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Prosdocimi F, de Farias ST. Major evolutionary transitions before cells: A journey from molecules to organisms. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 191:11-24. [PMID: 38971326 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2024.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Basing on logical assumptions and necessary steps of complexification along biological evolution, we propose here an evolutionary path from molecules to cells presenting four ages and three major transitions. At the first age, the basic biomolecules were formed and become abundant. The first transition happened with the event of a chemical symbiosis between nucleic acids and peptides worlds, which marked the emergence of both life and the process of organic encoding. FUCA, the first living process, was composed of self-replicating RNAs linked to amino acids and capable to catalyze their binding. The second transition, from the age of FUCA to the age of progenotes, involved the duplication and recombination of proto-genomes, leading to specialization in protein production and the exploration of protein to metabolite interactions in the prebiotic soup. Enzymes and metabolic pathways were incorporated into biology from protobiotic reactions that occurred without chemical catalysts, step by step. Then, the fourth age brought origin of organisms and lineages, occurring when specific proteins capable to stackle together facilitated the formation of peptidic capsids. LUCA was constituted as a progenote capable to operate the basic metabolic functions of a cell, but still unable to interact with lipid molecules. We present evidence that the evolution of lipid interaction pathways occurred at least twice, with the development of bacterial-like and archaeal-like membranes. Also, data in literature suggest at least two paths for the emergence of DNA biosynthesis, allowing the stabilization of early life strategies in viruses, archaeas and bacterias. Two billion years later, the eukaryotes arouse, and after 1,5 billion years of evolution, they finally learn how to evolve multicellularity via tissue specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Prosdocimi
- Laboratório de Biologia Teórica e de Sistemas, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Sávio Torres de Farias
- Laboratório de Genética Evolutiva Paulo Leminski, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil; Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life (NoRCEL), Leeds, LS7 3RB, UK
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2
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Shomar H, Georjon H, Feng Y, Olympio B, Guillaume M, Tesson F, Cury J, Wu F, Bernheim A. Viperin immunity evolved across the tree of life through serial innovations on a conserved scaffold. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02463-z. [PMID: 38965412 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02463-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Evolutionary arms races between cells and viruses drive the rapid diversification of antiviral genes in diverse life forms. Recent discoveries have revealed the existence of immune genes that are shared between prokaryotes and eukaryotes and show molecular and mechanistic similarities in their response to viruses. However, the evolutionary dynamics underlying the conservation and adaptation of these antiviral genes remain mostly unexplored. Here, we show that viperins constitute a highly conserved family of immune genes across diverse prokaryotes and eukaryotes and identify mechanisms by which they diversified in eukaryotes. Our findings indicate that viperins are enriched in Asgard archaea and widely distributed in all major eukaryotic clades, suggesting their presence in the last eukaryotic common ancestor and their acquisition in eukaryotes from an archaeal lineage. We show that viperins maintain their immune function by producing antiviral nucleotide analogues and demonstrate that eukaryotic viperins diversified through serial innovations on the viperin gene, such as the emergence and selection of substrate specificity towards pyrimidine nucleotides, and through partnerships with genes maintained through genetic linkage, notably with nucleotide kinases. These findings unveil biochemical and genomic transitions underlying the adaptation of immune genes shared by prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Our study paves the way for further understanding of the conservation of immunity across domains of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Shomar
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1284, Molecular Diversity of Microbes Lab, Paris, France
| | - Héloïse Georjon
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1284, Molecular Diversity of Microbes Lab, Paris, France
- Generare Bioscience, Paris, France
| | - Yanlei Feng
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China
- Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bismarck Olympio
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1284, Molecular Diversity of Microbes Lab, Paris, France
| | - Marie Guillaume
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1284, Molecular Diversity of Microbes Lab, Paris, France
| | - Florian Tesson
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1284, Molecular Diversity of Microbes Lab, Paris, France
| | - Jean Cury
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1284, Molecular Diversity of Microbes Lab, Paris, France
| | - Fabai Wu
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China.
| | - Aude Bernheim
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1284, Molecular Diversity of Microbes Lab, Paris, France.
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3
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Imachi H, Nobu MK, Kato S, Takaki Y, Miyazaki M, Miyata M, Ogawara M, Saito Y, Sakai S, Tahara YO, Takano Y, Tasumi E, Uematsu K, Yoshimura T, Itoh T, Ohkuma M, Takai K. Promethearchaeum syntrophicum gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic, obligately syntrophic archaeon, the first isolate of the lineage 'Asgard' archaea, and proposal of the new archaeal phylum Promethearchaeota phyl. nov. and kingdom Promethearchaeati regn. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2024; 74. [PMID: 38967634 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
An anaerobic, mesophilic, syntrophic, archaeon strain MK-D1T, was isolated as a pure co-culture with Methanogenium sp. strain MK-MG from deep-sea methane seep sediment. This organism is, to our knowledge, the first cultured representative of 'Asgard' archaea, an archaeal group closely related to eukaryotes. Here, we describe the detailed physiology and phylogeny of MK-D1T and propose Promethearchaeum syntrophicum gen. nov., sp. nov. to accommodate this strain. Cells were non-motile, small cocci, approximately 300-750 nm in diameter and produced membrane vesicles, chains of blebs and membrane-based protrusions. MK-D1T grew at 4-30 °C with optimum growth at 20 °C. The strain grew chemoorganotrophically with amino acids, peptides and yeast extract with obligate dependence on syntrophy with H2-/formate-utilizing organisms. MK-D1T showed the fastest growth and highest maximum cell yield when grown with yeast extract as the substrate: approximately 3 months to full growth, reaching up to 6.7×106 16S rRNA gene copies ml-1. MK-D1T had a circular 4.32 Mb chromosome with a DNA G+C content of 31.1 mol%. The results of phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rRNA gene and conserved marker proteins indicated that the strain is affiliated with 'Asgard' archaea and more specifically DHVC1/DSAG/MBG-B and 'Lokiarchaeota'/'Lokiarchaeia'. On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the most closely related isolated relatives were Infirmifilum lucidum 3507LTT (76.09 %) and Methanothermobacter tenebrarum RMAST (77.45 %) and the closest relative in enrichment culture was Candidatus 'Lokiarchaeum ossiferum' (95.39 %). The type strain of the type species is MK-D1T (JCM 39240T and JAMSTEC no. 115508). We propose the associated family, order, class, phylum, and kingdom as Promethearchaeaceae fam. nov., Promethearchaeales ord. nov., Promethearchaeia class. nov., Promethearchaeota phyl. nov., and Promethearchaeati regn. nov., respectively. These are in accordance with ICNP Rules 8 and 22 for nomenclature, Rule 30(3)(b) for validation and maintenance of the type strain, and Rule 31a for description as a member of an unambiguous syntrophic association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Imachi
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Masaru K Nobu
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Shingo Kato
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms (JCM), RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan
- Submarine Resources Research Center, JAMSTEC, Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Takaki
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Masayuki Miyazaki
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Makoto Miyata
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Miyuki Ogawara
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Yumi Saito
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Sanae Sakai
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Yuhei O Tahara
- Graduate School of Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Eiji Tasumi
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Katsuyuki Uematsu
- Department of Marine and Earth Sciences, Marine Work Japan, Yokosuka, Japan
| | | | - Takashi Itoh
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms (JCM), RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Moriya Ohkuma
- Japan Collection of Microorganisms (JCM), RIKEN BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Ken Takai
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
- Section for Exploration of Life in Extreme Environments, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institute of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan
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Tamarit D, Köstlbacher S, Appler KE, Panagiotou K, De Anda V, Rinke C, Baker BJ, Ettema TJG. Description of Asgardarchaeum abyssi gen. nov. spec. nov., a novel species within the class Asgardarchaeia and phylum Asgardarchaeota in accordance with the SeqCode. Syst Appl Microbiol 2024; 47:126525. [PMID: 38909391 DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2024.126525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Asgardarchaeota, commonly referred to as Asgard archaea, is a candidatus phylum-rank archaeal clade that includes the closest archaeal relatives of eukaryotes. Despite their prevalence in the scientific literature, the name Asgardarchaeota lacks nomenclatural validation. Here, we describe a novel high-quality metagenome-assembled genome (MAG), AB3033_2TS, proposed to serve as the nomenclatural type for the species Asgardarchaeum abyssiTS according to the rules of the SeqCode. Based on protein content and compositional features, we infer that A. abyssi AB3033_2TS is an acetogenic chemoheterotroph, possibly a facultative lithoautotroph, and is adapted to a thermophilic lifestyle. Utilizing genomes from Asgard archaea, TACK, and Euryarchaea, we perform phylogenomic reconstructions using the GTDB archaeal marker genes, the current reference set for taxonomic classification. Calibrating relative evolutionary divergence (RED) values for Asgardarchaeota using established Thermoproteota lineages in the GTDB r207 reference tree, we establish a robust classification and propose Asgardarchaeum as the type genus for the family Asgardarchaeaceae (fam. nov)., the order Asgardarchaeales (ord. nov.), the class Asgardarchaeia (class. nov.), and the phylum Asgardarchaeota (phyl. nov.). This effort aims to preserve taxonomic congruence in the scientific literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Tamarit
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Stephan Köstlbacher
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kathryn E Appler
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX, USA
| | - Kassiani Panagiotou
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Valerie De Anda
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Christian Rinke
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Brett J Baker
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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5
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Bastiaanssen C, Bobadilla Ugarte P, Kim K, Finocchio G, Feng Y, Anzelon TA, Köstlbacher S, Tamarit D, Ettema TJG, Jinek M, MacRae IJ, Joo C, Swarts DC, Wu F. RNA-guided RNA silencing by an Asgard archaeal Argonaute. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5499. [PMID: 38951509 PMCID: PMC11217426 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49452-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Argonaute proteins are the central effectors of RNA-guided RNA silencing pathways in eukaryotes, playing crucial roles in gene repression and defense against viruses and transposons. Eukaryotic Argonautes are subdivided into two clades: AGOs generally facilitate miRNA- or siRNA-mediated silencing, while PIWIs generally facilitate piRNA-mediated silencing. It is currently unclear when and how Argonaute-based RNA silencing mechanisms arose and diverged during the emergence and early evolution of eukaryotes. Here, we show that in Asgard archaea, the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes, an evolutionary expansion of Argonaute proteins took place. In particular, a deep-branching PIWI protein (HrAgo1) encoded by the genome of the Lokiarchaeon 'Candidatus Harpocratesius repetitus' shares a common origin with eukaryotic PIWI proteins. Contrasting known prokaryotic Argonautes that use single-stranded DNA as guides and/or targets, HrAgo1 mediates RNA-guided RNA cleavage, and facilitates gene silencing when expressed in human cells and supplied with miRNA precursors. A cryo-EM structure of HrAgo1, combined with quantitative single-molecule experiments, reveals that the protein displays structural features and target-binding modes that are a mix of those of eukaryotic AGO and PIWI proteins. Thus, this deep-branching archaeal PIWI may have retained an ancestral molecular architecture that preceded the functional and mechanistic divergence of eukaryotic AGOs and PIWIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolien Bastiaanssen
- Department of BioNanoScience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | | | - Kijun Kim
- Department of BioNanoScience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Giada Finocchio
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yanlei Feng
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China
- Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Todd A Anzelon
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Stephan Köstlbacher
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniel Tamarit
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Thijs J G Ettema
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Jinek
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ian J MacRae
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Chirlmin Joo
- Department of BioNanoScience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
- Department of Physics, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
| | - Daan C Swarts
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Fabai Wu
- School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China.
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6
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Pinto Y, Bhatt AS. Sequencing-based analysis of microbiomes. Nat Rev Genet 2024:10.1038/s41576-024-00746-6. [PMID: 38918544 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00746-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Microbiomes occupy a range of niches and, in addition to having diverse compositions, they have varied functional roles that have an impact on agriculture, environmental sciences, and human health and disease. The study of microbiomes has been facilitated by recent technological and analytical advances, such as cheaper and higher-throughput DNA and RNA sequencing, improved long-read sequencing and innovative computational analysis methods. These advances are providing a deeper understanding of microbiomes at the genomic, transcriptional and translational level, generating insights into their function and composition at resolutions beyond the species level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yishay Pinto
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Divisions of Hematology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ami S Bhatt
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Divisions of Hematology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Liu R, Cai R, Wang M, Zhang J, Zhang H, Li C, Sun C. Metagenomic insights into Heimdallarchaeia clades from the deep-sea cold seep and hydrothermal vent. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2024; 19:43. [PMID: 38909236 PMCID: PMC11193907 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-024-00585-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
Heimdallarchaeia is a class of the Asgardarchaeota, are the most probable candidates for the archaeal protoeukaryote ancestor that have been identified to date. However, little is known about their life habits regardless of their ubiquitous distribution in diverse habitats, which is especially true for Heimdallarchaeia from deep-sea environments. In this study, we obtained 13 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Heimdallarchaeia from the deep-sea cold seep and hydrothermal vent. These MAGs belonged to orders o_Heimdallarchaeales and o_JABLTI01, and most of them (9 MAGs) come from the family f_Heimdallarchaeaceae according to genome taxonomy database (GTDB). These are enriched for common eukaryote-specific signatures. Our results show that these Heimdallarchaeia have the metabolic potential to reduce sulfate (assimilatory) and nitrate (dissimilatory) to sulfide and ammonia, respectively, suggesting a previously unappreciated role in biogeochemical cycling. Furthermore, we find that they could perform both TCA and rTCA pathways coupled with pyruvate metabolism for energy conservation, fix CO2 and generate organic compounds through an atypical Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. In addition, many genes closely associated with bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis, and oxygen-dependent metabolic pathways are identified in these Heimdallarchaeia MAGs, suggesting a potential light-utilization by pigments and microoxic lifestyle. Taken together, our results indicate that Heimdallarchaeia possess a mixotrophic lifestyle, which may give them more flexibility to adapt to the harsh deep-sea conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Liu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Ruining Cai
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Minxiao Wang
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Chaolun Li
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
| | - Chaomin Sun
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China.
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
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8
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Greening C, Cabotaje PR, Valentin Alvarado LE, Leung PM, Land H, Rodrigues-Oliveira T, Ponce-Toledo RI, Senger M, Klamke MA, Milton M, Lappan R, Mullen S, West-Roberts J, Mao J, Song J, Schoelmerich M, Stairs CW, Schleper C, Grinter R, Spang A, Banfield JF, Berggren G. Minimal and hybrid hydrogenases are active from archaea. Cell 2024; 187:3357-3372.e19. [PMID: 38866018 PMCID: PMC11216029 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Microbial hydrogen (H2) cycling underpins the diversity and functionality of diverse anoxic ecosystems. Among the three evolutionarily distinct hydrogenase superfamilies responsible, [FeFe] hydrogenases were thought to be restricted to bacteria and eukaryotes. Here, we show that anaerobic archaea encode diverse, active, and ancient lineages of [FeFe] hydrogenases through combining analysis of existing and new genomes with extensive biochemical experiments. [FeFe] hydrogenases are encoded by genomes of nine archaeal phyla and expressed by H2-producing Asgard archaeon cultures. We report an ultraminimal hydrogenase in DPANN archaea that binds the catalytic H-cluster and produces H2. Moreover, we identify and characterize remarkable hybrid complexes formed through the fusion of [FeFe] and [NiFe] hydrogenases in ten other archaeal orders. Phylogenetic analysis and structural modeling suggest a deep evolutionary history of hybrid hydrogenases. These findings reveal new metabolic adaptations of archaea, streamlined H2 catalysts for biotechnological development, and a surprisingly intertwined evolutionary history between the two major H2-metabolizing enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Greening
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; SAEF: Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Princess R Cabotaje
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Luis E Valentin Alvarado
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Pok Man Leung
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; SAEF: Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Henrik Land
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thiago Rodrigues-Oliveira
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rafael I Ponce-Toledo
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Moritz Senger
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Max A Klamke
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Michael Milton
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Rachael Lappan
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; SAEF: Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan Mullen
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Jacob West-Roberts
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Jie Mao
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Jiangning Song
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Marie Schoelmerich
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | | | - Christa Schleper
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rhys Grinter
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Hoorn, the Netherlands; Department of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA.
| | - Gustav Berggren
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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9
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Ravi J, Anantharaman V, Chen SZ, Brenner EP, Datta P, Aravind L, Gennaro ML. The phage shock protein (PSP) envelope stress response: discovery of novel partners and evolutionary history. mSystems 2024; 9:e0084723. [PMID: 38809013 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00847-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial phage shock protein (PSP) systems stabilize the bacterial cell membrane and protect against envelope stress. These systems have been associated with virulence, but despite their critical roles, PSP components are not well characterized outside proteobacteria. Using comparative genomics and protein sequence-structure-function analyses, we systematically identified and analyzed PSP homologs, phyletic patterns, domain architectures, and gene neighborhoods. This approach underscored the evolutionary significance of the system, revealing that its core protein PspA (Snf7 in ESCRT outside bacteria) was present in the last universal common ancestor and that this ancestral functionality has since diversified into multiple novel, distinct PSP systems across life. Several novel partners of the PSP system were identified: (i) the Toastrack domain, likely facilitating assembly of sub-membrane stress-sensing and signaling complexes, (ii) the newly defined HTH-associated α-helical signaling domain-PadR-like transcriptional regulator pair system, and (iii) multiple independent associations with ATPase, CesT/Tir-like chaperone, and Band-7 domains in proteins thought to mediate sub-membrane dynamics. Our work also uncovered links between the PSP components and other domains, such as novel variants of SHOCT-like domains, suggesting roles in assembling membrane-associated complexes of proteins with disparate biochemical functions. Results are available at our interactive web app, https://jravilab.org/psp.IMPORTANCEPhage shock proteins (PSP) are virulence-associated, cell membrane stress-protective systems. They have mostly been characterized in Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. We now show that a minimal PSP system was present in the last universal common ancestor that evolved and diversified into newly identified functional contexts. Recognizing the conservation and evolution of PSP systems across bacterial phyla contributes to our understanding of stress response mechanisms in prokaryotes. Moreover, the newly discovered PSP modularity will likely prompt new studies of lineage-specific cell envelope structures, lifestyles, and adaptation mechanisms. Finally, our results validate the use of domain architecture and genetic context for discovery in comparative genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janani Ravi
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Public Health Research Institute, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Vivek Anantharaman
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Samuel Zorn Chen
- Computer Science Engineering Undergraduate Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Evan Pierce Brenner
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Pratik Datta
- Public Health Research Institute, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - L Aravind
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Maria Laura Gennaro
- Public Health Research Institute, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, USA
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10
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Padalko A, Nair G, Sousa FL. Fusion/fission protein family identification in Archaea. mSystems 2024; 9:e0094823. [PMID: 38700364 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00948-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The majority of newly discovered archaeal lineages remain without a cultivated representative, but scarce experimental data from the cultivated organisms show that they harbor distinct functional repertoires. To unveil the ecological as well as evolutionary impact of Archaea from metagenomics, new computational methods need to be developed, followed by in-depth analysis. Among them is the genome-wide protein fusion screening performed here. Natural fusions and fissions of genes not only contribute to microbial evolution but also complicate the correct identification and functional annotation of sequences. The products of these processes can be defined as fusion (or composite) proteins, the ones consisting of two or more domains originally encoded by different genes and split proteins, and the ones originating from the separation of a gene in two (fission). Fusion identifications are required for proper phylogenetic reconstructions and metabolic pathway completeness assessments, while mappings between fused and unfused proteins can fill some of the existing gaps in metabolic models. In the archaeal genome-wide screening, more than 1,900 fusion/fission protein clusters were identified, belonging to both newly sequenced and well-studied lineages. These protein families are mainly associated with different types of metabolism, genetic, and cellular processes. Moreover, 162 of the identified fusion/fission protein families are archaeal specific, having no identified fused homolog within the bacterial domain. Our approach was validated by the identification of experimentally characterized fusion/fission cases. However, around 25% of the identified fusion/fission families lack functional annotations for both composite and split states, showing the need for experimental characterization in Archaea.IMPORTANCEGenome-wide fusion screening has never been performed in Archaea on a broad taxonomic scale. The overlay of multiple computational techniques allows the detection of a fine-grained set of predicted fusion/fission families, instead of rough estimations based on conserved domain annotations only. The exhaustive mapping of fused proteins to bacterial organisms allows us to capture fusion/fission families that are specific to archaeal biology, as well as to identify links between bacterial and archaeal lineages based on cooccurrence of taxonomically restricted proteins and their sequence features. Furthermore, the identification of poorly characterized lineage-specific fusion proteins opens up possibilities for future experimental and computational investigations. This approach enhances our understanding of Archaea in general and provides potential candidates for in-depth studies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasiia Padalko
- Genome Evolution and Ecology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Govind Nair
- Genome Evolution and Ecology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Filipa L Sousa
- Genome Evolution and Ecology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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11
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Keeling PJ. Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotes: aligning theory with data. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:416-430. [PMID: 38263430 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00688-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), or lateral gene transfer, is the non-sexual movement of genetic information between genomes. It has played a pronounced part in bacterial and archaeal evolution, but its role in eukaryotes is less clear. Behaviours unique to eukaryotic cells - phagocytosis and endosymbiosis - have been proposed to increase the frequency of HGT, but nuclear genomes encode fewer HGTs than bacteria and archaea. Here, I review the existing theory in the context of the growing body of data on HGT in eukaryotes, which suggests that any increased chance of acquiring new genes through phagocytosis and endosymbiosis is offset by a reduced need for these genes in eukaryotes, because selection in most eukaryotes operates on variation not readily generated by HGT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Keeling
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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12
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Vijayanathan M, Vadakkepat AK, Mahendran KR, Sharaf A, Frandsen KEH, Bandyopadhyay D, Pillai MR, Soniya EV. Structural and mechanistic insights into Quinolone Synthase to address its functional promiscuity. Commun Biol 2024; 7:566. [PMID: 38745065 PMCID: PMC11093982 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06152-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Quinolone synthase from Aegle marmelos (AmQNS) is a type III polyketide synthase that yields therapeutically effective quinolone and acridone compounds. Addressing the structural and molecular underpinnings of AmQNS and its substrate interaction in terms of its high selectivity and specificity can aid in the development of numerous novel compounds. This paper presents a high-resolution AmQNS crystal structure and explains its mechanistic role in synthetic selectivity. Additionally, we provide a model framework to comprehend structural constraints on ketide insertion and postulate that AmQNS's steric and electrostatic selectivity plays a role in its ability to bind to various core substrates, resulting in its synthetic diversity. AmQNS prefers quinolone synthesis and can accommodate large substrates because of its wide active site entrance. However, our research suggests that acridone is exclusively synthesized in the presence of high malonyl-CoA concentrations. Potential implications of functionally relevant residue mutations were also investigated, which will assist in harnessing the benefits of mutations for targeted polyketide production. The pharmaceutical industry stands to gain from these findings as they expand the pool of potential drug candidates, and these methodologies can also be applied to additional promising enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mallika Vijayanathan
- Transdisciplinary Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, India
- Department of Plant and Environment Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Abhinav Koyamangalath Vadakkepat
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Leicester, Henry Wellcome Building, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE17HB, UK
| | - Kozhinjampara R Mahendran
- Transdisciplinary Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, India
| | - Abdoallah Sharaf
- SequAna Core Facility, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Genetic Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo, 11241, Egypt
| | - Kristian E H Frandsen
- Department of Plant and Environment Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Debashree Bandyopadhyay
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Hyderabad, India
| | - M Radhakrishna Pillai
- Cancer Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, India
| | - Eppurath Vasudevan Soniya
- Transdisciplinary Research Program, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, 695014, India.
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13
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Liu M, Liu Y, Song T, Yang L, Qi L, Zhang YZ, Wang Y, Shen QT. Three-dimensional architecture of ESCRT-III flat spirals on the membrane. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2319115121. [PMID: 38709931 PMCID: PMC11098116 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2319115121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) are responsible for membrane remodeling in many cellular processes, such as multivesicular body biogenesis, viral budding, and cytokinetic abscission. ESCRT-III, the most abundant ESCRT subunit, assembles into flat spirals as the primed state, essential to initiate membrane invagination. However, the three-dimensional architecture of ESCRT-III flat spirals remained vague for decades due to highly curved filaments with a small diameter and a single preferred orientation on the membrane. Here, we unveiled that yeast Snf7, a component of ESCRT-III, forms flat spirals on the lipid monolayers using cryogenic electron microscopy. We developed a geometry-constrained Euler angle-assigned reconstruction strategy and obtained moderate-resolution structures of Snf7 flat spirals with varying curvatures. Our analyses showed that Snf7 subunits recline on the membrane with N-terminal motifs α0 as anchors, adopt an open state with fused α2/3 helices, and bend α2/3 gradually from the outer to inner parts of flat spirals. In all, we provide the orientation and conformations of ESCRT-III flat spirals on the membrane and unveil the underlying assembly mechanism, which will serve as the initial step in understanding how ESCRTs drive membrane abscission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingdong Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Department of Chemical Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao266237, China
- Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, China
- iHuman Institute and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai201210, China
| | - Yunhui Liu
- Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, China
| | - Tiefeng Song
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China
- The Provincial International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Engineering Biology, International Campus of Zhejiang University, Haining314400, China
| | - Liuyan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao266237, China
| | - Lei Qi
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao266237, China
- Biomedical Research Center for Structural Analysis, Shandong University, Jinan250012, China
| | - Yu-Zhong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Shandong University, Qingdao266237, China
| | - Yong Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China
- The Provincial International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Engineering Biology, International Campus of Zhejiang University, Haining314400, China
| | - Qing-Tao Shen
- School of Life Sciences, Department of Chemical Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao266237, China
- Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, China
- iHuman Institute and School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai201210, China
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14
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Cena JAD, Belmok A, Kyaw CM, Dame-Teixeira N. The Archaea domain: Exploring historical and contemporary perspectives with in silico primer coverage analysis for future research in Dentistry. Arch Oral Biol 2024; 161:105936. [PMID: 38422909 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.105936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The complete picture of how the human microbiome interacts with its host is still largely unknown, particularly concerning microorganisms beyond bacteria. Although existing in very low abundance and not directly linked to causing diseases, archaea have been detected in various sites of the human body, including the gastrointestinal tract, oral cavity, skin, eyes, respiratory and urinary systems. But what exactly are these microorganisms? In the early 1990 s, archaea were classified as a distinct domain of life, sharing a more recent common ancestor with eukaryotes than with bacteria. While archaea's presence and potential significance in Dentistry remain under-recognized, there are concerns that they may contribute to oral dysbiosis. However, detecting archaea in oral samples presents challenges, including difficulties in culturing, the selection of DNA extraction methods, primer design, bioinformatic analysis, and databases. DESIGN This is a comprehensive review on the oral archaeome, presenting an in-depth in silico analysis of various primers commonly used for detecting archaea in human body sites. RESULTS Among several primer pairs used for detecting archaea in human samples across the literature, only one specifically designed for detecting methanogenic archaea in stool samples, exhibited exceptional coverage levels for the domain and various archaea phyla. CONCLUSIONS Our in silico analysis underscores the need for designing new primers targeting not only methanogenic archaea but also nanoarchaeal and thaumarchaeota groups to gain a comprehensive understanding of the archaeal oral community. By doing so, researchers can pave the way for further advancements in the field of oral archaeome research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aline Belmok
- Institute of Biology, University of Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | - Naile Dame-Teixeira
- Department of Dentistry, School of Health Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brazil; Division of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, University of Leeds, UK.
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15
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Thompson TP, Gilmore BF. Exploring halophilic environments as a source of new antibiotics. Crit Rev Microbiol 2024; 50:341-370. [PMID: 37079280 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2023.2197491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Microbial natural products from microbes in extreme environments, including haloarchaea, and halophilic bacteria, possess a huge capacity to produce novel antibiotics. Additionally, enhanced isolation techniques and improved tools for genomic mining have expanded the efficiencies in the antibiotic discovery process. This review article provides a detailed overview of known antimicrobial compounds produced by halophiles from all three domains of life. We summarize that while halophilic bacteria, in particular actinomycetes, contribute the vast majority of these compounds the importance of understudied halophiles from other domains of life requires additional consideration. Finally, we conclude by discussing upcoming technologies- enhanced isolation and metagenomic screening, as tools that will be required to overcome the barriers to antimicrobial drug discovery. This review highlights the potential of these microbes from extreme environments, and their importance to the wider scientific community, with the hope of provoking discussion and collaborations within halophile biodiscovery. Importantly, we emphasize the importance of bioprospecting from communities of lesser-studied halophilic and halotolerant microorganisms as sources of novel therapeutically relevant chemical diversity to combat the high rediscovery rates. The complexity of halophiles will necessitate a multitude of scientific disciplines to unravel their potential and therefore this review reflects these research communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas P Thompson
- Biofilm Research Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Brendan F Gilmore
- Biofilm Research Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
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16
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Dohnálek V, Doležal P. Installation of LYRM proteins in early eukaryotes to regulate the metabolic capacity of the emerging mitochondrion. Open Biol 2024; 14:240021. [PMID: 38772414 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.240021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Core mitochondrial processes such as the electron transport chain, protein translation and the formation of Fe-S clusters (ISC) are of prokaryotic origin and were present in the bacterial ancestor of mitochondria. In animal and fungal models, a family of small Leu-Tyr-Arg motif-containing proteins (LYRMs) uniformly regulates the function of mitochondrial complexes involved in these processes. The action of LYRMs is contingent upon their binding to the acylated form of acyl carrier protein (ACP). This study demonstrates that LYRMs are structurally and evolutionarily related proteins characterized by a core triplet of α-helices. Their widespread distribution across eukaryotes suggests that 12 specialized LYRMs were likely present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor to regulate the assembly and folding of the subunits that are conserved in bacteria but that lack LYRM homologues. The secondary reduction of mitochondria to anoxic environments has rendered the function of LYRMs and their interaction with acylated ACP dispensable. Consequently, these findings strongly suggest that early eukaryotes installed LYRMs in aerobic mitochondria as orchestrated switches, essential for regulating core metabolism and ATP production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vít Dohnálek
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV , Vestec 252 50, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Doležal
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV , Vestec 252 50, Czech Republic
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17
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van der Gulik PTS, Hoff WD, Speijer D. The contours of evolution: In defence of Darwin's tree of life paradigm. Bioessays 2024; 46:e2400012. [PMID: 38436469 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202400012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
Both the concept of a Darwinian tree of life (TOL) and the possibility of its accurate reconstruction have been much criticized. Criticisms mostly revolve around the extensive occurrence of lateral gene transfer (LGT), instances of uptake of complete organisms to become organelles (with the associated subsequent gene transfer to the nucleus), as well as the implications of more subtle aspects of the biological species concept. Here we argue that none of these criticisms are sufficient to abandon the valuable TOL concept and the biological realities it captures. Especially important is the need to conceptually distinguish between organismal trees and gene trees, which necessitates incorporating insights of widely occurring LGT into modern evolutionary theory. We demonstrate that all criticisms, while based on important new findings, do not invalidate the TOL. After considering the implications of these new insights, we find that the contours of evolution are best represented by a TOL.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wouter D Hoff
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Dave Speijer
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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18
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Barcenilla C, Cobo-Díaz JF, De Filippis F, Valentino V, Cabrera Rubio R, O'Neil D, Mahler de Sanchez L, Armanini F, Carlino N, Blanco-Míguez A, Pinto F, Calvete-Torre I, Sabater C, Delgado S, Ruas-Madiedo P, Quijada NM, Dzieciol M, Skírnisdóttir S, Knobloch S, Puente A, López M, Prieto M, Marteinsson VT, Wagner M, Margolles A, Segata N, Cotter PD, Ercolini D, Alvarez-Ordóñez A. Improved sampling and DNA extraction procedures for microbiome analysis in food-processing environments. Nat Protoc 2024; 19:1291-1310. [PMID: 38267717 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00949-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Deep investigation of the microbiome of food-production and food-processing environments through whole-metagenome sequencing (WMS) can provide detailed information on the taxonomic composition and functional potential of the microbial communities that inhabit them, with huge potential benefits for environmental monitoring programs. However, certain technical challenges jeopardize the application of WMS technologies with this aim, with the most relevant one being the recovery of a sufficient amount of DNA from the frequently low-biomass samples collected from the equipment, tools and surfaces of food-processing plants. Here, we present the first complete workflow, with optimized DNA-purification methodology, to obtain high-quality WMS sequencing results from samples taken from food-production and food-processing environments and reconstruct metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). The protocol can yield DNA loads >10 ng in >98% of samples and >500 ng in 57.1% of samples and allows the collection of, on average, 12.2 MAGs per sample (with up to 62 MAGs in a single sample) in ~1 week, including both laboratory and computational work. This markedly improves on results previously obtained in studies performing WMS of processing environments and using other protocols not specifically developed to sequence these types of sample, in which <2 MAGs per sample were obtained. The full protocol has been developed and applied in the framework of the European Union project MASTER (Microbiome applications for sustainable food systems through technologies and enterprise) in 114 food-processing facilities from different production sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coral Barcenilla
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology and Institute of Food Science and Technology, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - José F Cobo-Díaz
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology and Institute of Food Science and Technology, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - Francesca De Filippis
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Valentino
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Federica Armanini
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Niccolò Carlino
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Aitor Blanco-Míguez
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Federica Pinto
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Inés Calvete-Torre
- Dairy Research Institute of Asturias, Spanish National Research Council (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), Avenida Hospital Universitario, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Carlos Sabater
- Dairy Research Institute of Asturias, Spanish National Research Council (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), Avenida Hospital Universitario, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Susana Delgado
- Dairy Research Institute of Asturias, Spanish National Research Council (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), Avenida Hospital Universitario, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Patricia Ruas-Madiedo
- Dairy Research Institute of Asturias, Spanish National Research Council (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), Avenida Hospital Universitario, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Narciso M Quijada
- Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation, FFoQSI GmbH, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
- Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Institute for Agribiotechnology Research (CIALE), University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Monika Dzieciol
- Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Stephen Knobloch
- Microbiology Research Group, Matís ohf., Reykjavík, Iceland
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Alba Puente
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology and Institute of Food Science and Technology, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - Mercedes López
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology and Institute of Food Science and Technology, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - Miguel Prieto
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology and Institute of Food Science and Technology, Universidad de León, León, Spain
| | - Viggó Thór Marteinsson
- Microbiology Research Group, Matís ohf., Reykjavík, Iceland
- Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Martin Wagner
- Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation, FFoQSI GmbH, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
- Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Abelardo Margolles
- Dairy Research Institute of Asturias, Spanish National Research Council (IPLA-CSIC), Paseo Río Linares, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
- Health Research Institute of Asturias (ISPA), Avenida Hospital Universitario, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Nicola Segata
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Paul D Cotter
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland and VistaMilk Research Centres, Cork, Ireland
| | - Danilo Ercolini
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Avelino Alvarez-Ordóñez
- Department of Food Hygiene and Technology and Institute of Food Science and Technology, Universidad de León, León, Spain.
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19
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Fry M. The discovery of archaea: from observed anomaly to consequential restructuring of the phylogenetic tree. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 46:16. [PMID: 38530473 PMCID: PMC10965645 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-024-00616-8] [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: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Observational and experimental discoveries of new factual entities such as objects, systems, or processes, are major contributors to some advances in the life sciences. Yet, whereas discovery of theories was extensively deliberated by philosophers of science, very little philosophical attention was paid to the discovery of factual entities. This paper examines historical and philosophical aspects of the experimental discovery by Carl Woese of archaea, prokaryotes that comprise one of the three principal domains of the phylogenetic tree. Borrowing Kuhn's terminology, this discovery of a major biological entity was made during a 'normal science' project of building molecular taxonomy for prokaryotes. Unexpectedly, however, an observed anomaly instigated the discovery of archaea. Substantiation of the existence of the new archaeal entity and consequent reconstruction of the phylogenetic tree prompted replacement of a long-held model of a prokarya and eukarya bipartite tree of life by a new model of a tripartite tree comprising of bacteria, archaea, and eukarya. This paper explores the history and philosophical implications of the progression of Woese's project from normal science to anomaly-instigated model-changing discovery. It is also shown that the consequential discoveries of RNA splicing and of ribozymes were similarly prompted by unexpected irregularities during normal science activities. It is thus submitted that some discoveries of factual biological entities are triggered by unforeseen observational or experimental anomalies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Fry
- Department of Biochemistry, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Efron St., Bat Galim, POB 9649, Haifa, 31096, Israel.
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20
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Charles-Orszag A, Petek-Seoane NA, Mullins RD. Archaeal actins and the origin of a multi-functional cytoskeleton. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0034823. [PMID: 38391233 PMCID: PMC10955848 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00348-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Actin and actin-like proteins form filamentous polymers that carry out important cellular functions in all domains of life. In this review, we sketch a map of the function and regulation of actin-like proteins across bacteria, archaea, and eukarya, marking some of the terra incognita that remain in this landscape. We focus particular attention on archaea because mapping the structure and function of cytoskeletal systems across this domain promises to help us understand the evolutionary relationship between the (mostly) mono-functional actin-like filaments found in bacteria and the multi-functional actin cytoskeletons that characterize eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Charles-Orszag
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Natalie A. Petek-Seoane
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - R. Dyche Mullins
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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21
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Makarova KS, Tobiasson V, Wolf YI, Lu Z, Liu Y, Zhang S, Krupovic M, Li M, Koonin EV. Diversity, origin, and evolution of the ESCRT systems. mBio 2024; 15:e0033524. [PMID: 38380930 PMCID: PMC10936438 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00335-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) play key roles in protein sorting between membrane-bounded compartments of eukaryotic cells. Homologs of many ESCRT components are identifiable in various groups of archaea, especially in Asgardarchaeota, the archaeal phylum that is currently considered to include the closest relatives of eukaryotes, but not in bacteria. We performed a comprehensive search for ESCRT protein homologs in archaea and reconstructed ESCRT evolution using the phylogenetic tree of Vps4 ATPase (ESCRT IV) as a scaffold and using sensitive protein sequence analysis and comparison of structural models to identify previously unknown ESCRT proteins. Several distinct groups of ESCRT systems in archaea outside of Asgard were identified, including proteins structurally similar to ESCRT-I and ESCRT-II, and several other domains involved in protein sorting in eukaryotes, suggesting an early origin of these components. Additionally, distant homologs of CdvA proteins were identified in Thermoproteales which are likely components of the uncharacterized cell division system in these archaea. We propose an evolutionary scenario for the origin of eukaryotic and Asgard ESCRT complexes from ancestral building blocks, namely, the Vps4 ATPase, ESCRT-III components, wH (winged helix-turn-helix fold) and possibly also coiled-coil, and Vps28-like domains. The last archaeal common ancestor likely encompassed a complex ESCRT system that was involved in protein sorting. Subsequent evolution involved either simplification, as in the TACK superphylum, where ESCRT was co-opted for cell division, or complexification as in Asgardarchaeota. In Asgardarchaeota, the connection between ESCRT and the ubiquitin system that was previously considered a eukaryotic signature was already established.IMPORTANCEAll eukaryotic cells possess complex intracellular membrane organization. Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) play a central role in membrane remodeling which is essential for cellular functionality in eukaryotes. Recently, it has been shown that Asgard archaea, the archaeal phylum that includes the closest known relatives of eukaryotes, encode homologs of many components of the ESCRT systems. We employed protein sequence and structure comparisons to reconstruct the evolution of ESCRT systems in archaea and identified several previously unknown homologs of ESCRT subunits, some of which can be predicted to participate in cell division. The results of this reconstruction indicate that the last archaeal common ancestor already encoded a complex ESCRT system that was involved in protein sorting. In Asgard archaea, ESCRT systems evolved toward greater complexity, and in particular, the connection between ESCRT and the ubiquitin system that was previously considered a eukaryotic signature was established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Victor Tobiasson
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yuri I. Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhongyi Lu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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22
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Tran LT, Akıl C, Senju Y, Robinson RC. The eukaryotic-like characteristics of small GTPase, roadblock and TRAPPC3 proteins from Asgard archaea. Commun Biol 2024; 7:273. [PMID: 38472392 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05888-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Membrane-enclosed organelles are defining features of eukaryotes in distinguishing these organisms from prokaryotes. Specification of distinct membranes is critical to assemble and maintain discrete compartments. Small GTPases and their regulators are the signaling molecules that drive membrane-modifying machineries to the desired location. These signaling molecules include Rab and Rag GTPases, roadblock and longin domain proteins, and TRAPPC3-like proteins. Here, we take a structural approach to assess the relatedness of these eukaryotic-like proteins in Asgard archaea, the closest known prokaryotic relatives to eukaryotes. We find that the Asgard archaea GTPase core domains closely resemble eukaryotic Rabs and Rags. Asgard archaea roadblock, longin and TRAPPC3 domain-containing proteins form dimers similar to those found in the eukaryotic TRAPP and Ragulator complexes. We conclude that the emergence of these protein architectures predated eukaryogenesis, however further adaptations occurred in proto-eukaryotes to allow these proteins to regulate distinct internal membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linh T Tran
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
| | - Caner Akıl
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
- Division of Structural Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
| | - Yosuke Senju
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
| | - Robert C Robinson
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan.
- School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering (BSE), Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Rayong, 21210, Thailand.
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23
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Qiu Z, Yuan L, Lian CA, Lin B, Chen J, Mu R, Qiao X, Zhang L, Xu Z, Fan L, Zhang Y, Wang S, Li J, Cao H, Li B, Chen B, Song C, Liu Y, Shi L, Tian Y, Ni J, Zhang T, Zhou J, Zhuang WQ, Yu K. BASALT refines binning from metagenomic data and increases resolution of genome-resolved metagenomic analysis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2179. [PMID: 38467684 PMCID: PMC10928208 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46539-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Metagenomic binning is an essential technique for genome-resolved characterization of uncultured microorganisms in various ecosystems but hampered by the low efficiency of binning tools in adequately recovering metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). Here, we introduce BASALT (Binning Across a Series of Assemblies Toolkit) for binning and refinement of short- and long-read sequencing data. BASALT employs multiple binners with multiple thresholds to produce initial bins, then utilizes neural networks to identify core sequences to remove redundant bins and refine non-redundant bins. Using the same assemblies generated from Critical Assessment of Metagenome Interpretation (CAMI) datasets, BASALT produces up to twice as many MAGs as VAMB, DASTool, or metaWRAP. Processing assemblies from a lake sediment dataset, BASALT produces ~30% more MAGs than metaWRAP, including 21 unique class-level prokaryotic lineages. Functional annotations reveal that BASALT can retrieve 47.6% more non-redundant opening-reading frames than metaWRAP. These results highlight the robust handling of metagenomic sequencing data of BASALT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiguang Qiu
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- AI for Science (AI4S)-Preferred Program, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Li Yuan
- AI for Science (AI4S)-Preferred Program, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chun-Ang Lian
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- AI for Science (AI4S)-Preferred Program, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bin Lin
- School of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jie Chen
- AI for Science (AI4S)-Preferred Program, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Rong Mu
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuejiao Qiao
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liyu Zhang
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zheng Xu
- Southern University of Sciences and Technology Yantian Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Lu Fan
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen, China
| | - Yunzeng Zhang
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Shanquan Wang
- Environmental Microbiomics Research Center, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junyi Li
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Huiluo Cao
- Department of Microbiology, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bing Li
- Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Baowei Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Chi Song
- Institute of Herbgenomics, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
- Wuhan Benagen Technology Co., Ltd, Wuhan, China
| | - Yongxin Liu
- Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lili Shi
- AI for Science (AI4S)-Preferred Program, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yonghong Tian
- AI for Science (AI4S)-Preferred Program, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- School of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jinren Ni
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Zhang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jizhong Zhou
- Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Wei-Qin Zhuang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ke Yu
- Eco-environment and Resource Efficiency Research Laboratory, School of Environment and Energy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, China.
- AI for Science (AI4S)-Preferred Program, Peking University, Shenzhen, China.
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24
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Hocher A, Warnecke T. Nucleosomes at the Dawn of Eukaryotes. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae029. [PMID: 38366053 PMCID: PMC10919886 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Genome regulation in eukaryotes revolves around the nucleosome, the fundamental building block of eukaryotic chromatin. Its constituent parts, the four core histones (H3, H4, H2A, H2B), are universal to eukaryotes. Yet despite its exceptional conservation and central role in orchestrating transcription, repair, and other DNA-templated processes, the origins and early evolution of the nucleosome remain opaque. Histone-fold proteins are also found in archaea, but the nucleosome we know-a hetero-octameric complex composed of histones with long, disordered tails-is a hallmark of eukaryotes. What were the properties of the earliest nucleosomes? Did ancestral histones inevitably assemble into nucleosomes? When and why did the four core histones evolve? This review will look at the evolution of the eukaryotic nucleosome from the vantage point of archaea, focusing on the key evolutionary transitions required to build a modern nucleosome. We will highlight recent work on the closest archaeal relatives of eukaryotes, the Asgardarchaea, and discuss what their histones can and cannot tell us about the early evolution of eukaryotic chromatin. We will also discuss how viruses have become an unexpected source of information about the evolutionary path toward the nucleosome. Finally, we highlight the properties of early nucleosomes as an area where new tools and data promise tangible progress in the not-too-distant future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Hocher
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tobias Warnecke
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Sciences, London, UK
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Trinity College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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25
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Bozdag GO, Szeinbaum N, Conlin PL, Chen K, Fos SM, Garcia A, Penev PI, Schaible GA, Trubl G. Chapter 5: Major Biological Innovations in the History of Life on Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:S107-S123. [PMID: 38498818 PMCID: PMC11071111 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2021.0119] [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: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
All organisms living on Earth descended from a single, common ancestral population of cells, known as LUCA-the last universal common ancestor. Since its emergence, the diversity and complexity of life have increased dramatically. This chapter focuses on four key biological innovations throughout Earth's history that had a significant impact on the expansion of phylogenetic diversity, organismal complexity, and ecospace habitation. First is the emergence of the last universal common ancestor, LUCA, which laid the foundation for all life-forms on Earth. Second is the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, which resulted in global geochemical and biological transformations. Third is the appearance of a new type of cell-the eukaryotic cell-which led to the origin of a new domain of life and the basis for complex multicellularity. Fourth is the multiple independent origins of multicellularity, resulting in the emergence of a new level of complex individuality. A discussion of these four key events will improve our understanding of the intertwined history of our planet and its inhabitants and better inform the extent to which we can expect life at different degrees of diversity and complexity elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Ozan Bozdag
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Nadia Szeinbaum
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Peter L. Conlin
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kimberly Chen
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Santiago Mestre Fos
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Amanda Garcia
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Petar I. Penev
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - George A. Schaible
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Gareth Trubl
- Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA
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26
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Whitman WB, Chuvochina M, Hedlund BP, Konstantinidis KT, Palmer M, Rodriguez‐R LM, Sutcliffe I, Wang F. Why and how to use the SeqCode. MLIFE 2024; 3:1-13. [PMID: 38827511 PMCID: PMC11139209 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
The SeqCode, formally called the Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes Described from Sequence Data, is a new code of nomenclature in which genome sequences are the nomenclatural types for the names of prokaryotic species. While similar to the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) in structure and rules of priority, it does not require the deposition of type strains in international culture collections. Thus, it allows for the formation of permanent names for uncultured prokaryotes whose nearly complete genome sequences have been obtained directly from environmental DNA as well as other prokaryotes that cannot be deposited in culture collections. Because the diversity of uncultured prokaryotes greatly exceeds that of readily culturable prokaryotes, the SeqCode is the only code suitable for naming the majority of prokaryotic species. The start date of the SeqCode was January 1, 2022, and the online Registry (https://seqco.de/) was created to ensure valid publication of names. The SeqCode recognizes all names validly published under the ICNP before 2022. After that date, names validly published under the SeqCode compete with ICNP names for priority. As a result, species can have only one name, either from the SeqCode or ICNP, enabling effective communication and the creation of unified taxonomies of uncultured and cultured prokaryotes. The SeqCode is administered by the SeqCode Committee, which is comprised of the SeqCode Community and elected administrative components. Anyone with an interest in the systematics of prokaryotes is encouraged to join the SeqCode Community and participate in the development of this resource.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Chuvochina
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Australian Centre for EcogenomicsThe University of QueenslandSt LuciaAustralia
| | | | - Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Marike Palmer
- Department of MicrobiologyUniversity of ManitobaWinnipegManitobaCanada
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Nevada Las VegasLas VegasNevadaUSA
| | - Luis M. Rodriguez‐R
- Department of Microbiology and Digital Science Center (DiSC)University of InnsbruckInnsbruckAustria
| | - Iain Sutcliffe
- Faculty of Health & Life SciencesNorthumbria UniversityNewcastle upon TyneUK
| | - Fengping Wang
- School of Oceanography, International Center for Deep Life InvestigationShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
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27
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Zhao P, Bi X, Wang X, Feng X, Shen Y, Yuan G, She Q. Rational design of unrestricted pRN1 derivatives and their application in the construction of a dual plasmid vector system for Saccharolobus islandicus. MLIFE 2024; 3:119-128. [PMID: 38827506 PMCID: PMC11139203 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Saccharolobus islandicus REY15A represents one of the very few archaeal models with versatile genetic tools, which include efficient genome editing, gene silencing, and robust protein expression systems. However, plasmid vectors constructed for this crenarchaeon thus far are based solely on the pRN2 cryptic plasmid. Although this plasmid coexists with pRN1 in its original host, early attempts to test pRN1-based vectors consistently failed to yield any stable host-vector system for Sa. islandicus. We hypothesized that this failure could be due to the occurrence of CRISPR immunity against pRN1 in this archaeon. We identified a putative target sequence in orf904 encoding a putative replicase on pRN1 (target N1). Mutated targets (N1a, N1b, and N1c) were then designed and tested for their capability to escape the host CRISPR immunity by using a plasmid interference assay. The results revealed that the original target triggered CRISPR immunity in this archaeon, whereas all three mutated targets did not, indicating that all the designed target mutations evaded host immunity. These mutated targets were then incorporated into orf904 individually, yielding corresponding mutated pRN1 backbones with which shuttle plasmids were constructed (pN1aSD, pN1bSD, and pN1cSD). Sa. islandicus transformation revealed that pN1aSD and pN1bSD were functional shuttle vectors, but pN1cSD lost the capability for replication. These results indicate that the missense mutations in the conserved helicase domain in pN1c inactivated the replicase. We further showed that pRN1-based and pRN2-based vectors were stably maintained in the archaeal cells either alone or in combination, and this yielded a dual plasmid system for genetic study with this important archaeal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengpeng Zhao
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Xiaonan Bi
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Xiaoning Wang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Xu Feng
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Yulong Shen
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Guanhua Yuan
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Qunxin She
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
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28
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Lu Z, Zhang S, Liu Y, Xia R, Li M. Origin of eukaryotic-like Vps23 shapes an ancient functional interplay between ESCRT and ubiquitin system in Asgard archaea. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113781. [PMID: 38358888 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Functional interplay between the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) and the ubiquitin system underlies the ubiquitin-dependent cargo-sorting pathway of the eukaryotic endomembrane system, yet its evolutionary origin remains unclear. Here, we show that a UEV-Vps23 protein family, which contains UEV and Vps23 domains, mediates an ancient ESCRT and ubiquitin system interplay in Asgard archaea. The UEV binds ubiquitin with high affinity, making the UEV-Vps23 a sensor for sorting ubiquitinated cargo. A steadiness box in the Vps23 domain undergoes ubiquitination through an Asgard E1, E2, and RING E3 cascade. The UEV-Vps23 switches between autoinhibited and active forms, regulating the ESCRT and ubiquitin system interplay. Furthermore, the shared sequence and structural homology among the UEV-Vps23, eukaryotic Vps23, and archaeal CdvA suggest a common evolutionary origin. Together, this work expands our understanding of the ancient ESCRT and ubiquitin system interplay that likely arose antedating divergent evolution between Asgard archaea and eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyi Lu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Runyue Xia
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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Iqbal S, Begum F, Ullah I, Jalal N, Shaw P. Peeling off the layers from microbial dark matter (MDM): recent advances, future challenges, and opportunities. Crit Rev Microbiol 2024:1-21. [PMID: 38385313 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2024.2319669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Microbes represent the most common organisms on Earth; however, less than 2% of microbial species in the environment can undergo cultivation for study under laboratory conditions, and the rest of the enigmatic, microbial world remains mysterious, constituting a kind of "microbial dark matter" (MDM). In the last two decades, remarkable progress has been made in culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. More recently, studies of MDM have relied on culture-independent techniques to recover genetic material through either unicellular genomics or shotgun metagenomics to construct single-amplified genomes (SAGs) and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), respectively, which provide information about evolution and metabolism. Despite the remarkable progress made in the past decades, the functional diversity of MDM still remains uncharacterized. This review comprehensively summarizes the recently developed culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques for characterizing MDM, discussing major challenges, opportunities, and potential applications. These activities contribute to expanding our knowledge of the microbial world and have implications for various fields including Biotechnology, Bioprospecting, Functional genomics, Medicine, Evolutionary and Planetary biology. Overall, this review aims to peel off the layers from MDM, shed light on recent advancements, identify future challenges, and illuminate the exciting opportunities that lie ahead in unraveling the secrets of this intriguing microbial realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajid Iqbal
- Oujiang Lab (Zhejiang Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Vision, and Brain Health), Wenzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Farida Begum
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Ihsan Ullah
- College of Chemical Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Nasir Jalal
- Oujiang Lab (Zhejiang Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Vision, and Brain Health), Wenzhou, China
| | - Peter Shaw
- Oujiang Lab (Zhejiang Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Vision, and Brain Health), Wenzhou, China
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Makarova KS, Tobiasson V, Wolf YI, Lu Z, Liu Y, Zhang S, Krupovic M, Li M, Koonin EV. Diversity, Origin and Evolution of the ESCRT Systems. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.06.579148. [PMID: 38903064 PMCID: PMC11188069 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.06.579148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport (ESCRT) play key roles in protein sorting between membrane-bounded compartments of eukaryotic cells. Homologs of many ESCRT components are identifiable in various groups of archaea, especially in Asgardarchaeota, the archaeal phylum that is currently considered to include the closest relatives of eukaryotes, but not in bacteria. We performed a comprehensive search for ESCRT protein homologs in archaea and reconstructed ESCRT evolution using the phylogenetic tree of Vps4 ATPase (ESCRT IV) as a scaffold, using sensitive protein sequence analysis and comparison of structural models to identify previously unknown ESCRT proteins. Several distinct groups of ESCRT systems in archaea outside of Asgard were identified, including proteins structurally similar to ESCRT-I and ESCRT-II, and several other domains involved in protein sorting in eukaryotes, suggesting an early origin of these components. Additionally, distant homologs of CdvA proteins were identified in Thermoproteales which are likely components of the uncharacterized cell division system in these archaea. We propose an evolutionary scenario for the origin of eukaryotic and Asgard ESCRT complexes from ancestral building blocks, namely, the Vps4 ATPase, ESCRT-III components, wH (winged helix-turn-helix fold) and possibly also coiled-coil, and Vps28-like domains. The Last Archaeal Common Ancestor likely encompassed a complex ESCRT system that was involved in protein sorting. Subsequent evolution involved either simplification, as in the TACK superphylum, where ESCRT was co-opted for cell division, or complexification as in Asgardarchaeota. In Asgardarchaeota, the connection between ESCRT and the ubiquitin system that was previously considered a eukaryotic signature was already established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Victor Tobiasson
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Yuri I. Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Zhongyi Lu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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Kazan R, Bourgeois G, Lazennec-Schurdevin C, Coureux PD, Mechulam Y, Schmitt E. Structural insights into the evolution of late steps of translation initiation in the three domains of life. Biochimie 2024; 217:31-41. [PMID: 36773835 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2023.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
In eukaryotes and in archaea late steps of translation initiation involve the two initiation factors e/aIF5B and e/aIF1A. These two factors are also orthologous to the bacterial IF2 and IF1 proteins, respectively. Recent cryo-EM studies showed how e/aIF5B and e/aIF1A cooperate on the small ribosomal subunit to favor the binding of the large ribosomal subunit and the formation of a ribosome competent for elongation. In this review, pioneering studies and recent biochemical and structural results providing new insights into the role of a/eIF5B in archaea and eukaryotes will be presented. Recent structures will also be compared to orthologous bacterial initiation complexes to highlight domain-specific features and the evolution of initiation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramy Kazan
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule, BIOC, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Gabrielle Bourgeois
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule, BIOC, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Christine Lazennec-Schurdevin
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule, BIOC, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Pierre-Damien Coureux
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule, BIOC, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Yves Mechulam
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule, BIOC, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120, Palaiseau, France
| | - Emmanuelle Schmitt
- Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale de la Cellule, BIOC, CNRS, Ecole polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120, Palaiseau, France.
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32
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Murphy MP, O'Neill LAJ. A break in mitochondrial endosymbiosis as a basis for inflammatory diseases. Nature 2024; 626:271-279. [PMID: 38326590 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06866-z] [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: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Mitochondria retain bacterial traits due to their endosymbiotic origin, but host cells do not recognize them as foreign because the organelles are sequestered. However, the regulated release of mitochondrial factors into the cytosol can trigger cell death, innate immunity and inflammation. This selective breakdown in the 2-billion-year-old endosymbiotic relationship enables mitochondria to act as intracellular signalling hubs. Mitochondrial signals include proteins, nucleic acids, phospholipids, metabolites and reactive oxygen species, which have many modes of release from mitochondria, and of decoding in the cytosol and nucleus. Because these mitochondrial signals probably contribute to the homeostatic role of inflammation, dysregulation of these processes may lead to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. A potential reason for the increased incidence of these diseases may be changes in mitochondrial function and signalling in response to such recent phenomena as obesity, dietary changes and other environmental factors. Focusing on the mixed heritage of mitochondria therefore leads to predictions for future insights, research paths and therapeutic opportunities. Thus, whereas mitochondria can be considered 'the enemy within' the cell, evolution has used this strained relationship in intriguing ways, with increasing evidence pointing to the recent failure of endosymbiosis being critical for the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Murphy
- MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Luke A J O'Neill
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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33
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Yu D, Wiens JJ. The causes of species richness patterns among clades. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232436. [PMID: 38262607 PMCID: PMC10805600 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Two major types of species richness patterns are spatial (e.g. the latitudinal diversity gradient) and clade-based (e.g. the dominance of angiosperms among plants). Studies have debated whether clade-based richness patterns are explained primarily by larger clades having faster rates of species accumulation (speciation minus extinction over time; diversification-rate hypothesis) or by simply being older (clade-age hypothesis). However, these studies typically compared named clades of the same taxonomic rank, such as phyla and families. This study design is potentially biased against the clade-age hypothesis, since clades of the same rank may be more similar in age than randomly selected clades. Here, we analyse the causes of clade-based richness patterns across the tree of life using a large-scale, time-calibrated, species-level phylogeny and random sampling of clades. We find that within major groups of organisms (animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, archaeans), richness patterns are most strongly related to clade age. Nevertheless, weaker relationships with diversification rates are present in animals and plants. These overall results contrast with similar large-scale analyses across life based on named clades, which showed little effect of clade age on richness. More broadly, these results help support the overall importance of time for explaining diverse types of species richness patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Yu
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Science, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, People's Republic of China
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA
| | - John J. Wiens
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0088, USA
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34
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Harish A. Protein structures unravel the signatures and patterns of deep time evolution. QRB DISCOVERY 2024; 5:e3. [PMID: 38616890 PMCID: PMC11016368 DOI: 10.1017/qrd.2024.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The formulation and testing of hypotheses using 'big biology data' often lie at the interface of computational biology and structural biology. The Protein Data Bank (PDB), which was established about 50 years ago, catalogs three-dimensional (3D) shapes of organic macromolecules and showcases a structural view of biology. The comparative analysis of the structures of homologs, particularly of proteins, from different species has significantly improved the in-depth analyses of molecular and cell biological questions. In addition, computational tools that were developed to analyze the 'protein universe' are providing the means for efficient resolution of longstanding debates in cell and molecular evolution. In celebrating the golden jubilee of the PDB, much has been written about the transformative impact of PDB on a broad range of fields of scientific inquiry and how structural biology transformed the study of the fundamental processes of life. Yet, the transforming influence of PDB on one field of inquiry of fundamental interest-the reconstruction of the distant biological past-has gone almost unnoticed. Here, I discuss the recent advances to highlight how insights and tools of structural biology are bearing on the data required for the empirical resolution of vigorously debated and apparently contradicting hypotheses in evolutionary biology. Specifically, I show that evolutionary characters defined by protein structure are superior compared to conventional sequence characters for reliable, data-driven resolution of competing hypotheses about the origins of the major clades of life and evolutionary relationship among those clades. Since the better quality data unequivocally support two primary domains of life, it is imperative that the primary classification of life be revised accordingly.
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35
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Lu Z, Xia R, Zhang S, Pan J, Liu Y, Wolf YI, Koonin EV, Li M. Evolution of optimal growth temperature in Asgard archaea inferred from the temperature dependence of GDP binding to EF-1A. Nat Commun 2024; 15:515. [PMID: 38225278 PMCID: PMC10789797 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44806-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes apparently belonged to the phylum Asgardarchaeota, but the ecology and evolution of Asgard archaea are poorly understood. The optimal GDP-binding temperature of a translation elongation factor (EF-1A or EF-Tu) has been previously shown to correlate with the optimal growth temperature of diverse prokaryotes. Here, we reconstruct ancestral EF-1A sequences and experimentally measure the optimal GDP-binding temperature of EF-1A from ancient and extant Asgard archaea, to infer the evolution of optimal growth temperatures in Asgardarchaeota. Our results suggest that the Asgard ancestor of eukaryotes was a moderate thermophile, with an optimal growth temperature around 53 °C. The origin of eukaryotes appears to coincide with a transition from thermophilic to mesophilic lifestyle during the evolution of Asgard archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyi Lu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Runyue Xia
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Jie Pan
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
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36
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Huang B, Xiao Y, Zhang Y. Asgard archaeal selenoproteome reveals a roadmap for the archaea-to-eukaryote transition of selenocysteine incorporation machinery. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae111. [PMID: 38896033 PMCID: PMC11227280 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae111] [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: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Selenocysteine (Sec) is encoded by the UGA codon that normally functions as a stop signal and is specifically incorporated into selenoproteins via a unique recoding mechanism. The translational recoding of UGA as Sec is directed by an unusual RNA structure, the SECIS element. Although archaea and eukaryotes adopt similar Sec encoding machinery, the SECIS elements have no similarities to each other with regard to sequence and structure. We analyzed >400 Asgard archaeal genomes to examine the occurrence of both Sec encoding system and selenoproteins in this archaeal superphylum, the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes. A comprehensive map of Sec utilization trait has been generated, providing the most detailed understanding of the use of this nonstandard amino acid in Asgard archaea so far. By characterizing the selenoproteomes of all organisms, several selenoprotein-rich phyla and species were identified. Most Asgard archaeal selenoprotein genes possess eukaryotic SECIS-like structures with varying degrees of diversity. Moreover, euryarchaeal SECIS elements might originate from Asgard archaeal SECIS elements via lateral gene transfer, indicating a complex and dynamic scenario of the evolution of SECIS element within archaea. Finally, a roadmap for the transition of eukaryotic SECIS elements from archaea was proposed, and selenophosphate synthetase may serve as a potential intermediate for the generation of ancestral eukaryotic SECIS element. Our results offer new insights into a deeper understanding of the evolution of Sec insertion machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biyan Huang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Brain Disease and Big Data Research Institute, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong Province, P. R. China
| | - Yao Xiao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Brain Disease and Big Data Research Institute, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong Province, P. R. China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Ecology, Brain Disease and Big Data Research Institute, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong Province, P. R. China
- Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong Province, P. R. China
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Novikova PV, Bhanu Busi S, Probst AJ, May P, Wilmes P. Functional prediction of proteins from the human gut archaeome. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycad014. [PMID: 38486809 PMCID: PMC10939349 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycad014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The human gastrointestinal tract contains diverse microbial communities, including archaea. Among them, Methanobrevibacter smithii represents a highly active and clinically relevant methanogenic archaeon, being involved in gastrointestinal disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease and obesity. Herein, we present an integrated approach using sequence and structure information to improve the annotation of M. smithii proteins using advanced protein structure prediction and annotation tools, such as AlphaFold2, trRosetta, ProFunc, and DeepFri. Of an initial set of 873 481 archaeal proteins, we found 707 754 proteins exclusively present in the human gut. Having analysed archaeal proteins together with 87 282 994 bacterial proteins, we identified unique archaeal proteins and archaeal-bacterial homologs. We then predicted and characterized functional domains and structures of 73 unique and homologous archaeal protein clusters linked the human gut and M. smithii. We refined annotations based on the predicted structures, extending existing sequence similarity-based annotations. We identified gut-specific archaeal proteins that may be involved in defense mechanisms, virulence, adhesion, and the degradation of toxic substances. Interestingly, we identified potential glycosyltransferases that could be associated with N-linked and O-glycosylation. Additionally, we found preliminary evidence for interdomain horizontal gene transfer between Clostridia species and M. smithii, which includes sporulation Stage V proteins AE and AD. Our study broadens the understanding of archaeal biology, particularly M. smithii, and highlights the importance of considering both sequence and structure for the prediction of protein function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polina V Novikova
- Systems Ecology, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
| | - Susheel Bhanu Busi
- Systems Ecology, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, OX10 8 BB, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander J Probst
- Environmental Metagenomics, Department of Chemistry, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, for Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, University Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg 47057, Germany
| | - Patrick May
- Bioinformatics Core, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
| | - Paul Wilmes
- Systems Ecology, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
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38
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Zhou Y, Wang Y, Prangishvili D, Krupovic M. Exploring the Archaeal Virosphere by Metagenomics. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2732:1-22. [PMID: 38060114 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3515-5_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
During the past decade, environmental research has demonstrated that archaea are abundant and widespread in nature and play important ecological roles at a global scale. Currently, however, the majority of archaeal lineages cannot be cultivated under laboratory conditions and are known exclusively or nearly exclusively through metagenomics. A similar trend extends to the archaeal virosphere, where isolated representatives are available for a handful of model archaeal virus-host systems. Viral metagenomics provides an alternative way to circumvent the limitations of culture-based virus discovery and offers insight into the diversity, distribution, and environmental impact of uncultured archaeal viruses. Presently, metagenomics approaches have been successfully applied to explore the viromes associated with various lineages of extremophilic and mesophilic archaea, including Asgard archaea (Asgardarchaeota), ANME-1 archaea (Methanophagales), thaumarchaea (Nitrososphaeria), altiarchaea (Altiarchaeota), and marine group II archaea (Poseidoniales). Here, we provide an overview of methods widely used in archaeal virus metagenomics, covering metavirome preparation, genome annotation, phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, and archaeal host assignment. We hope that this summary will contribute to further exploration and characterization of the enigmatic archaeal virome lurking in diverse environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zhou
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, Paris, France
| | - Yongjie Wang
- College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Aquatic Products on Storage and Preservation (Shanghai), Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai, China
| | - David Prangishvili
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
- Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France.
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Xu J, Wang L, Lv W, Song X, Nie Y, Wu XL. Metabolic profiling of petroleum-degrading microbial communities incubated under high-pressure conditions. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1305731. [PMID: 38188585 PMCID: PMC10766756 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1305731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
While pressure is a significant characteristic of petroleum reservoirs, it is often overlooked in laboratory studies. To clarify the composition and metabolic properties of microbial communities under high-pressure conditions, we established methanogenic and sulfate-reducing enrichment cultures under high-pressure conditions using production water from the Jilin Oilfield in China. We utilized a metagenomics approach to analyze the microbial community after a 90-day incubation period. Under methanogenic conditions, Firmicutes, Deferribacteres, Ignavibacteriae, Thermotogae, and Nitrospirae, in association with the hydrogenotrophic methanogen Archaeoglobaceae and acetoclastic Methanosaeta, were highly represented. Genomes for Ca. Odinarchaeota and the hydrogen-dependent methylotrophic Ca. Methanosuratus were also recovered from the methanogenic culture. The sulfate-reducing community was dominated by Firmicutes, Thermotogae, Nitrospirae, Archaeoglobus, and several candidate taxa including Ca. Bipolaricaulota, Ca. Aminicenantes, and Candidate division WOR-3. These candidate taxa were key pantothenate producers for other community members. The study expands present knowledge of the metabolic roles of petroleum-degrading microbial communities under high-pressure conditions. Our results also indicate that microbial community interactions were shaped by syntrophic metabolism and the exchange of amino acids and cofactors among members. Furthermore, incubation under in situ pressure conditions has the potential to reveal the roles of microbial dark matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinbo Xu
- School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing, China
| | - Weifeng Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing, China
| | - Xinmin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Nie
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Lei Wu
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing, China
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40
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Baum B, Spang A. On the origin of the nucleus: a hypothesis. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0018621. [PMID: 38018971 PMCID: PMC10732040 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00186-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYIn this hypothesis article, we explore the origin of the eukaryotic nucleus. In doing so, we first look afresh at the nature of this defining feature of the eukaryotic cell and its core functions-emphasizing the utility of seeing the eukaryotic nucleoplasm and cytoplasm as distinct regions of a common compartment. We then discuss recent progress in understanding the evolution of the eukaryotic cell from archaeal and bacterial ancestors, focusing on phylogenetic and experimental data which have revealed that many eukaryotic machines with nuclear activities have archaeal counterparts. In addition, we review the literature describing the cell biology of representatives of the TACK and Asgardarchaeaota - the closest known living archaeal relatives of eukaryotes. Finally, bringing these strands together, we propose a model for the archaeal origin of the nucleus that explains much of the current data, including predictions that can be used to put the model to the test.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buzz Baum
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, the Netherlands
- Department of Evolutionary & Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, the Netherlands
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41
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Rafiq M, Hassan N, Rehman M, Hayat M, Nadeem G, Hassan F, Iqbal N, Ali H, Zada S, Kang Y, Sajjad W, Jamal M. Challenges and Approaches of Culturing the Unculturable Archaea. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1499. [PMID: 38132325 PMCID: PMC10740628 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Since Carl Woese's discovery of archaea as a third domain of life, numerous archaeal species have been discovered, yet archaeal diversity is poorly characterized. Culturing archaea is complicated, but several queries about archaeal cell biology, evolution, physiology, and diversity need to be solved by culturing and culture-dependent techniques. Increasing interest in demand for innovative culturing methods has led to various technological and methodological advances. The current review explains frequent hurdles hindering uncultured archaea isolation and discusses features for more archaeal cultivation. This review also discusses successful strategies and available media for archaeal culturing, which might be helpful for future culturing practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Rafiq
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87100, Pakistan
- FF Institute (Huzhou) Co., Ltd., Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Noor Hassan
- Industrial Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering-College, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Maliha Rehman
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87100, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Hayat
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Institute of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Jinan 266101, China
| | - Gullasht Nadeem
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87100, Pakistan
| | - Farwa Hassan
- Industrial Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering-College, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Naveed Iqbal
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Informatics, Balochistan University of IT, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87100, Pakistan
- The Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
| | - Hazrat Ali
- Industrial Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering-College, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Sahib Zada
- Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Yingqian Kang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education of Guizhou, Guiyang 550025, China
- Key Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Wasim Sajjad
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan
| | - Muhsin Jamal
- Department of Microbiology, Abdul Wali Khan University, Garden Campus, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
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42
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Field MC. Deviating from the norm: Nuclear organisation in trypanosomes. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2023; 85:102234. [PMID: 37666024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2023.102234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
At first glance the nucleus is a highly conserved organelle. Overall nuclear morphology, the octagonal nuclear pore complex, the presence of peripheral heterochromatin and the nuclear envelope appear near constant features right down to the ultrastructural level. New work is revealing significant compositional divergence within these nuclear structures and their associated functions, likely reflecting adaptations and distinct mechanisms between eukaryotic lineages and especially the trypanosomatids. While many examples of mechanistic divergence currently lack obvious functional interpretations, these studies underscore the malleability of nuclear architecture. I will discuss some recent findings highlighting these facets within trypanosomes, together with the underlying evolutionary framework and make a call for the exploration of nuclear function in non-canonical experimental organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK; Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czechia.
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43
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Carlton JG, Baum B. Roles of ESCRT-III polymers in cell division across the tree of life. Curr Opin Cell Biol 2023; 85:102274. [PMID: 37944425 PMCID: PMC7615534 DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2023.102274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Every cell becomes two through a carefully orchestrated process of division. Prior to division, contractile machinery must first be assembled at the cell midzone to ensure that the cut, when it is made, bisects the two separated copies of the genetic material. Second, this contractile machinery must be dynamically tethered to the limiting plasma membrane so as to bring the membrane with it as it constricts. Finally, the connecting membrane must be severed to generate two physically separate daughter cells. In several organisms across the tree of life, Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT)-III family proteins aid cell division by forming composite polymers that function together with the Vps4 AAA-ATPase to constrict and cut the membrane tube connecting nascent daughter cells from the inside. In this review, we discuss unique features of ESCRT-III that enable it to play this role in division in many archaea and eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Graham Carlton
- Comprehensive Cancer Centre, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, SE1 1UL, UK; Organelle Dynamics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK.
| | - Buzz Baum
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK.
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Notaro A, Zaretsky M, Molinaro A, De Castro C, Eichler J. N-glycosylation in Archaea: Unusual sugars and unique modifications. Carbohydr Res 2023; 534:108963. [PMID: 37890267 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2023.108963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Archaea are microorganisms that comprise a distinct branch of the universal tree of life and which are best known as extremophiles, residing in a variety of environments characterized by harsh physical conditions. One seemingly universal trait of Archaea is the ability to perform N-glycosylation. At the same time, archaeal N-linked glycans present variety in terms of both composition and architecture not seen in the parallel eukaryal or bacterial processes. In this mini-review, many of the unique and unusual sugars found in archaeal N-linked glycans as identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Notaro
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Marianna Zaretsky
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel
| | - Antonio Molinaro
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Cristina De Castro
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Jerry Eichler
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Israel.
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45
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Lu J, Zhang X, Zhang X, Wang L, Zhao R, Liu XY, Liu X, Zhuang W, Chen L, Cai L, Wang J. Nanopore sequencing of full rRNA operon improves resolution in mycobiome analysis and reveals high diversity in both human gut and environments. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6330-6344. [PMID: 35593386 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing has substantially improved our understanding of fungal diversity. However, the short read (<500 bp) length of current second-generation sequencing approaches provides limited taxonomic and phylogenetic resolution for species discrimination. Longer sequences containing more information are highly desired to provide greater taxonomic resolution. Here, we amplified full-length rRNA operons (~5.5 kb) and established a corresponding fungal rRNA operon database for ONT sequences (FRODO), which contains ONT sequences representing eight phyla, 41 classes, 109 orders, 256 families, 524 genera and 1116 species. We also benchmarked the optimal method for sequence classification and determined that the RDP classifier based on our FRODO database was capable of improving the classification of ONT reads, with an average of 98%-99% reads correctly classified at the genus or species level. We investigated the applicability of our approach in three representative mycobiomes, namely, the soil, marine and human gut mycobiomes, and found that the gut contains the largest number of unknown species (over 90%), followed by the marine (42%) and soil (33.8%) mycobiomes. We also observed a distinct difference in the composition of the marine and soil mycobiomes, with the highest richness and diversity detected in soils. Overall, our study provides a systematic approach for mycobiome studies and revealed that the previous methods might have underestimated the diversity of mycobiome species. Future application of this method will lead to a better understanding of the taxonomic and functional diversity of fungi in environmental and health-related mycobiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xudong Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Linqi Wang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ruilin Zhao
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Yong Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Xinzhan Liu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenying Zhuang
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Cai
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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46
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Zhang S, Zhang T, Fu Y. Proteome-wide structural analysis quantifies structural conservation across distant species. Genome Res 2023; 33:gr.277771.123. [PMID: 37993136 PMCID: PMC10760455 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277771.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Traditional evolutionary biology research mainly relies on sequence information to infer evolutionary relationships between genes or proteins. In contrast, protein structural information has long been overlooked, although structures are more conserved and closely linked to the functions than the sequences. To address this gap, we conducted a proteome-wide structural analysis using experimental and computed protein structures for organisms from the three distinct domains, including Homo sapiens (eukarya), Escherichia coli (bacteria), and Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (archaea). We reveal the distribution of structural similarity and sequence identity at the genomic level and characterize the twilight zone, where signals obtained from sequence alignment are blurred and evolutionary relationships cannot be inferred unambiguously. We find that structurally similar homologous protein pairs in the twilight zone account for ∼0.004%-0.021% of all possible protein pair combinations, which translates to ∼8%-32% of the protein-coding genes, depending on the species under comparison. In addition, by comparing the structural homologs, we show that human proteins involved in the energy supply are more similar to their E. coli homologs, whereas proteins relating to the central dogma are more similar to their M. jannaschii homologs. We also identify a bacterial GPCR homolog in the E. coli proteome that displays distinctive domain architecture. Our results shed light on the characteristics of the twilight zone and the origin of different pathways from a protein structure perspective, highlighting an exciting new frontier in evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijie Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammation Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Teng Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammation Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yuan Fu
- Department of Pharmacology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Inflammation Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
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47
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Mahendrarajah TA, Moody ERR, Schrempf D, Szánthó LL, Dombrowski N, Davín AA, Pisani D, Donoghue PCJ, Szöllősi GJ, Williams TA, Spang A. ATP synthase evolution on a cross-braced dated tree of life. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7456. [PMID: 37978174 PMCID: PMC10656485 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42924-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The timing of early cellular evolution, from the divergence of Archaea and Bacteria to the origin of eukaryotes, is poorly constrained. The ATP synthase complex is thought to have originated prior to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) and analyses of ATP synthase genes, together with ribosomes, have played a key role in inferring and rooting the tree of life. We reconstruct the evolutionary history of ATP synthases using an expanded taxon sampling set and develop a phylogenetic cross-bracing approach, constraining equivalent speciation nodes to be contemporaneous, based on the phylogenetic imprint of endosymbioses and ancient gene duplications. This approach results in a highly resolved, dated species tree and establishes an absolute timeline for ATP synthase evolution. Our analyses show that the divergence of ATP synthase into F- and A/V-type lineages was a very early event in cellular evolution dating back to more than 4 Ga, potentially predating the diversification of Archaea and Bacteria. Our cross-braced, dated tree of life also provides insight into more recent evolutionary transitions including eukaryogenesis, showing that the eukaryotic nuclear and mitochondrial lineages diverged from their closest archaeal (2.67-2.19 Ga) and bacterial (2.58-2.12 Ga) relatives at approximately the same time, with a slightly longer nuclear stem-lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara A Mahendrarajah
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Edmund R R Moody
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, Bristol, UK
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, Bristol, UK
| | - Dominik Schrempf
- Department Biological Physics, Eötvös University, Pázmány P. stny. 1A., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE "Lendulet" Evolutionary Genomics Research Group, Pázmány P. stny. 1A., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Lénárd L Szánthó
- Department Biological Physics, Eötvös University, Pázmány P. stny. 1A., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE "Lendulet" Evolutionary Genomics Research Group, Pázmány P. stny. 1A., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Karolina ut 29, H-1113, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nina Dombrowski
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Adrián A Davín
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Davide Pisani
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, Bristol, UK
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, Bristol, UK
| | - Philip C J Donoghue
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, Bristol, UK
| | - Gergely J Szöllősi
- Department Biological Physics, Eötvös University, Pázmány P. stny. 1A., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE "Lendulet" Evolutionary Genomics Research Group, Pázmány P. stny. 1A., H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
- Model-Based Evolutionary Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Tom A Williams
- Bristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BS8 1TQ, Bristol, UK.
| | - Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, AB Den Burg, The Netherlands.
- Department of Evolutionary & Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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48
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Zheng J, Mallon J, Lammers A, Rados T, Litschel T, Moody ERR, Ramirez-Diaz DA, Schmid A, Williams TA, Bisson-Filho AW, Garner E. Salactin, a dynamically unstable actin homolog in Haloarchaea. mBio 2023; 14:e0227223. [PMID: 37966230 PMCID: PMC10746226 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02272-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Protein filaments play important roles in many biological processes. We discovered an actin homolog in halophilic archaea, which we call Salactin. Just like the filaments that segregate DNA in eukaryotes, Salactin grows out of the cell poles towards the middle, and then quickly depolymerizes, a behavior known as dynamic instability. Furthermore, we see that Salactin affects the distribution of DNA in daughter cells when cells are grown in low-phosphate media, suggesting Salactin filaments might be involved in segregating DNA when the cell has only a few copies of the chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Zheng
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John Mallon
- Department of Biology, Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alex Lammers
- Physiology Course, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Theopi Rados
- Department of Biology, Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Thomas Litschel
- Physiology Course, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Edmund R. R. Moody
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Diego A. Ramirez-Diaz
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amy Schmid
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Center for Genomics and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tom A. Williams
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandre W. Bisson-Filho
- Department of Biology, Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ethan Garner
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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49
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Siebieszuk A, Sejbuk M, Witkowska AM. Studying the Human Microbiota: Advances in Understanding the Fundamentals, Origin, and Evolution of Biological Timekeeping. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16169. [PMID: 38003359 PMCID: PMC10671191 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The recently observed circadian oscillations of the intestinal microbiota underscore the profound nature of the human-microbiome relationship and its importance for health. Together with the discovery of circadian clocks in non-photosynthetic gut bacteria and circadian rhythms in anucleated cells, these findings have indicated the possibility that virtually all microorganisms may possess functional biological clocks. However, they have also raised many essential questions concerning the fundamentals of biological timekeeping, its evolution, and its origin. This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent literature in molecular chronobiology, aiming to bring together the latest evidence on the structure and mechanisms driving microbial biological clocks while pointing to potential applications of this knowledge in medicine. Moreover, it discusses the latest hypotheses regarding the evolution of timing mechanisms and describes the functions of peroxiredoxins in cells and their contribution to the cellular clockwork. The diversity of biological clocks among various human-associated microorganisms and the role of transcriptional and post-translational timekeeping mechanisms are also addressed. Finally, recent evidence on metabolic oscillators and host-microbiome communication is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Siebieszuk
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Mickiewicza 2C, 15-222 Białystok, Poland;
| | - Monika Sejbuk
- Department of Food Biotechnology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Bialystok, Szpitalna 37, 15-295 Białystok, Poland;
| | - Anna Maria Witkowska
- Department of Food Biotechnology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Bialystok, Szpitalna 37, 15-295 Białystok, Poland;
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50
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Nieto-Panqueva F, Rubalcava-Gracia D, Hamel PP, González-Halphen D. The constraints of allotopic expression. Mitochondrion 2023; 73:30-50. [PMID: 37739243 DOI: 10.1016/j.mito.2023.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Allotopic expression is the functional transfer of an organellar gene to the nucleus, followed by synthesis of the gene product in the cytosol and import into the appropriate organellar sub compartment. Here, we focus on mitochondrial genes encoding OXPHOS subunits that were naturally transferred to the nucleus, and critically review experimental evidence that claim their allotopic expression. We emphasize aspects that may have been overlooked before, i.e., when modifying a mitochondrial gene for allotopic expression━besides adapting the codon usage and including sequences encoding mitochondrial targeting signals━three additional constraints should be considered: (i) the average apparent free energy of membrane insertion (μΔGapp) of the transmembrane stretches (TMS) in proteins earmarked for the inner mitochondrial membrane, (ii) the final, functional topology attained by each membrane-bound OXPHOS subunit; and (iii) the defined mechanism by which the protein translocator TIM23 sorts cytosol-synthesized precursors. The mechanistic constraints imposed by TIM23 dictate the operation of two pathways through which alpha-helices in TMS are sorted, that eventually determine the final topology of membrane proteins. We used the biological hydrophobicity scale to assign an average apparent free energy of membrane insertion (μΔGapp) and a "traffic light" color code to all TMS of OXPHOS membrane proteins, thereby predicting which are more likely to be internalized into mitochondria if allotopically produced. We propose that the design of proteins for allotopic expression must make allowance for μΔGapp maximization of highly hydrophobic TMS in polypeptides whose corresponding genes have not been transferred to the nucleus in some organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Nieto-Panqueva
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Diana Rubalcava-Gracia
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico; Division of Molecular Metabolism, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrice P Hamel
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Department of Biological Chemistry and Pharmacology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), School of BioScience and Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Diego González-Halphen
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
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