1
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Aronson HS, Clark CE, LaRowe DE, Amend JP, Polerecky L, Macalady JL. Sulfur disproportionating microbial communities in a dynamic, microoxic-sulfidic karst system. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:791-803. [PMID: 37721188 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Biogeochemical sulfur cycling in sulfidic karst systems is largely driven by abiotic and biological sulfide oxidation, but the fate of elemental sulfur (S0 ) that accumulates in these systems is not well understood. The Frasassi Cave system (Italy) is intersected by a sulfidic aquifer that mixes with small quantities of oxygen-rich meteoric water, creating Proterozoic-like conditions and supporting a prolific ecosystem driven by sulfur-based chemolithoautotrophy. To better understand the cycling of S0 in this environment, we examined the geochemistry and microbiology of sediments underlying widespread sulfide-oxidizing mats dominated by Beggiatoa. Sediment populations were dominated by uncultivated relatives of sulfur cycling chemolithoautotrophs related to Sulfurovum, Halothiobacillus, Thiofaba, Thiovirga, Thiobacillus, and Desulfocapsa, as well as diverse uncultivated anaerobic heterotrophs affiliated with Bacteroidota, Anaerolineaceae, Lentimicrobiaceae, and Prolixibacteraceae. Desulfocapsa and Sulfurovum populations accounted for 12%-26% of sediment 16S rRNA amplicon sequences and were closely related to isolates which carry out autotrophic S0 disproportionation in pure culture. Gibbs energy (∆Gr ) calculations revealed that S0 disproportionation under in situ conditions is energy yielding. Microsensor profiles through the mat-sediment interface showed that Beggiatoa mats consume dissolved sulfide and oxygen, but a net increase in acidity was only observed in the sediments below. Together, these findings suggest that disproportionation is an important sink for S0 generated by microbial sulfide oxidation in this oxygen-limited system and may contribute to the weathering of carbonate rocks and sediments in sulfur-rich environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi S Aronson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Christian E Clark
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Douglas E LaRowe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jan P Amend
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jennifer L Macalady
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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2
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Grim SL, Stuart DG, Aron P, Levin NE, Kinsman-Costello L, Waldbauer JR, Dick GJ. Seasonal shifts in community composition and proteome expression in a sulphur-cycling cyanobacterial mat. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2516-2533. [PMID: 37596970 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal changes in light and physicochemical conditions have strong impacts on cyanobacteria, but how they affect community structure, metabolism, and biogeochemistry of cyanobacterial mats remains unclear. Light may be particularly influential for cyanobacterial mats exposed to sulphide by altering the balance of oxygenic photosynthesis and sulphide-driven anoxygenic photosynthesis. We studied temporal shifts in irradiance, water chemistry, and community structure and function of microbial mats in the Middle Island Sinkhole (MIS), where anoxic and sulphate-rich groundwater provides habitat for cyanobacteria that conduct both oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis. Seasonal changes in light and groundwater chemistry were accompanied by shifts in bacterial community composition, with a succession of dominant cyanobacteria from Phormidium to Planktothrix, and an increase in diatoms, sulphur-oxidizing bacteria, and sulphate-reducing bacteria from summer to autumn. Differential abundance of cyanobacterial light-harvesting proteins likely reflects a physiological response of cyanobacteria to light level. Beggiatoa sulphur oxidation proteins were more abundant in autumn. Correlated abundances of taxa through time suggest interactions between sulphur oxidizers and sulphate reducers, sulphate reducers and heterotrophs, and cyanobacteria and heterotrophs. These results support the conclusion that seasonal change, including light availability, has a strong influence on community composition and biogeochemical cycling of sulphur and O2 in cyanobacterial mats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon L Grim
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Dack G Stuart
- Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Phoebe Aron
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Naomi E Levin
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Jacob R Waldbauer
- Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Gregory J Dick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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3
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Nosalova L, Mekadim C, Mrazek J, Pristas P. Thiothrix and Sulfurovum genera dominate bacterial mats in Slovak cold sulfur springs. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2023; 18:72. [PMID: 37730677 PMCID: PMC10512639 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00527-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Microbiota of sulfur-rich environments has been extensively studied due to the biotechnological potential of sulfur bacteria, or as a model of ancient life. Cold terrestrial sulfur springs are less studied compared to sulfur-oxidizing microbiota of hydrothermal vents, volcanic environments, or soda lakes. Despite that, several studies suggested that sulfur springs harbor diverse microbial communities because of the unique geochemical conditions of upwelling waters. In this study, the microbiota of five terrestrial sulfur springs was examined using a 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. The clear dominance of the Proteobacteria and Campylobacterota phyla of cold sulfur springs microbiota was observed. Contrary to that, the microbiota of the hot sulfur spring was dominated by the Aquificota and Firmicutes phylum respectively. Sulfur-oxidizing genera constituted a dominant part of the microbial populations with the Thiothrix and Sulfurovum genera identified as the core microbiota of cold sulfur terrestrial springs in Slovakia. Additionally, the study emphasizes that sulfur springs in Slovakia support unique, poorly characterized bacterial communities of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Nosalova
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Srobarova 2, Kosice, 041 54, Slovakia
| | - Chahrazed Mekadim
- Laboratory of Anaerobic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, Prague, 1083, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Mrazek
- Laboratory of Anaerobic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, Prague, 1083, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Pristas
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Srobarova 2, Kosice, 041 54, Slovakia.
- Institute of Animal Physiology, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Soltesovej 4-6, Kosice, 040 01, Slovakia.
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4
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Aronson HS, Monteverde DR, Barnes BD, Johnson BR, Zawaski MJ, Speth DR, Wang XT, Wu F, Webb SM, Trower EJ, Magyar JS, Sessions AL, Orphan VJ, Fischer WW. Sulfur cycling at natural hydrocarbon and sulfur seeps in Santa Paula Creek, CA. GEOBIOLOGY 2022; 20:707-725. [PMID: 35894090 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Biogeochemical cycling of sulfur is relatively understudied in terrestrial environments compared to marine environments. However, the comparative ease of access, observation, and sampling of terrestrial settings can expand our understanding of organisms and processes important in the modern sulfur cycle. Furthermore, these sites may allow for the discovery of useful process analogs for ancient sulfur-metabolizing microbial communities at times in Earth's past when atmospheric O2 concentrations were lower and sulfide was more prevalent in Earth surface environments. We identified a new site at Santa Paula Creek (SPC) in Ventura County, CA-a remarkable freshwater, gravel-bedded mountain stream charged with a range of oxidized and reduced sulfur species and heavy hydrocarbons from the emergence of subsurface fluids within the underlying sulfur- and organic-rich Miocene-age Monterey Formation. SPC hosts a suite of morphologically distinct microbial biofacies that form in association with the naturally occurring hydrocarbon seeps and sulfur springs. We characterized the geology, stream geochemistry, and microbial facies and diversity of the Santa Paula Creek ecosystem. Using geochemical analyses and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that SPC supports a dynamic sulfur cycle that is largely driven by sulfide-oxidizing microbial taxa, with contributions from smaller populations of sulfate-reducing and sulfur-disproportionating taxa. This preliminary characterization of SPC revealed an intriguing site in which to study geological and geochemical controls on microbial community composition and to expand our understanding of sulfur cycling in terrestrial environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi S Aronson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Danielle R Monteverde
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Ben Davis Barnes
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Brooke R Johnson
- Early Life Traces & Evolution-Astrobiology, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Mike J Zawaski
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Daan R Speth
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Xingchen Tony Wang
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fenfang Wu
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Samuel M Webb
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | | | - John S Magyar
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Alex L Sessions
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Woodward W Fischer
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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5
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Castillejos Sepúlveda A, Gatti LM, Kerl CF, Chennu A, Klatt JM. Arsenic speciation analysis in porewater by a novel colorimetric assay. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154155. [PMID: 35231514 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic is common toxic contaminant, but tracking its mobility through submerged soils is difficult because microscale processes dictate its speciation and affinity to minerals. Analyses on environmental dissolved arsenic (As) species such as arsenate and arsenite currently require highly specialized equipment and large sample volumes. In an effort to unravel arsenic dynamics in sedimentary porewater, a novel, highly sensitive, and field-usable colorimetric assay requiring 100 μL of sample was developed. Two complementary protocols are presented, suitable for sub-micromolar and micromolar ranges. Phosphate is a main interfering substance, but can be separated by measuring phosphate and arsenate under two different acidities. Arsenite is assessed by oxidation of arsenite to arsenate in the low-acidity reagent. Optimization of the protocol and spectral analyses resulted in elimination of various interferences (silicate, iron, sulfide, sulfate), and the assay is applicable across a wide range of salinities and porewater compositions. The new assay was used to study As mobilization processes through the soil of a contaminated brook. Water column sources of arsenic were limited to a modest input by a groundwater source along the flow path. In one of the sites, the arsenite and arsenate porewater profiles showed active iron-driven As redox cycling in the soil, which may play a role in arsenic mobilization and releases arsenite and arsenate into the brook water column. Low arsenic concentrations downstream from the source sites indicated arsenic retention by soil and dilution with additional sources of water. Arsenic is thus retained by the Bossegraben before it merges with larger rivers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lais M Gatti
- Microsensor Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Carolin F Kerl
- Environmental Geochemistry, Bayreuth Center for Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Arjun Chennu
- Data Science and Technology, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen, Germany
| | - Judith M Klatt
- Microsensor Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.
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6
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Cyanobacteria: Model Microorganisms and Beyond. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10040696. [PMID: 35456747 PMCID: PMC9025173 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10040696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In this review, the general background is provided on cyanobacteria, including morphology, cell membrane structure, and their photosynthesis pathway. The presence of cyanobacteria in nature, and their industrial applications are discussed, and their production of secondary metabolites are explained. Biofilm formation, as a common feature of microorganisms, is detailed and the role of cell diffusion in bacterial colonization is described. Then, the discussion is narrowed down to cyanobacterium Synechocystis, as a lab model microorganism. In this relation, the morphology of Synechocystis is discussed and its different elements are detailed. Type IV pili, the complex multi-protein apparatus for motility and cell-cell adhesion in Synechocystis is described and the underlying function of its different elements is detailed. The phototaxis behavior of the cells, in response to homogenous or directional illumination, is reported and its relation to the run and tumble statistics of the cells is emphasized. In Synechocystis suspensions, there may exist a reciprocal interaction between the cell and the carrying fluid. The effects of shear flow on the growth, doubling per day, biomass production, pigments, and lipid production of Synechocystis are reported. Reciprocally, the effects of Synechocystis presence and its motility on the rheological properties of cell suspensions are addressed. This review only takes up the general grounds of cyanobacteria and does not get into the detailed biological aspects per se. Thus, it is substantially more comprehensive in that sense than other reviews that have been published in the last two decades. It is also written not only for the researchers in the field, but for those in physics and engineering, who may find it interesting, useful, and related to their own research.
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7
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Martín-Clemente E, Melero-Jiménez IJ, Bañares-España E, Flores-Moya A, García-Sánchez MJ. Photosynthetic performance in cyanobacteria with increased sulphide tolerance: an analysis comparing wild-type and experimentally derived strains. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 151:251-263. [PMID: 34807429 PMCID: PMC8940870 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00882-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Sulphide is proposed to have influenced the evolution of primary stages of oxygenic photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. However, sulphide is toxic to most of the species of this phylum, except for some sulphide-tolerant species showing various sulphide-resistance mechanisms. In a previous study, we found that this tolerance can be induced by environmental sulphidic conditions, in which two experimentally derived strains with an enhanced tolerance to sulphide were obtained from Microcystis aeruginosa, a sensitive species, and Oscillatoria, a sulphide-tolerant genus. We have now analysed the photosynthetic performance of the wild-type and derived strains in the presence of sulphide to shed light on the characteristics underlying the increased tolerance. We checked whether the sulphide tolerance was a result of higher PSII sulphide resistance and/or the induction of sulphide-dependent anoxygenic photosynthesis. We observed that growth, maximum quantum yield, maximum electron transport rate and photosynthetic efficiency in the presence of sulphide were less affected in the derived strains compared to their wild-type counterparts. Nevertheless, in 14C photoincoporation assays, neither Oscillatoria nor M. aeruginosa exhibited anoxygenic photosynthesis using sulphide as an electron donor. On the other hand, the content of photosynthetic pigments in the derived strains was different to that observed in the wild-type strains. Thus, an enhanced PSII sulphide resistance appears to be behind the increased sulphide tolerance displayed by the experimentally derived strains, as observed in most natural sulphide-tolerant cyanobacterial strains. However, other changes in the photosynthetic machinery cannot be excluded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Martín-Clemente
- Departamento de Botánica y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain.
| | - Ignacio J Melero-Jiménez
- Departamento de Botánica y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain
| | - Elena Bañares-España
- Departamento de Botánica y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain
| | - Antonio Flores-Moya
- Departamento de Botánica y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain
| | - María J García-Sánchez
- Departamento de Botánica y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071, Málaga, Spain
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8
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Li M, Fang A, Yu X, Zhang K, He Z, Wang C, Peng Y, Xiao F, Yang T, Zhang W, Zheng X, Zhong Q, Liu X, Yan Q. Microbially-driven sulfur cycling microbial communities in different mangrove sediments. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 273:128597. [PMID: 33077194 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Microbially-driven sulfur cycling is a vital biogeochemical process in the sulfur-rich mangrove ecosystem. It is critical to evaluate the potential impact of sulfur transformation in mangrove ecosystems. To reveal the diversity, composition, and structure of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and underlying mechanisms, we analyzed the physicochemical properties and sediment microbial communities from an introduced mangrove species (Sonneratia apetala), a native mangrove species (Kandelia obovata) and the mudflat in Hanjiang River Estuary in Guangdong (23.27°N, 116.52°E), China. The results indicated that SOB was dominated by autotrophic Thiohalophilus and chemoautotrophy Chromatium in S. apetala and K. obovata, respectively, while Desulfatibacillum was the dominant genus of SRB in K. obovata sediments. Also, the redundancy analysis indicated that temperature, redox potential (ORP), and SO42- were the significant factors influencing the sulfur cycling microbial communities with elemental sulfur (ES) as the key factor driver for SOB and total carbon (TC) for SRB in mangrove sediments. Additionally, the morphological transformation of ES, acid volatile sulfide (AVS) and SO42- explained the variation of sulfur cycling microbial communities under sulfur-rich conditions, and we found mangrove species-specific dominant Thiohalobacter, Chromatium and Desulfatibacillum, which could well use ES and SO42-, thus promoting the sulfur cycling in mangrove sediments. Meanwhile, the change of nutrient substances (TN, TC) explained why SOB were more susceptible to environmental changes than SRB. Sulfate reducing bacteria produces sulfide in anoxic sediments at depth that then migrate upward, toward fewer reducing conditions, where it's oxidized by sulfur oxidizing bacteria. This study indicates the high ability of SOB and SRB in ES, SO42-,S2- and S2- generation and transformation in sulfur-rich mangrove ecosystems, and provides novel insights into sulfur cycling in other wetland ecosystems from a microbial perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Li
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Anqi Fang
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xiaoli Yu
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Keke Zhang
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Zhili He
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China; College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Yisheng Peng
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Fanshu Xiao
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Tony Yang
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xiafei Zheng
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qiuping Zhong
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Xingyu Liu
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Qingyun Yan
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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9
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Lumian JE, Jungblut AD, Dillion ML, Hawes I, Doran PT, Mackey TJ, Dick GJ, Grettenberger CL, Sumner DY. Metabolic Capacity of the Antarctic Cyanobacterium Phormidium pseudopriestleyi That Sustains Oxygenic Photosynthesis in the Presence of Hydrogen Sulfide. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12030426. [PMID: 33809699 PMCID: PMC8002359 DOI: 10.3390/genes12030426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Sulfide inhibits oxygenic photosynthesis by blocking electron transfer between H2O and the oxygen-evolving complex in the D1 protein of Photosystem II. The ability of cyanobacteria to counter this effect has implications for understanding the productivity of benthic microbial mats in sulfidic environments throughout Earth history. In Lake Fryxell, Antarctica, the benthic, filamentous cyanobacterium Phormidium pseudopriestleyi creates a 1–2 mm thick layer of 50 µmol L−1 O2 in otherwise sulfidic water, demonstrating that it sustains oxygenic photosynthesis in the presence of sulfide. A metagenome-assembled genome of P. pseudopriestleyi indicates a genetic capacity for oxygenic photosynthesis, including multiple copies of psbA (encoding the D1 protein of Photosystem II), and anoxygenic photosynthesis with a copy of sqr (encoding the sulfide quinone reductase protein that oxidizes sulfide). The genomic content of P. pseudopriestleyi is consistent with sulfide tolerance mechanisms including increasing psbA expression or directly oxidizing sulfide with sulfide quinone reductase. However, the ability of the organism to reduce Photosystem I via sulfide quinone reductase while Photosystem II is sulfide-inhibited, thereby performing anoxygenic photosynthesis in the presence of sulfide, has yet to be demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E. Lumian
- Microbiology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA;
| | - Anne D. Jungblut
- Life Sciences Department, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK;
| | - Megan L. Dillion
- Genomics and Bioinformatics, Novozymes, Inc., Davis, CA 95616, USA;
| | - Ian Hawes
- Coastal Marine Field Station, University of Waikato, Tauranga 3110, New Zealand;
| | - Peter T. Doran
- Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
| | - Tyler J. Mackey
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA;
| | - Gregory J. Dick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | | | - Dawn Y. Sumner
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-530-752-5353
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10
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Merz E, Dick GJ, de Beer D, Grim S, Hübener T, Littmann S, Olsen K, Stuart D, Lavik G, Marchant HK, Klatt JM. Nitrate respiration and diel migration patterns of diatoms are linked in sediments underneath a microbial mat. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:1422-1435. [PMID: 33264477 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Diatoms are among the few eukaryotes known to store nitrate (NO3 - ) and to use it as an electron acceptor for respiration in the absence of light and O2 . Using microscopy and 15 N stable isotope incubations, we studied the relationship between dissimilatory nitrate/nitrite reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and diel vertical migration of diatoms in phototrophic microbial mats and the underlying sediment of a sinkhole in Lake Huron (USA). We found that the diatoms rapidly accumulated NO3 - at the mat-water interface in the afternoon and 40% of the population migrated deep into the sediment, where they were exposed to dark and anoxic conditions for ~75% of the day. The vertical distribution of DNRA rates and diatom abundance maxima coincided, suggesting that DNRA was the main energy generating metabolism of the diatom population. We conclude that the illuminated redox-dynamic ecosystem selects for migratory diatoms that can store nitrate for respiration in the absence of light. A major implication of this study is that the dominance of DNRA over denitrification is not explained by kinetics or thermodynamics. Rather, the dynamic conditions select for migratory diatoms that perform DNRA and can outcompete sessile denitrifiers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Merz
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Gregory J Dick
- Geomicrobiology Lab, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Dirk de Beer
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Sharon Grim
- Geomicrobiology Lab, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Thomas Hübener
- Department of Botany and Botanical Garden, University of Rostock, Institute of Biosciences, Germany
| | - Sten Littmann
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Kirk Olsen
- Geomicrobiology Lab, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Dack Stuart
- University of Michigan, Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Gaute Lavik
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hannah K Marchant
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Judith M Klatt
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany.,Geomicrobiology Lab, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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11
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Klatt JM, Gomez-Saez GV, Meyer S, Ristova PP, Yilmaz P, Granitsiotis MS, Macalady JL, Lavik G, Polerecky L, Bühring SI. Versatile cyanobacteria control the timing and extent of sulfide production in a Proterozoic analog microbial mat. THE ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:3024-3037. [PMID: 32770117 PMCID: PMC7784965 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0734-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacterial mats were hotspots of biogeochemical cycling during the Precambrian. However, mechanisms that controlled O2 release by these ecosystems are poorly understood. In an analog to Proterozoic coastal ecosystems, the Frasassi sulfidic springs mats, we studied the regulation of oxygenic and sulfide-driven anoxygenic photosynthesis (OP and AP) in versatile cyanobacteria, and interactions with sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB). Using microsensors and stable isotope probing we found that dissolved organic carbon (DOC) released by OP fuels sulfide production, likely by a specialized SRB population. Increased sulfide fluxes were only stimulated after the cyanobacteria switched from AP to OP. O2 production triggered migration of large sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from the surface to underneath the cyanobacterial layer. The resultant sulfide shield tempered AP and allowed OP to occur for a longer duration over a diel cycle. The lack of cyanobacterial DOC supply to SRB during AP therefore maximized O2 export. This mechanism is unique to benthic ecosystems because transitions between metabolisms occur on the same time scale as solute transport to functionally distinct layers, with the rearrangement of the system by migration of microorganisms exaggerating the effect. Overall, cyanobacterial versatility disrupts the synergistic relationship between sulfide production and AP, and thus enhances diel O2 production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith M Klatt
- Microsensor Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.
| | - Gonzalo V Gomez-Saez
- Hydrothermal Geomicrobiology, MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Alfred Wegener Institute-Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Sciences, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Steffi Meyer
- Microsensor Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, Thünen Institute, Rostock, Germany
| | - Petra Pop Ristova
- Hydrothermal Geomicrobiology, MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Pelin Yilmaz
- Microbial Physiology Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Michael S Granitsiotis
- Research Unit Environmental Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Patras, Agrinio, Greece
- DOE, Joint Genome Institute, Lawerence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Gaute Lavik
- Biogeochemistry Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Microsensor Group, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences-Geochemistry, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Solveig I Bühring
- Hydrothermal Geomicrobiology, MARUM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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12
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Momper L, Hu E, Moore KR, Skoog EJ, Tyler M, Evans AJ, Bosak T. Metabolic versatility in a modern lineage of cyanobacteria from terrestrial hot springs. Free Radic Biol Med 2019; 140:224-232. [PMID: 31163257 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.05.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The extent of oxygenated environments on the early Earth was much lower than today, and cyanobacteria were critical players in Earth's shift from widespread anoxia to oxygenated surface environments. Extant cyanobacteria that aggregate into cones, tufts and ridges are used to understand the long record of photosynthesis and microbe-mineral interactions during times when oxygen was much lower, i.e., the Archean and the Proterozoic. To better understand the metabolic versatility and physiological properties of these organisms, we examined publicly available genomes of cyanobacteria from modern terrestrial hydrothermal systems and a newly sequenced genome of a cyanobacterium isolated from conical and ridged microbialites that grow in occasionally sulfidic hydrothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park, USA. Phylogenomic analyses reveal that cyanobacteria from globally distributed terrestrial and shallow marine hydrothermal systems form a monophyletic clade within the Cyanobacteria phylum. Comparative genomics of this clade reveals the genetic capacity for oxygenic photosynthesis that uses photosystems I and II, and anoxygenic photosynthesis that uses a putative sulfide quinone reductase to oxidize sulfide and bypass photosystem II. Surprisingly large proportions of the newly sequenced genome from Yellowstone National Park are also dedicated to secondary metabolite production (15.1-15.6%), of which ∼6% can be attributed to antibiotic production and resistance genes. All this may be advantageous to benthic, mat-forming photosynthesizers that have to compete for light and nutrients in sporadically or permanently sulfidic environments, and may have also improved the tolerance of ancient counterparts of these cyanobacteria to sulfidic conditions in benthic communities that colonized the coastal margins in the Archean and the Proterozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily Momper
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Eileen Hu
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Kelsey R Moore
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Emilie J Skoog
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - Madeline Tyler
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Alexander J Evans
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Tanja Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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13
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Martin WF, Bryant DA, Beatty JT. A physiological perspective on the origin and evolution of photosynthesis. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018; 42:205-231. [PMID: 29177446 PMCID: PMC5972617 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fux056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin and early evolution of photosynthesis are reviewed from an ecophysiological perspective. Earth's first ecosystems were chemotrophic, fueled by geological H2 at hydrothermal vents and, required flavin-based electron bifurcation to reduce ferredoxin for CO2 fixation. Chlorophyll-based phototrophy (chlorophototrophy) allowed autotrophs to generate reduced ferredoxin without electron bifurcation, providing them access to reductants other than H2. Because high-intensity, short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation at Earth's surface would have been damaging for the first chlorophyll (Chl)-containing cells, photosynthesis probably arose at hydrothermal vents under low-intensity, long-wavelength geothermal light. The first photochemically active pigments were possibly Zn-tetrapyrroles. We suggest that (i) after the evolution of red-absorbing Chl-like pigments, the first light-driven electron transport chains reduced ferredoxin via a type-1 reaction center (RC) progenitor with electrons from H2S; (ii) photothioautotrophy, first with one RC and then with two, was the bridge between H2-dependent chemolithoautotrophy and water-splitting photosynthesis; (iii) photothiotrophy sustained primary production in the photic zone of Archean oceans; (iv) photosynthesis arose in an anoxygenic cyanobacterial progenitor; (v) Chl a is the ancestral Chl; and (vi), anoxygenic chlorophototrophic lineages characterized so far acquired, by horizontal gene transfer, RCs and Chl biosynthesis with or without autotrophy, from the architects of chlorophototrophy-the cyanobacterial lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- William F Martin
- Institute for Molecular Evolution, University of Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Donald A Bryant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - J Thomas Beatty
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
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14
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Cyanobacterial photosynthesis under sulfidic conditions: insights from the isolate Leptolyngbya sp. strain hensonii. ISME JOURNAL 2018; 12:568-584. [PMID: 29328062 PMCID: PMC5776472 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
We report the isolation of a pinnacle-forming cyanobacterium isolated from a microbial mat covering the sediment surface at Little Salt Spring—a flooded sinkhole in Florida with a perennially microoxic and sulfidic water column. The draft genome of the isolate encodes all of the enzymatic machinery necessary for both oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis, as well as genes for methylating hopanoids at the C-2 position. The physiological response of the isolate to H2S is complex: (i) no induction time is necessary for anoxygenic photosynthesis; (ii) rates of anoxygenic photosynthesis are regulated by both H2S and irradiance; (iii) O2 production is inhibited by H2S concentrations as low as 1 μM and the recovery rate of oxygenic photosynthesis is dependent on irradiance; (iv) under the optimal light conditions for oxygenic photosynthesis, rates of anoxygenic photosynthesis are nearly double those of oxygenic photosynthesis. We hypothesize that the specific adaptation mechanisms of the isolate to H2S emerged from a close spatial interaction with sulfate-reducing bacteria. The new isolate, Leptolyngbya sp. strain hensonii, is not closely related to other well-characterized Cyanobacteria that can perform anoxygenic photosynthesis, which further highlights the need to characterize the diversity and biogeography of metabolically versatile Cyanobacteria. The isolate will be an ideal model organism for exploring the adaptation of Cyanobacteria to sulfidic conditions.
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15
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Prieto-Barajas CM, Valencia-Cantero E, Santoyo G. Microbial mat ecosystems: Structure types, functional diversity, and biotechnological application. ELECTRON J BIOTECHN 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejbt.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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16
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Graham PJ, Nguyen B, Burdyny T, Sinton D. A penalty on photosynthetic growth in fluctuating light. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12513. [PMID: 28970553 PMCID: PMC5624943 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12923-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluctuating light is the norm for photosynthetic organisms, with a wide range of frequencies (0.00001 to 10 Hz) owing to diurnal cycles, cloud cover, canopy shifting and mixing; with broad implications for climate change, agriculture and bioproduct production. Photosynthetic growth in fluctuating light is generally considered to improve with increasing fluctuation frequency. Here we demonstrate that the regulation of photosynthesis imposes a penalty on growth in fluctuating light for frequencies in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 Hz (organisms studied: Synechococcus elongatus and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii). We provide a comprehensive sweep of frequencies and duty cycles. In addition, we develop a 2nd order model that identifies the source of the penalty to be the regulation of the Calvin cycle – present at all frequencies but compensated at high frequencies by slow kinetics of RuBisCO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Percival J Graham
- University of Toronto Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto, Canada
| | - Brian Nguyen
- University of Toronto Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto, Canada
| | - Thomas Burdyny
- University of Toronto Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto, Canada
| | - David Sinton
- University of Toronto Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto, Canada.
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17
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Danovaro R, Canals M, Tangherlini M, Dell'Anno A, Gambi C, Lastras G, Amblas D, Sanchez-Vidal A, Frigola J, Calafat AM, Pedrosa-Pàmies R, Rivera J, Rayo X, Corinaldesi C. A submarine volcanic eruption leads to a novel microbial habitat. Nat Ecol Evol 2017; 1:144. [PMID: 28812643 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Submarine volcanic eruptions are major catastrophic events that allow investigation of the colonization mechanisms of newly formed seabed. We explored the seafloor after the eruption of the Tagoro submarine volcano off El Hierro Island, Canary Archipelago. Near the summit of the volcanic cone, at about 130 m depth, we found massive mats of long, white filaments that we named Venus's hair. Microscopic and molecular analyses revealed that these filaments are made of bacterial trichomes enveloped within a sheath and colonized by epibiotic bacteria. Metagenomic analyses of the filaments identified a new genus and species of the order Thiotrichales, Thiolava veneris. Venus's hair shows an unprecedented array of metabolic pathways, spanning from the exploitation of organic and inorganic carbon released by volcanic degassing to the uptake of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. This unique metabolic plasticity provides key competitive advantages for the colonization of the new habitat created by the submarine eruption. A specialized and highly diverse food web thrives on the complex three-dimensional habitat formed by these microorganisms, providing evidence that Venus's hair can drive the restart of biological systems after submarine volcanic eruptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona 60131, Italy.,Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Naples 80121, Italy
| | - Miquel Canals
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Michael Tangherlini
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona 60131, Italy
| | - Antonio Dell'Anno
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona 60131, Italy
| | - Cristina Gambi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona 60131, Italy
| | - Galderic Lastras
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - David Amblas
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain.,Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna Sanchez-Vidal
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Jaime Frigola
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Antoni M Calafat
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Rut Pedrosa-Pàmies
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Jesus Rivera
- Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Corazón de María 8, Madrid E-28002, Spain
| | - Xavier Rayo
- CRG Marine Geosciences, Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Cinzia Corinaldesi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Ingegneria della Materia, dell'Ambiente ed Urbanistica, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona 60131, Italy
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18
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Klatt JM, de Beer D, Häusler S, Polerecky L. Cyanobacteria in Sulfidic Spring Microbial Mats Can Perform Oxygenic and Anoxygenic Photosynthesis Simultaneously during an Entire Diurnal Period. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1973. [PMID: 28018309 PMCID: PMC5156726 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
We used microsensors to study the regulation of anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis (AP and OP, respectively) by light and sulfide in a cyanobacterium dominating microbial mats from cold sulfidic springs. Both photosynthetic modes were performed simultaneously over all H2S concentrations (1–2200 μM) and irradiances (4–52 μmol photons m-2 s-1) tested. AP increased with H2S concentration while the sum of oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthetic rates was constant at each light intensity. Thus, the total photosynthetically driven electron transport rate was solely controlled by the irradiance level. The partitioning between the rates of these two photosynthetic modes was regulated by both light and H2S concentration. The plastoquinone pool (PQ) receives electrons from sulfide:quinone:reductase (SQR) in AP and from photosystem II (PSII) in OP. It is thus the link in the electron transport chain where both pathways intersect, and the compound that controls their partitioning. We fitted our data with a model of the photosynthetic electron transport that includes the kinetics of plastoquinone reduction and oxidation. The model results confirmed that the observed partitioning between photosynthetic modes can be explained by a simple kinetic control based on the affinity of SQR and PSII toward PQ. The SQR enzyme and PSII have similar affinities toward PQ, which explains the concurrent OP and AP over an astonishingly wide range of H2S concentrations and irradiances. The elegant kinetic control of activity makes the cyanobacterium successful in the fluctuating spring environment. We discuss how these specific regulation mechanisms may have played a role in ancient H2S-rich oceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith M Klatt
- Microsensor Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Marine MicrobiologyBremen, Germany; Geomicrobiology Lab, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann ArborMI, USA
| | - Dirk de Beer
- Microsensor Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| | - Stefan Häusler
- Microsensor Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology Bremen, Germany
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Microsensor Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Marine MicrobiologyBremen, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences - Geochemistry, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht UniversityUtrecht, Netherlands
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19
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Grim SL, Dick GJ. Photosynthetic Versatility in the Genome of Geitlerinema sp. PCC 9228 (Formerly Oscillatoria limnetica 'Solar Lake'), a Model Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Cyanobacterium. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1546. [PMID: 27790189 PMCID: PMC5061849 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Anoxygenic cyanobacteria that use sulfide as the electron donor for photosynthesis are a potentially influential but poorly constrained force on Earth's biogeochemistry. Their versatile metabolism may have boosted primary production and nitrogen cycling in euxinic coastal margins in the Proterozoic. In addition, they represent a biological mechanism for limiting the accumulation of atmospheric oxygen, especially before the Great Oxidation Event and in the low-oxygen conditions of the Proterozoic. In this study, we describe the draft genome sequence of Geitlerinema sp. PCC 9228, formerly Oscillatoria limnetica 'Solar Lake', a mat-forming diazotrophic cyanobacterium that can switch between oxygenic photosynthesis and sulfide-based anoxygenic photosynthesis (AP). Geitlerinema possesses three variants of psbA, which encodes protein D1, a core component of the photosystem II reaction center. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that one variant is closely affiliated with cyanobacterial psbA genes that code for a D1 protein used for oxygen-sensitive processes. Another version is phylogenetically similar to cyanobacterial psbA genes that encode D1 proteins used under microaerobic conditions, and the third variant may be cued to high light and/or elevated oxygen concentrations. Geitlerinema has the canonical gene for sulfide quinone reductase (SQR) used in cyanobacterial AP and a putative transcriptional regulatory gene in the same operon. Another operon with a second, distinct sqr and regulatory gene is present, and is phylogenetically related to sqr genes used for high sulfide concentrations. The genome has a comprehensive nif gene suite for nitrogen fixation, supporting previous observations of nitrogenase activity. Geitlerinema possesses a bidirectional hydrogenase rather than the uptake hydrogenase typically used by cyanobacteria in diazotrophy. Overall, the genome sequence of Geitlerinema sp. PCC 9228 highlights potential cyanobacterial strategies to cope with fluctuating redox gradients and nitrogen availability that occur in benthic mats over a diel cycle. Such dynamic geochemical conditions likely also challenged Proterozoic cyanobacteria, modulating oxygen production. The genetic repertoire that underpins flexible oxygenic/anoxygenic photosynthesis in cyanobacteria provides a foundation to explore the regulation, evolutionary context, and biogeochemical implications of these co-occurring metabolisms in Earth history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon L. Grim
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann ArborMI, USA
| | - Gregory J. Dick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann ArborMI, USA
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