”University of ViennaAlthanstrasse 14ViennaA‐1090Austria
- Austrian Polar Research InstituteViennaAustria
| | - Marc Mußmann
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”University of ViennaAlthanstrasse 14ViennaA‐1090Austria
| | - Alexander Loy
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”University of ViennaAlthanstrasse 14ViennaA‐1090Austria
- Austrian Polar Research InstituteViennaAustria
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Salman-Carvalho V, Fadeev E, Joye SB, Teske A. How Clonal Is Clonal? Genome Plasticity across Multicellular Segments of a "Candidatus Marithrix sp." Filament from Sulfidic, Briny Seafloor Sediments in the Gulf of Mexico. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1173. [PMID: 27536274 PMCID: PMC4971068 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
“Candidatus Marithrix” is a recently described lineage within the group of large sulfur bacteria (Beggiatoaceae, Gammaproteobacteria). This genus of bacteria comprises vacuolated, attached-living filaments that inhabit the sediment surface around vent and seep sites in the marine environment. A single filament is ca. 100 μm in diameter, several millimeters long, and consists of hundreds of clonal cells, which are considered highly polyploid. Based on these characteristics, “Candidatus Marithrix” was used as a model organism for the assessment of genomic plasticity along segments of a single filament using next generation sequencing to possibly identify hotspots of microevolution. Using six consecutive segments of a single filament sampled from a mud volcano in the Gulf of Mexico, we recovered ca. 90% of the “Candidatus Marithrix” genome in each segment. There was a high level of genome conservation along the filament with average nucleotide identities between 99.98 and 100%. Different approaches to assemble all reads into a complete consensus genome could not fill the gaps. Each of the six segment datasets encoded merely a few hundred unique nucleotides and 5 or less unique genes—the residual content was redundant in all datasets. Besides the overall high genomic identity, we identified a similar number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between the clonal segments, which are comparable to numbers reported for other clonal organisms. An increase of SNPs with greater distance of filament segments was not observed. The polyploidy of the cells was apparent when analyzing the heterogeneity of reads within a segment. Here, a strong increase in single nucleotide variants, or “intrasegmental sequence heterogeneity” (ISH) events, was observed. These sites may represent hotspots for genome plasticity, and possibly microevolution, since two thirds of these variants were not co-localized across the genome copies of the multicellular filament.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Verena Salman-Carvalho
- HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| | - Eduard Fadeev
- HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| | - Samantha B Joye
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia Athens, GA, USA
| | - Andreas Teske
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Winkel M, Salman-Carvalho V, Woyke T, Richter M, Schulz-Vogt HN, Flood BE, Bailey JV, Mußmann M. Single-cell Sequencing of Thiomargarita Reveals Genomic Flexibility for Adaptation to Dynamic Redox Conditions. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:964. [PMID: 27446006 PMCID: PMC4914600 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Large, colorless sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (LSB) of the family Beggiatoaceae form thick mats at sulfidic sediment surfaces, where they efficiently detoxify sulfide before it enters the water column. The genus Thiomargarita harbors the largest known free-living bacteria with cell sizes of up to 750 μm in diameter. In addition to their ability to oxidize reduced sulfur compounds, some Thiomargarita spp. are known to store large amounts of nitrate, phosphate and elemental sulfur internally. To date little is known about their energy yielding metabolic pathways, and how these pathways compare to other Beggiatoaceae. Here, we present a draft single-cell genome of a chain-forming “Candidatus Thiomargarita nelsonii Thio36”, and conduct a comparative analysis to five draft and one full genome of other members of the Beggiatoaceae. “Ca. T. nelsonii Thio36” is able to respire nitrate to both ammonium and dinitrogen, which allows them to flexibly respond to environmental changes. Genes for sulfur oxidation and inorganic carbon fixation confirmed that “Ca. T. nelsonii Thio36” can function as a chemolithoautotroph. Carbon can be fixed via the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle, which is common among the Beggiatoaceae. In addition we found key genes of the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle that point toward an alternative CO2 fixation pathway. Surprisingly, “Ca. T. nelsonii Thio36” also encodes key genes of the C2-cycle that convert 2-phosphoglycolate to 3-phosphoglycerate during photorespiration in higher plants and cyanobacteria. Moreover, we identified a novel trait of a flavin-based energy bifurcation pathway coupled to a Na+-translocating membrane complex (Rnf). The coupling of these pathways may be key to surviving long periods of anoxia. As other Beggiatoaceae “Ca. T. nelsonii Thio36” encodes many genes similar to those of (filamentous) cyanobacteria. In summary, the genome of “Ca. T. nelsonii Thio36” provides additional insight into the ecology of giant sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, and reveals unique genomic features for the Thiomargarita lineage within the Beggiatoaceae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Winkel
- Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine MicrobiologyBremen, Germany; Section Geomicrobiology, GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience, Helmholtz Centre PotsdamPotsdam, Germany
| | - Verena Salman-Carvalho
- HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-sea Ecology and Technology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| | - Tanja Woyke
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek CA, USA
| | - Michael Richter
- Microbial Genomics and Bioinformatics Group, Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Beverly E Flood
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
| | - Jake V Bailey
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
| | - Marc Mußmann
- Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Molecular Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Flood BE, Fliss P, Jones DS, Dick GJ, Jain S, Kaster AK, Winkel M, Mußmann M, Bailey J. Single-Cell (Meta-)Genomics of a Dimorphic Candidatus Thiomargarita nelsonii Reveals Genomic Plasticity. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:603. [PMID: 27199933 PMCID: PMC4853749 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Thiomargarita includes the world's largest bacteria. But as uncultured organisms, their physiology, metabolism, and basis for their gigantism are not well understood. Thus, a genomics approach, applied to a single Candidatus Thiomargarita nelsonii cell was employed to explore the genetic potential of one of these enigmatic giant bacteria. The Thiomargarita cell was obtained from an assemblage of budding Ca. T. nelsonii attached to a provannid gastropod shell from Hydrate Ridge, a methane seep offshore of Oregon, USA. Here we present a manually curated genome of Bud S10 resulting from a hybrid assembly of long Pacific Biosciences and short Illumina sequencing reads. With respect to inorganic carbon fixation and sulfur oxidation pathways, the Ca. T. nelsonii Hydrate Ridge Bud S10 genome was similar to marine sister taxa within the family Beggiatoaceae. However, the Bud S10 genome contains genes suggestive of the genetic potential for lithotrophic growth on arsenite and perhaps hydrogen. The genome also revealed that Bud S10 likely respires nitrate via two pathways: a complete denitrification pathway and a dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia pathway. Both pathways have been predicted, but not previously fully elucidated, in the genomes of other large, vacuolated, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Surprisingly, the genome also had a high number of unusual features for a bacterium to include the largest number of metacaspases and introns ever reported in a bacterium. Also present, are a large number of other mobile genetic elements, such as insertion sequence (IS) transposable elements and miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs). In some cases, mobile genetic elements disrupted key genes in metabolic pathways. For example, a MITE interrupts hupL, which encodes the large subunit of the hydrogenase in hydrogen oxidation. Moreover, we detected a group I intron in one of the most critical genes in the sulfur oxidation pathway, dsrA. The dsrA group I intron also carried a MITE sequence that, like the hupL MITE family, occurs broadly across the genome. The presence of a high degree of mobile elements in genes central to Thiomargarita's core metabolism has not been previously reported in free-living bacteria and suggests a highly mutable genome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beverly E Flood
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Palmer Fliss
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Daniel S Jones
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN, USA; Biotechnology Institute, University of MinnesotaSt. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Gregory J Dick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sunit Jain
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Anne-Kristin Kaster
- German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Leibniz Institute DSMZ Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Matthias Winkel
- Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam, Germany
| | - Marc Mußmann
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| | - Jake Bailey
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
Our view of bacteria is overwhelmingly shaped by their diminutive nature. The most ancient of organisms, their very presence was not appreciated until the 17th century with the invention of the microscope. Initially, viewed as "bags of enzymes," recent advances in imaging, molecular phylogeny, and, most recently, genomics have revealed incredible diversity within this previously invisible realm of life. Here, we review the impact of size on bacterial evolution, physiology, and morphogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Petra Anne Levin
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
| | - Esther R Angert
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Metatranscriptomic analysis of diminutive Thiomargarita-like bacteria ("Candidatus Thiopilula" spp.) from abyssal cold seeps of the Barbados Accretionary Prism. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015; 81:3142-56. [PMID: 25724961 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00039-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Large sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in the family Beggiatoaceae are important players in the global sulfur cycle. This group contains members of the well-known genera Beggiatoa, Thioploca, and Thiomargarita but also recently identified and relatively unknown candidate taxa, including "Candidatus Thiopilula" spp. and "Ca. Thiophysa" spp. We discovered a population of "Ca. Thiopilula" spp. colonizing cold seeps near Barbados at a ∼4.7-km water depth. The Barbados population consists of spherical cells that are morphologically similar to Thiomargarita spp., with elemental sulfur inclusions and a central vacuole, but have much smaller cell diameters (5 to 40 μm). Metatranscriptomic analysis revealed that when exposed to anoxic sulfidic conditions, Barbados "Ca. Thiopilula" organisms expressed genes for the oxidation of elemental sulfur and the reduction of nitrogenous compounds, consistent with their vacuolated morphology and intracellular sulfur storage capability. Metatranscriptomic analysis further revealed that anaerobic methane-oxidizing and sulfate-reducing organisms were active in the sediment, which likely provided reduced sulfur substrates for "Ca. Thiopilula" and other sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms in the community. The novel observations of "Ca. Thiopilula" and associated organisms reported here expand our knowledge of the globally distributed and ecologically successful Beggiatoaceae group and thus offer insight into the composition and ecology of deep cold seep microbial communities.
Collapse
|
14
|
Bailey JV, Corsetti FA, Greene SE, Crosby CH, Liu P, Orphan VJ. Filamentous sulfur bacteria preserved in modern and ancient phosphatic sediments: implications for the role of oxygen and bacteria in phosphogenesis. GEOBIOLOGY 2013; 11:397-405. [PMID: 23786451 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Accepted: 05/24/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Marine phosphate-rich sedimentary deposits (phosphorites) are important geological reservoirs for the biologically essential nutrient phosphorous. Phosphorites first appear in abundance approximately 600 million years ago, but their proliferation at that time is poorly understood. Recent marine phosphorites spatially correlate with the habitats of vacuolated sulfide-oxidizing bacteria that store polyphosphates under oxic conditions to be utilized under sulfidic conditions. Hydrolysis of the stored polyphosphate results in the rapid precipitation of the phosphate-rich mineral apatite-providing a mechanism to explain the association between modern phosphorites and these bacteria. Whether sulfur bacteria were important to the formation of ancient phosphorites has been unresolved. Here, we present the remains of modern sulfide-oxidizing bacteria that are partially encrusted in apatite, providing evidence that bacterially mediated phosphogenesis can rapidly permineralize sulfide-oxidizing bacteria and perhaps other types of organic remains. We also describe filamentous microfossils that resemble modern sulfide-oxidizing bacteria from two major phosphogenic episodes in the geologic record. These microfossils contain sulfur-rich inclusions that may represent relict sulfur globules, a diagnostic feature of modern sulfide-oxidizing bacteria. These findings suggest that sulfur bacteria, which are known to mediate the precipitation of apatite in modern sediments, were also present in certain phosphogenic settings for at least the last 600 million years. If polyphosphate-utilizing sulfide-oxidizing bacteria also played a role in the formation of ancient phosphorites, their requirements for oxygen, or oxygen-requiring metabolites such as nitrate, might explain the temporal correlation between the first appearance of globally distributed marine phosphorites and increasing oxygenation of Neoproterozoic oceans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J V Bailey
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Salman V, Bailey JV, Teske A. Phylogenetic and morphologic complexity of giant sulphur bacteria. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2013; 104:169-86. [PMID: 23793621 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-013-9952-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2013] [Accepted: 06/10/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The large sulphur bacteria, first discovered in the early nineteenth century, include some of the largest bacteria identified to date. Individual cells are often visible to the unaided eye and can reach 750 μm in diameter. The cells usually feature light-refracting inclusions of elemental sulphur and a large internal aqueous vacuole, which restricts the cytoplasm to the outermost periphery. In some taxa, it has been demonstrated that the vacuole can also serve for the storage of high millimolar concentrations of nitrate. Over the course of the past two centuries, a wide range of morphological variation within the family Beggiatoaceae has been found. However, representatives of this clade are frequently recalcitrant to current standard microbiological techniques, including 16S rRNA gene sequencing and culturing, and a reliable classification of these bacteria is often complicated. Here we present a summary of the efforts made and achievements accomplished in the past years, and give perspectives for investigating the heterogeneity and possible evolutionary developments in this extraordinary group of bacteria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Verena Salman
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3300, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Abstract
Large cell size is not restricted to a particular bacterial lifestyle, dispersal method, or cell envelope type. What is conserved among the very large bacteria are the quantity and arrangement of their genomic resources. All large bacteria described to date appear to be highly polyploid. This review focuses on Epulopiscium sp. type B, which maintains tens of thousands of genome copies throughout its life cycle. Only a tiny proportion of mother cell DNA is inherited by intracellular offspring, but surprisingly DNA replication takes place in the terminally differentiated mother cell as offspring grow. Massive polyploidy supports the acquisition of unstable genetic elements normally not seen in essential genes. Further studies of how large bacteria manage their genomic resources will provide insight into how simple cellular modifications can support unusual lifestyles and exceptional cell forms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Esther R Angert
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Marshall WF, Young KD, Swaffer M, Wood E, Nurse P, Kimura A, Frankel J, Wallingford J, Walbot V, Qu X, Roeder AHK. What determines cell size? BMC Biol 2012; 10:101. [PMID: 23241366 PMCID: PMC3522064 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-10-101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 12/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wallace F Marshall
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Kevin D Young
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Matthew Swaffer
- Cell Cycle Lab, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LY, UK
| | - Elizabeth Wood
- Cell Cycle Lab, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LY, UK
| | - Paul Nurse
- Cell Cycle Lab, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LY, UK
- Laboratory of Yeast Genetics and Biology, The Rockeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
- The Francis Crick Institute, Euston Road 215, London, NW1 2BE, UK
| | - Akatsuki Kimura
- Cell Architecture Laboratory, Structural Biology Center, National Institute of Genetics, Yata 1111, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Joseph Frankel
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, 129 E. Jefferson Street, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - John Wallingford
- HHMI & Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Texas, Austin, 78712, USA
| | - Virginia Walbot
- Virginia WalbotDepartment of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 72205, USA
| | - Xian Qu
- Xian Qu, Cornell University, 244 Weill Hall, 526 Campus Rd, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Adrienne HK Roeder
- Cornell University, 239 Weill Hall, 526 Campus Rd, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|