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Hubert A, Tabuteau H, Farasin J, Loncar A, Dufresne A, Méheust Y, Le Borgne T. Fluid flow drives phenotypic heterogeneity in bacterial growth and adhesion on surfaces. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6161. [PMID: 39039040 PMCID: PMC11263347 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49997-1] [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: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacteria often thrive in surface-attached communities, where they can form biofilms affording them multiple advantages. In this sessile form, fluid flow is a key component of their environments, renewing nutrients and transporting metabolic products and signaling molecules. It also controls colonization patterns and growth rates on surfaces, through bacteria transport, attachment and detachment. However, the current understanding of bacterial growth on surfaces neglects the possibility that bacteria may modulate their division behavior as a response to flow. Here, we employed single-cell imaging in microfluidic experiments to demonstrate that attached Escherichia coli cells can enter a growth arrest state while simultaneously enhancing their adhesion underflow. Despite utilizing clonal populations, we observed a non-uniform response characterized by bistable dynamics, with co-existing subpopulations of non-dividing and actively dividing bacteria. As the proportion of non-dividing bacteria increased with the applied flow rate, it resulted in a reduction in the average growth rate of bacterial populations on flow-exposed surfaces. Dividing bacteria exhibited asymmetric attachment, whereas non-dividing counterparts adhered to the surface via both cell poles. Hence, this phenotypic diversity allows bacterial colonies to combine enhanced attachment with sustained growth, although at a reduced rate, which may be a significant advantage in fluctuating flow conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Hubert
- Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118 University of Rennes and CNRS, Rennes, France
| | - Hervé Tabuteau
- Institut de Physique de Rennes, UMR 6251 University of Rennes and CNRS, Rennes, France.
| | - Julien Farasin
- Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118 University of Rennes and CNRS, Rennes, France
| | - Aleksandar Loncar
- Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118 University of Rennes and CNRS, Rennes, France
| | - Alexis Dufresne
- ECOBIO, UMR 6553 University of Rennes and CNRS, Rennes, France
| | - Yves Méheust
- Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118 University of Rennes and CNRS, Rennes, France
| | - Tanguy Le Borgne
- Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118 University of Rennes and CNRS, Rennes, France.
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2
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Browne CA, Datta SS. Harnessing elastic instabilities for enhanced mixing and reaction kinetics in porous media. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320962121. [PMID: 38980904 PMCID: PMC11260153 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320962121] [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: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Turbulent flows have been used for millennia to mix solutes; a familiar example is stirring cream into coffee. However, many energy, environmental, and industrial processes rely on the mixing of solutes in porous media where confinement suppresses inertial turbulence. As a result, mixing is drastically hindered, requiring fluid to permeate long distances for appreciable mixing and introducing additional steps to drive mixing that can be expensive and environmentally harmful. Here, we demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome just by adding dilute amounts of flexible polymers to the fluid. Flow-driven stretching of the polymers generates an elastic instability, driving turbulent-like chaotic flow fluctuations, despite the pore-scale confinement that prohibits typical inertial turbulence. Using in situ imaging, we show that these fluctuations stretch and fold the fluid within the pores along thin layers ("lamellae") characterized by sharp solute concentration gradients, driving mixing by diffusion in the pores. This process results in a [Formula: see text] reduction in the required mixing length, a [Formula: see text] increase in solute transverse dispersivity, and can be harnessed to increase the rate at which chemical compounds react by [Formula: see text]-enhancements that we rationalize using turbulence-inspired modeling of the underlying transport processes. Our work thereby establishes a simple, robust, versatile, and predictive way to mix solutes in porous media, with potential applications ranging from large-scale chemical production to environmental remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A. Browne
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
| | - Sujit S. Datta
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ08544
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3
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Chen L, Qin X, Wang G, Teng M, Zheng Y, Yang F, Du H, Wang L, Xu Y. Oxygen influences spatial heterogeneity and microbial succession dynamics during Baijiu stacking process. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 403:130854. [PMID: 38761866 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
The spontaneous solid-state stacking process (SSSP) of Baijiu is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective process for enriching and assembling environmental microorganisms to guarantee the subsequent fermentation efficiency. In this study, how SSSP create spatial heterogeneity of stacking piles were found through spatiotemporal sampling. The degree of difficulty in oxygen exchange categorizes the stacking pile into depleted (≤4%), transitional (4 %-17 %), and enriched (≥17 %) oxygen-defined layers. This results in variation in succession rates (Vdepleted > Vtransitional > Venriched), which accelerates spatial heterogeneity during SSSP. As a dominant species (65 %-99 %) in depleted and transitional layers, Acetilactobacillus jinshanensis can rapidly reduce oxygen disturbance by upregulating poxL and catE, that sustains spatial heterogeneity. The findings demonstrated the value of oxygen control in shaping spatial heterogeneity during SSSP processes, which can create specific functional microbiome. Adding spatial heterogeneity management will help achieve more precise control of such solid-state fermentation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangqiang Chen
- Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China; Moutai Institute, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China; Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploration in Fermentation industry, Kweichow Moutai Group, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China
| | - Xing Qin
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploration in Fermentation industry, Kweichow Moutai Group, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China
| | - Guozheng Wang
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploration in Fermentation industry, Kweichow Moutai Group, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China
| | - Mengjing Teng
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploration in Fermentation industry, Kweichow Moutai Group, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China
| | - Yuxi Zheng
- Moutai Institute, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China; Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploration in Fermentation industry, Kweichow Moutai Group, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploration in Fermentation industry, Kweichow Moutai Group, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China
| | - Hai Du
- Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China
| | - Li Wang
- Guizhou Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploration in Fermentation industry, Kweichow Moutai Group, Renhuai 564500, Guizhou, China.
| | - Yan Xu
- Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Avenue, Wuxi 214122, Jiangsu, China.
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4
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Guo L, Qu C, Zhou Y, Chen Y, Cai P, Chen W, Chen C, Huang Q. Trade-off between Pore-Throat Structure and Mineral Composition in Modulating the Stability of Soil Organic Carbon. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:10084-10094. [PMID: 38816987 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
The preservation of soil organic carbon (OC) is an effective way to decelerate the emission of CO2 emission. However, the coregulation of pore structure and mineral composition in OC stabilization remains elusive. We employed the in situ nondestructive oxidation of OC by low-temperature ashing (LTA) combined with near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), high-resolution microtomography (μ-CT), field emission electron probe microanalysis (FE-EPMA) with C-free embedding, and novel Cosine similarity measurement to investigate the C retention in different aggregate fractions of contrasting soils. Pore structure and minerals contributed equally (ca. 50%) to OC accumulation in macroaggregates, while chemical protection played a leading role in C retention with 53.4%-59.2% of residual C associated with minerals in microaggregates. Phyllosilicates were discovered to be more prominent than Fe (hydr)oxides in C stabilization. The proportion of phyllosilicates-associated C (52.0%-61.9%) was higher than that bound with Fe (hydr)oxides (45.6%-55.3%) in all aggregate fractions tested. This study disentangled quantitatively for the first time a trade-off between physical and chemical protection of OC varying with aggregate size and the different contributions of minerals to OC preservation. Incorporating pore structure and mineral composition into C modeling would optimize the C models and improve the soil C content prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingke Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Chenchen Qu
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yuexi Chen
- Department of Computer Science, Dixie State University, St. George, Utah 84770, United States
| | - Peng Cai
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wenli Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Chengrong Chen
- Australian Rivers Institute and School of Environment and Sciences, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Qiaoyun Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Health and Green Remediation, Wuhan 430070, China
- China-Australia Research Laboratory on Environmental Biogeochemistry, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
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5
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Tang L, Yan J, Zhou X, Wang J, Gao Y, Mosa A, Czech B, Oleszczuk P, Ling W. Dissolved organic matter influences the indigenous bacterial community and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons biodegradation in soils. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 924:171662. [PMID: 38485009 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
In polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated soils, bioremediation is superior to other strategies owing to its low cost and environmental friendliness. However, dissolved organic matter (DOM) and indigenous bacterial communities can affect the efficiency of PAH-degrading bacteria (PDB). This study found that exogenous PDB (C1) including the genera Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, and Comamonas, decreased the bacterial diversity of Alfisol, Ultisol, Inceptisol, and Mollisol, and DOM enhanced the diffusion of PDB and the bioavailability of PAH. In addition, bacteria preferred to ingest low molecular weight DOM fractions, and the abundances of lipid-like and protein-like substances decreased by 0.12-3.03 % and 1.73-4.60 %. The DOM fractions had a more marked influence on the indigenous bacteria than the exogenous PDB, and PDB dominated the PAH biodegradation process in the soils. More COO functional groups promoted the utilization of higher molecular weight-related homologue fractions by bacteria, and lower molecular weight fractions carrying more CH2 functional groups declined during biodegradation. This study investigated the variations in bacterial communities during biodegradation and revealed the effects of DOM fractions on biodegradation in PAH-contaminated soils at the molecular level. These results will promote the development of bioremediation strategies for organics-contaminated soil and provide guidance for prediction models of soil biodegradation kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Tang
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jiayi Yan
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Xian Zhou
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Yanzheng Gao
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
| | - Ahmed Mosa
- Soils Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Bozena Czech
- Department of Radiochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
| | - Patryk Oleszczuk
- Department of Radiochemistry and Environmental Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland
| | - Wanting Ling
- Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
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6
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Salek MM, Carrara F, Zhou J, Stocker R, Jimenez‐Martinez J. Multiscale Porosity Microfluidics to Study Bacterial Transport in Heterogeneous Chemical Landscapes. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2310121. [PMID: 38445967 PMCID: PMC11132056 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202310121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Microfluidic models are proving to be powerful systems to study fundamental processes in porous media, due to their ability to replicate topologically complex environments while allowing detailed, quantitative observations at the pore scale. Yet, while porous media such as living tissues, geological substrates, or industrial systems typically display a porosity that spans multiple scales, most microfluidic models to date are limited to a single porosity or a small range of pore sizes. Here, a novel microfluidic system with multiscale porosity is presented. By embedding polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel structures through in-situ photopolymerization in a landscape of microfabricated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) pillars with varying spacing, micromodels with porosity spanning several orders of magnitude, from nanometers to millimeters are created. Experiments conducted at different porosity patterns demonstrate the potential of this approach to characterize fundamental and ubiquitous biological and geochemical transport processes in porous media. Accounting for multiscale porosity allows studies of the resulting heterogeneous fluid flow and concentration fields of transported chemicals, as well as the biological behaviors associated with this heterogeneity, such as bacterial chemotaxis. This approach brings laboratory studies of transport in porous media a step closer to their natural counterparts in the environment, industry, and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Mehdi Salek
- Department of Biological Engineering, School of EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
- Department of CivilEnvironmental and Geomatic EngineeringInstitute of Environmental EngineeringETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Francesco Carrara
- Department of CivilEnvironmental and Geomatic EngineeringInstitute of Environmental EngineeringETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jiande Zhou
- Department of CivilEnvironmental and Geomatic EngineeringInstitute of Environmental EngineeringETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Microsystems LaboratoryInstitute of MicroengineeringSchool of EngineeringEPFLLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Roman Stocker
- Department of CivilEnvironmental and Geomatic EngineeringInstitute of Environmental EngineeringETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Joaquin Jimenez‐Martinez
- Department of CivilEnvironmental and Geomatic EngineeringInstitute of Environmental EngineeringETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Water Resources and Drinking WaterEawagDubendorfSwitzerland
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7
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Li Z, Kravchenko AN, Cupples A, Guber AK, Kuzyakov Y, Philip Robertson G, Blagodatskaya E. Composition and metabolism of microbial communities in soil pores. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3578. [PMID: 38678028 PMCID: PMC11055953 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47755-x] [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: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Delineation of microbial habitats within the soil matrix and characterization of their environments and metabolic processes are crucial to understand soil functioning, yet their experimental identification remains persistently limited. We combined single- and triple-energy X-ray computed microtomography with pore specific allocation of 13C labeled glucose and subsequent stable isotope probing to demonstrate how long-term disparities in vegetation history modify spatial distribution patterns of soil pore and particulate organic matter drivers of microbial habitats, and to probe bacterial communities populating such habitats. Here we show striking differences between large (30-150 µm Ø) and small (4-10 µm Ø) soil pores in (i) microbial diversity, composition, and life-strategies, (ii) responses to added substrate, (iii) metabolic pathways, and (iv) the processing and fate of labile C. We propose a microbial habitat classification concept based on biogeochemical mechanisms and localization of soil processes and also suggests interventions to mitigate the environmental consequences of agricultural management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Li
- Department to Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Alexandra N Kravchenko
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
| | - Alison Cupples
- Department to Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Andrey K Guber
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Yakov Kuzyakov
- Department of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Department of Agricultural Soil Science, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - G Philip Robertson
- DOE Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
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8
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Shen R, Borer B, Ciccarese D, Salek MM, Babbin AR. Microscale advection governs microbial growth and oxygen consumption in macroporous aggregates. mSphere 2024; 9:e0018524. [PMID: 38530018 PMCID: PMC11036798 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00185-24] [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: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Most microbial life on Earth is found in localized microenvironments that collectively exert a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem health and influencing global biogeochemical cycles. In many habitats such as biofilms in aquatic systems, bacterial flocs in activated sludge, periphyton mats, or particles sinking in the ocean, these microenvironments experience sporadic or continuous flow. Depending on their microscale structure, pores and channels through the microenvironments permit localized flow that shifts the relative importance of diffusive and advective mass transport. How this flow alters nutrient supply, facilitates waste removal, drives the emergence of different microbial niches, and impacts the overall function of the microenvironments remains unclear. Here, we quantify how pores through microenvironments that permit flow can elevate nutrient supply to the resident bacterial community using a microfluidic experimental system and gain further insights from coupled population-based and computational fluid dynamics simulations. We find that the microscale structure determines the relative contribution of advection vs diffusion, and even a modest flow through a pore in the range of 10 µm s-1 can increase the carrying capacity of a microenvironment by 10%. Recognizing the fundamental role that microbial hotspots play in the Earth system, developing frameworks that predict how their heterogeneous morphology and potential interstitial flows change microbial function and collectively alter global scale fluxes is critical.IMPORTANCEMicrobial life is a key driver of global biogeochemical cycles. Similar to the distribution of humans on Earth, they are often not homogeneously distributed in nature but occur in dense clusters that resemble microbial cities. Within and around these clusters, diffusion is often assumed as the sole mass-transfer process that dictates nutrient supply and waste removal. In many natural and engineered systems such as biofilms in aquatic environments, aggregates in bioremediation, or flocs in wastewater treatment plants, these clusters are exposed to flow that elevates mass transfer, a process that is often overlooked. In this study, we show that advective fluxes can increase the local growth of bacteria in a single microenvironment by up to 50% and shape their metabolism by disrupting localized anoxia or supplying nutrients at different rates. Collectively, advection-enhanced mass transport may thus regulate important biogeochemical transformations in both natural and engineered environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Shen
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Benedict Borer
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Davide Ciccarese
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - M. Mehdi Salek
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew R. Babbin
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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9
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Walls AW, Rosenthal AZ. Bacterial phenotypic heterogeneity through the lens of single-cell RNA sequencing. Transcription 2024; 15:48-62. [PMID: 38532542 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2024.2334110] [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: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial transcription is not monolithic. Microbes exist in a wide variety of cell states that help them adapt to their environment, acquire and produce essential nutrients, and engage in both competition and cooperation with their neighbors. While we typically think of bacterial adaptation as a group behavior, where all cells respond in unison, there is often a mixture of phenotypic responses within a bacterial population, where distinct cell types arise. A primary phenomenon driving these distinct cell states is transcriptional heterogeneity. Given that bacterial mRNA transcripts are extremely short-lived compared to eukaryotes, their transcriptional state is closely associated with their physiology, and thus the transcriptome of a bacterial cell acts as a snapshot of the behavior of that bacterium. Therefore, the application of single-cell transcriptomics to microbial populations will provide novel insight into cellular differentiation and bacterial ecology. In this review, we provide an overview of transcriptional heterogeneity in microbial systems, discuss the findings already provided by single-cell approaches, and plot new avenues of inquiry in transcriptional regulation, cellular biology, and mechanisms of heterogeneity that are made possible when microbial communities are analyzed at single-cell resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex W Walls
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Adam Z Rosenthal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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10
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Jin Y, Yuan Y, Liu Z, Gai S, Cheng K, Yang F. Effect of humic substances on nitrogen cycling in soil-plant ecosystems: Advances, issues, and future perspectives. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 351:119738. [PMID: 38061102 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) cycle is one of the most significant biogeochemical cycles driven by soil microorganisms on the earth. Exogenous humic substances (HS), which include composted-HS and artificial-HS, as a new soil additive, can improve the water retention capacity, cation exchange capacity and soil nutrient utilization, compensating for the decrease of soil HS content caused by soil overutilization. This paper systematically reviewed the contribution of three different sources of HS in the soil-plant system and explained the mechanisms of N transformation through physiological and biochemical pathways. HS convert the living space and living environment of microorganisms by changing the structure and condition of soil. Generally, HS can fix atmospheric and soil N through biotic and abiotic mechanisms, which improved the availability of N. Besides, HS transform the root structure of plants through physiological and biochemical pathways to promote the absorption of inorganic N by plants. The redox properties of HS participate in soil N transformation by altering the electron gain and loss of microorganisms. Moreover, to alleviate the energy crisis and environmental problems caused by N pollution, we also illustrated the mechanisms reducing soil N2O emissions by HS and the application prospects of artificial-HS. Eventually, a combination of indoor simulation and field test, molecular biology and stable isotope techniques are needed to systematically analyze the potential mechanisms of soil N transformation, representing an important step forward for understanding the relevance between remediation of environmental pollution and improvement of the N utilization in soil-plant system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongxu Jin
- School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China; International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Health in Cold Region Black Soil Habitat of the Ministry of Education, China
| | - Yue Yuan
- School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China; International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Health in Cold Region Black Soil Habitat of the Ministry of Education, China
| | - Zhuqing Liu
- School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China; International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Health in Cold Region Black Soil Habitat of the Ministry of Education, China
| | - Shuang Gai
- School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China; International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Health in Cold Region Black Soil Habitat of the Ministry of Education, China
| | - Kui Cheng
- International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Health in Cold Region Black Soil Habitat of the Ministry of Education, China; College of Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China.
| | - Fan Yang
- School of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China; International Cooperation Joint Laboratory of Health in Cold Region Black Soil Habitat of the Ministry of Education, China.
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11
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Candry P, Godfrey BJ, Winkler MKH. Microbe-cellulose hydrogels as a model system for particulate carbon degradation in soil aggregates. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycae068. [PMID: 38800124 PMCID: PMC11126157 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycae068] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Particulate carbon (C) degradation in soils is a critical process in the global C cycle governing greenhouse gas fluxes and C storage. Millimeter-scale soil aggregates impose strong controls on particulate C degradation by inducing chemical gradients of e.g. oxygen, as well as limiting microbial mobility in pore structures. To date, experimental models of soil aggregates have incorporated porosity and chemical gradients but not particulate C. Here, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept encapsulating microbial cells and particulate C substrates in hydrogel matrices as a novel experimental model for soil aggregates. Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum was co-encapsulated with cellulose in millimeter-scale polyethyleneglycol-dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) hydrogel beads. Microbial activity was delayed in hydrogel-encapsulated conditions, with cellulose degradation and fermentation activity being observed after 13 days of incubation. Unexpectedly, hydrogel encapsulation shifted product formation of R. cellulolyticum from an ethanol-lactate-acetate mixture to an acetate-dominated product profile. Fluorescence microscopy enabled simultaneous visualization of the PEGDMA matrix, cellulose particles, and individual cells in the matrix, demonstrating growth on cellulose particles during incubation. Together, these microbe-cellulose-PEGDMA hydrogels present a novel, reproducible experimental soil surrogate to connect single cells to process outcomes at the scale of soil aggregates and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter Candry
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, 201 More Hall, Seattle, WA 98195-2700, United States
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 WE, Wageningen, The Netherlands. E-mail:
| | - Bruce J Godfrey
- Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, 201 More Hall, Seattle, WA 98195-2700, United States
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12
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Colombi T, Eitelberg L, Kolb E, Legué V, Bogeat-Triboulot MB. Genotypic differences in systemic root responses to mechanical obstacles. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2023; 175:e14094. [PMID: 38148185 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
As roots grow through the soil to forage for water and nutrients, they encounter mechanical obstacles such as patches of dense soil and stones that locally impede root growth. Here, we investigated hitherto poorly understood systemic responses of roots to localised root impedance. Seedlings of two wheat genotypes were grown in hydroponics and exposed to impenetrable obstacles constraining the vertical growth of the primary or a single seminal root. We deployed high-resolution in vivo imaging to quantify temporal dynamics of root elongation rate, helical root movement, and root growth direction. The two genotypes exhibited distinctly different patterns of systemic responses to localised root impedance, suggesting different strategies to cope with obstacles, namely stress avoidance and stress tolerance. Shallower growth of unconstrained seminal roots and more pronounced helical movement of unconstrained primary and seminal roots upon localised root impedance characterised the avoidance strategy shown by one genotype. Stress tolerance to localised root impedance, as exhibited by the other genotype, was indicated by relatively fast elongation of primary roots and steeper seminal root growth. These different strategies highlight that the effects of mechanical obstacles on spatiotemporal root growth patterns can differ within species, which may have major implications for resource acquisition and whole-plant growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tino Colombi
- Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Leah Eitelberg
- Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Evelyne Kolb
- PMMH, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Valérie Legué
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, PIAF, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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13
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Guex I, Mazza C, Dubey M, Batsch M, Li R, van der Meer JR. Regulated bacterial interaction networks: A mathematical framework to describe competitive growth under inclusion of metabolite cross-feeding. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011402. [PMID: 37603551 PMCID: PMC10470959 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011402] [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: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
When bacterial species with the same resource preferences share the same growth environment, it is commonly believed that direct competition will arise. A large variety of competition and more general 'interaction' models have been formulated, but what is currently lacking are models that link monoculture growth kinetics and community growth under inclusion of emerging biological interactions, such as metabolite cross-feeding. In order to understand and mathematically describe the nature of potential cross-feeding interactions, we design experiments where two bacterial species Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas veronii grow in liquid medium either in mono- or as co-culture in a resource-limited environment. We measure population growth under single substrate competition or with double species-specific substrates (substrate 'indifference'), and starting from varying cell ratios of either species. Using experimental data as input, we first consider a mean-field model of resource-based competition, which captures well the empirically observed growth rates for monocultures, but fails to correctly predict growth rates in co-culture mixtures, in particular for skewed starting species ratios. Based on this, we extend the model by cross-feeding interactions where the consumption of substrate by one consumer produces metabolites that in turn are resources for the other consumer, thus leading to positive feedback in the species system. Two different cross-feeding options were considered, which either lead to constant metabolite cross-feeding, or to a regulated form, where metabolite utilization is activated with rates according to either a threshold or a Hill function, dependent on metabolite concentration. Both mathematical proof and experimental data indicate regulated cross-feeding to be the preferred model to constant metabolite utilization, with best co-culture growth predictions in case of high Hill coefficients, close to binary (on/off) activation states. This suggests that species use the appearing metabolite concentrations only when they are becoming high enough; possibly as a consequence of their lower energetic content than the primary substrate. Metabolite sharing was particularly relevant at unbalanced starting cell ratios, causing the minority partner to proliferate more than expected from the competitive substrate because of metabolite release from the majority partner. This effect thus likely quells immediate substrate competition and may be important in natural communities with typical very skewed relative taxa abundances and slower-growing taxa. In conclusion, the regulated bacterial interaction network correctly describes species substrate growth reactions in mixtures with few kinetic parameters that can be obtained from monoculture growth experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaline Guex
- Department of Mathematics, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Christian Mazza
- Department of Mathematics, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Manupriyam Dubey
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maxime Batsch
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Renyi Li
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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14
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McRose D, Li J, Newman D. The chemical ecology of coumarins and phenazines affects iron acquisition by pseudomonads. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2217951120. [PMID: 36996105 PMCID: PMC10083548 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217951120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Secondary metabolites are important facilitators of plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere, contributing to communication, competition, and nutrient acquisition. However, at first glance, the rhizosphere seems full of metabolites with overlapping functions, and we have a limited understanding of basic principles governing metabolite use. Increasing access to the essential nutrient iron is one important, but seemingly redundant role performed by both plant and microbial Redox-Active Metabolites (RAMs). We used coumarins, RAMs made by the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and phenazines, RAMs made by soil-dwelling pseudomonads, to ask whether plant and microbial RAMs might each have distinct functions under different environmental conditions. We show that variations in oxygen and pH lead to predictable differences in the capacity of coumarins vs phenazines to increase the growth of iron-limited pseudomonads and that these effects depend on whether pseudomonads are grown on glucose, succinate, or pyruvate: carbon sources commonly found in root exudates. Our results are explained by the chemical reactivities of these metabolites and the redox state of phenazines as altered by microbial metabolism. This work shows that variations in the chemical microenvironment can profoundly affect secondary metabolite function and suggests plants may tune the utility of microbial secondary metabolites by altering the carbon released in root exudates. Together, these findings suggest that RAM diversity may be less overwhelming when viewed through a chemical ecological lens: Distinct molecules can be expected to be more or less important to certain ecosystem functions, such as iron acquisition, depending on the local chemical microenvironments in which they reside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy L. McRose
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Jinyang Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Dianne K. Newman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
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15
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Qin Y, Wang S, Wang X, Liu C, Zhu G. Contribution of Ammonium-Induced Nitrifier Denitrification to N 2O in Paddy Fields. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:2970-2980. [PMID: 36719089 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Paddy fields are one of the most important sources of nitrous oxide (N2O), but biogeochemical N2O production mechanisms in the soil profile remain unclear. Our study used incubation, dual-isotope (15N-18O) labeling methods, and molecular techniques to elucidate N2O production characteristics and mechanisms in the soil profile (0-60 cm) during summer fallow, rice cropping, and winter fallow periods. The results pointed out that biotic processes dominated N2O production (72.2-100%) and N2O from the tillage layer accounted for 91.0-98.5% of total N2O in the soil profile. Heterotrophic denitrification (HD) was the main process generating N2O, contributing between 53.4 and 96.6%, the remainder being due to ammonia oxidation pathways, which was further confirmed by metagenomics and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays. Nitrifier denitrification (ND) was an important N2O production source, contributing 0-46.6% of total N2O production, which showed similar trends with N2O emissions. Among physicochemical and biological factors, ammonium content and the ratio of total organic matter to nitrate were the main driving factors affecting the contribution ratios of the ammonia oxidation pathways and HD pathway, respectively. Moisture content and pH affect norC-carrying Spirochetes and thus the N2O production rate. These findings confirm the importance of ND to N2O production and help to elucidate the impact of anthropogenic activities, including tillage, fertilization, and irrigation, on N2O production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Qin
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shanyun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Xiaomin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Chunlei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Guibing Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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16
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Fitness-Conditional Genes for Soil Adaptation in the Bioaugmentation Agent Pseudomonas veronii 1YdBTEX2. mSystems 2023; 8:e0117422. [PMID: 36786610 PMCID: PMC10134887 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01174-22] [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: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Strain inoculation (bioaugmentation) is a potentially useful technology to provide microbiomes with new functionalities. However, there is limited understanding of the genetic factors contributing to successful establishment of inoculants. This work aimed to characterize the genes implicated in proliferation of the monoaromatic compound-degrading Pseudomonas veronii 1YdBTEX2 in nonsterile polluted soils. We generated two independent mutant libraries by random minitransposon-delivered marker insertion followed by deep sequencing (Tn-seq) with a total of 5.0 × 105 unique insertions. Libraries were grown in multiple successive cycles for up to 50 generations either in batch liquid medium or in two types of soil microcosms with different resident microbial content (sand or silt) in the presence of toluene. Analysis of gene insertion abundances at different time points (passed generations of metapopulation growth), in comparison to proportions at start and to in silico generated randomized insertion distributions, allowed to define ~800 essential genes common to both libraries and ~2,700 genes with conditional fitness effects in either liquid or soil (195 of which resulted in fitness gain). Conditional fitness genes largely overlapped among all growth conditions but affected approximately twice as many functions in liquid than in soil. This indicates soil to be a more promiscuous environment for mutant growth, probably because of additional nutrient availability. Commonly depleted genes covered a wide range of biological functions and metabolic pathways, such as inorganic ion transport, fatty acid metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, or nucleotide and cofactor metabolism. Only sparse gene sets were uncovered whose insertion caused fitness decrease exclusive for soils, which were different between silt and sand. Despite detectable higher resident bacteria and potential protist predatory counts in silt, we were, therefore, unable to detect any immediately obvious candidate genes affecting P. veronii biological competitiveness. In contrast to liquid growth conditions, mutants inactivating flagella biosynthesis and motility consistently gained strong fitness advantage in soils and displayed higher growth rates than wild type. In conclusion, although many gene functions were found to be important for growth in soils, most of these are not specific as they affect growth in liquid minimal medium more in general. This indicates that P. veronii does not need major metabolic reprogramming for proliferation in soil with accessible carbon and generally favorable growth conditions. IMPORTANCE Restoring damaged microbiomes is still a formidable challenge. Classical widely adopted approaches consist of augmenting communities with pure or mixed cultures in the hope that these display their intended selected properties under in situ conditions. Ecological theory, however, dictates that introduction of a nonresident microbe is unlikely to lead to its successful proliferation in a foreign system such as a soil microbiome. In an effort to study this systematically, we used random transposon insertion scanning to identify genes and possibly, metabolic subsystems, that are crucial for growth and survival of a bacterial inoculant (Pseudomonas veronii) for targeted degradation of monoaromatic compounds in contaminated nonsterile soils. Our results indicate that although many gene functions are important for proliferation in soil, they are general factors for growth and not exclusive for soil. In other words, P. veronii is a generalist that is not a priori hindered by the soil for its proliferation and would make a good bioaugmentation candidate.
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17
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Mahilkar A, Nagendra P, Alugoju P, E R, Saini S. Public good-driven release of heterogeneous resources leads to genotypic diversification of an isogenic yeast population. Evolution 2022; 76:2811-2828. [PMID: 36181481 PMCID: PMC7614384 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14646] [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: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the basis of biological diversity remains a central problem in evolutionary biology. Using microbial systems, adaptive diversification has been studied in (a) spatially heterogeneous environments, (b) temporally segregated resources, and (c) resource specialization in a homogeneous environment. However, it is not well understood how adaptive diversification can take place in a homogeneous environment containing a single resource. Starting from an isogenic population of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we report rapid adaptive diversification, when propagated in an environment containing melibiose as the carbon source. The diversification is driven due to a public good enzyme α-galactosidase, which hydrolyzes melibiose into glucose and galactose. The diversification is driven by mutations at a single locus, in the GAL3 gene in the S. cerevisiae GAL/MEL regulon. We show that metabolic co-operation involving public resources could be an important mode of generating biological diversity. Our study demonstrates sympatric diversification of yeast starting from an isogenic population and provides detailed mechanistic insights into the factors and conditions responsible for generating and maintaining the population diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Mahilkar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Prachitha Nagendra
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Phaniendra Alugoju
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Rajeshkannan E
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
| | - Supreet Saini
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India
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18
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Richardson TO, Stroeymeyt N, Crespi A, Keller L. Two simple movement mechanisms for spatial division of labour in social insects. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6985. [PMID: 36379933 PMCID: PMC9666475 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34706-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animal species divide space into a patchwork of home ranges, yet there is little consensus on the mechanisms individuals use to maintain fidelity to particular locations. Theory suggests that animal movement could be based upon simple behavioural rules that use local information such as olfactory deposits, or global strategies, such as long-range biases toward landmarks. However, empirical studies have rarely attempted to distinguish between these mechanisms. Here, we perform individual tracking experiments on four species of social insects, and find that colonies consist of different groups of workers that inhabit separate but partially-overlapping spatial zones. Our trajectory analysis and simulations suggest that worker movement is consistent with two local mechanisms: one in which workers increase movement diffusivity outside their primary zone, and another in which workers modulate turning behaviour when approaching zone boundaries. Parallels with other organisms suggest that local mechanisms might represent a universal method for spatial partitioning in animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas O. Richardson
- grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland ,grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Nathalie Stroeymeyt
- grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland ,grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Alessandro Crespi
- grid.5333.60000000121839049Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob), Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Keller
- grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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19
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Dhekane R, Mhade S, Kaushik KS. Adding a new dimension: Multi-level structure and organization of mixed-species Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus biofilms in a 4-D wound microenvironment. Biofilm 2022; 4:100087. [PMID: 36324526 PMCID: PMC9618786 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2022.100087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Biofilms in wounds typically consist of aggregates of bacteria, most often Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, in close association with each other and the host microenvironment. Given this, the interplay across host and microbial elements, including the biochemical and nutrient profile of the microenvironment, likely influences the structure and organization of wound biofilms. While clinical studies, in vivo and ex vivo model systems have provided insights into the distribution of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in wounds, they are limited in their ability to provide a detailed characterization of biofilm structure and organization across the host-microbial interface. On the other hand, biomimetic in vitro systems, such as host cell surfaces and simulant media conditions, albeit reductionist, have been shown to support the co-existence of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus biofilms, with species-dependent localization patterns and interspecies interactions. Therefore, composite in vitro models that bring together key features of the wound microenvironment could provide unprecedented insights into the structure and organization of mixed-species biofilms. We have built a four-dimensional (4-D) wound microenvironment consisting of a 3-D host cell scaffold of co-cultured human epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts, and an in vitro wound milieu (IVWM); the IVWM provides the fourth dimension that represents the biochemical and nutrient profile of the wound infection state. We leveraged this 4-D wound microenvironment, in comparison with biofilms in IVWM alone and standard laboratory media, to probe the structure of mixed-species P. aeruginosa and S. aureus biofilms across multiple levels of organization such as aggregate dimensions and biomass thickness, species co-localization and spatial organization within the biomass, overall biomass composition and interspecies interactions. In doing so, the 4-D wound microenvironment platform provides multi-level insights into the structure of mixed-species biofilms, which we incorporate into the current understanding of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus organization in the wound bed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radhika Dhekane
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
| | - Shreeya Mhade
- Department of Bioinformatics, Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science and Commerce (Autonomous), Mumbai, India
| | - Karishma S. Kaushik
- Department of Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India,Corresponding author.
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20
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Ordek A, Gordesli-Duatepe FP. Impact of sodium nitroprusside concentration added to batch cultures of Escherichia coli biofilms on the c-di-GMP levels, morphologies and adhesion of biofilm-dispersed cells. BIOFOULING 2022; 38:796-813. [PMID: 36229918 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2022.2131399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Biofilm dispersion can be triggered by the application of dispersing agents such as nitric oxide (NO)-donors, resulting in the release of biofilm-dispersed cells into the environment. In this work, biofilm-dispersed cells were obtained by adding different concentrations of NO-donor sodium nitroprusside (0.5, 5, 50 µM, and 2.5 mM of SNP) to batch cultures of pre-formed Escherichia coli biofilms. Except for those dispersed by 5 µM of SNP, biofilm-dispersed cells were found to be wider and longer than the planktonic cells and to have higher c-di-GMP levels and greater adhesion forces to silicon nitride surfaces in water as measured by atomic force microscope. Consequently, the optimum concentration of SNP to disperse E. coli biofilms was found to be 5 µM of SNP, whose addition to batch cultures resulted in a significant biofilm dispersion and the dispersed cells having c-di-GMP levels, morphologies and adhesion strengths similar to their planktonic counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayse Ordek
- Bioengineering Graduate Program, Graduate School, Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey
| | - F Pinar Gordesli-Duatepe
- Department of Genetics and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Izmir University of Economics, Izmir, Turkey
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21
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Sardelli L, Vangosa FB, Merli M, Ziccarelli A, Visentin S, Visai L, Petrini P. Bioinspired in vitro intestinal mucus model for 3D-dynamic culture of bacteria. BIOMATERIALS ADVANCES 2022; 139:213022. [PMID: 35891596 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.213022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The intestinal mucus is a biological barrier that supports the intestinal microbiota growth and filters molecules. To perform these functions, mucus possesses optimized microstructure and viscoelastic properties and it is steadily replenished thus flowing along the gut. The available in vitro intestinal mucus models are useful tools in investigating the microbiota-human cells interaction, and are used as matrices for bacterial culture or as static component of microfluidic devices like gut-on-chips. The aim of this work is to engineer an in vitro mucus models (I-Bac3Gel) addressing in a single system physiological viscoelastic properties (i.e., 2-200 Pa), 3D structure and suitability for dynamic bacterial culture. Homogeneously crosslinked alginate hydrogels are optimized in composition to obtain target viscoelastic and microstructural properties. Then, rheological tests are exploited to assess a priori the hydrogels capability to withstand the flow dynamic condition. We experimentally assess the suitability of I-Bac3Gels in the evolving field of microfluidics by applying a dynamic flow to a bacterial-loaded mucus model and by monitoring E. coli growth and survival. The engineered models represent a step forward in the modelling of the mucus, since they can answer to different urgent needs such as a 3D structure, bioinspired properties and compatibility with dynamic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Sardelli
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Francesco Briatico Vangosa
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Merli
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Ziccarelli
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sonja Visentin
- Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences Department, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Livia Visai
- Molecular Medicine Department (DMM), Center for Health Technologies (CHT), UdR INSTM, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; Department of Occupational Medicine, Toxicology and Environmental Risks, Istituti Clinici Scientifici (ICS) Maugeri, IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paola Petrini
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
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22
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Abstract
Soil matrix properties influence microbial behaviors that underlie nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas production, and soil formation. However, the dynamic and heterogeneous nature of soils makes it challenging to untangle the effects of different matrix properties on microbial behaviors. To address this challenge, we developed a tunable artificial soil recipe and used these materials to study the abiotic mechanisms driving soil microbial growth and communication. When we used standardized matrices with varying textures to culture gas-reporting biosensors, we found that a Gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli) grew best in synthetic silt soils, remaining active over a wide range of soil matric potentials, while a Gram-positive bacterium (Bacillus subtilis) preferred sandy soils, sporulating at low water potentials. Soil texture, mineralogy, and alkalinity all attenuated the bioavailability of an acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signaling molecule that controls community-level microbial behaviors. Texture controlled the timing of AHL sensing, while AHL bioavailability was decreased ~105-fold by mineralogy and ~103-fold by alkalinity. Finally, we built artificial soils with a range of complexities that converge on the properties of one Mollisol. As artificial soil complexity increased to more closely resemble the Mollisol, microbial behaviors approached those occurring in the natural soil, with the notable exception of organic matter. IMPORTANCE Understanding environmental controls on soil microbes is difficult because many abiotic parameters vary simultaneously and uncontrollably when different natural soils are compared, preventing mechanistic determination of any individual soil parameter's effect on microbial behaviors. We describe how soil texture, mineralogy, pH, and organic matter content can be varied individually within artificial soils to study their effects on soil microbes. Using microbial biosensors that report by producing a rare indicator gas, we identify soil properties that control microbial growth and attenuate the bioavailability of a diffusible chemical used to control community-level behaviors. We find that artificial soils differentially affect signal bioavailability and the growth of Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) microbes. These artificial soils are useful for studying the mechanisms that underlie soil controls on microbial fitness, signaling, and gene transfer.
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Liu X, Inda ME, Lai Y, Lu TK, Zhao X. Engineered Living Hydrogels. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2022; 34:e2201326. [PMID: 35243704 PMCID: PMC9250645 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202201326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Living biological systems, ranging from single cells to whole organisms, can sense, process information, and actuate in response to changing environmental conditions. Inspired by living biological systems, engineered living cells and nonliving matrices are brought together, which gives rise to the technology of engineered living materials. By designing the functionalities of living cells and the structures of nonliving matrices, engineered living materials can be created to detect variability in the surrounding environment and to adjust their functions accordingly, thereby enabling applications in health monitoring, disease treatment, and environmental remediation. Hydrogels, a class of soft, wet, and biocompatible materials, have been widely used as matrices for engineered living cells, leading to the nascent field of engineered living hydrogels. Here, the interactions between hydrogel matrices and engineered living cells are described, focusing on how hydrogels influence cell behaviors and how cells affect hydrogel properties. The interactions between engineered living hydrogels and their environments, and how these interactions enable versatile applications, are also discussed. Finally, current challenges facing the field of engineered living hydrogels for their applications in clinical and environmental settings are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Maria Eugenia Inda
- Synthetic Biology Group, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Yong Lai
- Synthetic Biology Group, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Timothy K Lu
- Synthetic Biology Group, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Xuanhe Zhao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
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24
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Zhang X, Whalley PA, Gregory AS, Whalley WR, Coleman K, Neal AL, Mooney SJ, Soga K, Illangasekare TH. An overlooked mechanism underlying the attenuated temperature response of soil heterotrophic respiration. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20220276. [PMID: 35855594 PMCID: PMC9297011 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0276] [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] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Biogeochemical reactions occurring in soil pore space underpin gaseous emissions measured at macroscopic scales but are difficult to quantify due to their complexity and heterogeneity. We develop a volumetric-average method to calculate aerobic respiration rates analytically from soil with microscopic soil structure represented explicitly. Soil water content in the model is the result of the volumetric-average of the microscopic processes, and it is nonlinearly coupled with temperature and other factors. Since many biogeochemical reactions are driven by oxygen (O2) which must overcome various resistances before reaching reactive microsites from the atmosphere, the volumetric-average results in negative feedback between temperature and soil respiration, with the magnitude of the feedback increasing with soil water content and substrate quality. Comparisons with various experiments show the model reproduces the variation of carbon dioxide emission from soils under different water content and temperature gradients, indicating that it captures the key microscopic processes underpinning soil respiration. We show that alongside thermal microbial adaptation, substrate heterogeneity and microbial turnover and carbon use efficiency, O2 dissolution and diffusion in water associated with soil pore space is another key explanation for the attenuated temperature response of soil respiration and should be considered in developing soil organic carbon models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxian Zhang
- Sustainable Soils and Crops, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK
| | - Peter A. Whalley
- School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Andrew S. Gregory
- Sustainable Soils and Crops, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK
| | | | - Kevin Coleman
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke EX20 2SB, UK
| | - Andrew L. Neal
- Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke EX20 2SB, UK
| | - Sacha J. Mooney
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Kenichi Soga
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California–Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Tissa H. Illangasekare
- Centre for Experimental Study of Subsurface Environmental Processes, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
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25
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Xiong BJ, Kleinsteuber S, Sträuber H, Dusny C, Harms H, Wick LY. Impact of Fungal Hyphae on Growth and Dispersal of Obligate Anaerobic Bacteria in Aerated Habitats. mBio 2022; 13:e0076922. [PMID: 35638736 PMCID: PMC9239063 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00769-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Anoxic microsites arising in fungal biofilms may foster the presence of obligate anaerobes. Here, we analyzed whether and to which degree hyphae of Coprinopsis cinerea thriving in oxic habitats enable the germination, growth, and dispersal of the obligate anaerobic soil bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum. Time-resolved optical oxygen mapping, microscopy, and metabolite analysis revealed the formation and persistence of anoxic circum hyphal niches, allowing for spore germination, growth, and fermentative activity of the obligate anaerobe in an otherwise inhabitable environment. Hypoxic liquid films containing 80% ± 10% of atmospheric oxygen saturation around single air-exposed hyphae thereby allowed for efficient clostridial dispersal amid spatially separated (>0.5 cm) anoxic sites. Hyphae hence may serve as good networks for the activity and spatial organization of obligate anaerobic bacteria in oxygenated heterogeneous environments such as soil. IMPORTANCE Although a few studies have reported on the presence of anoxic microniches in fungal biofilms, knowledge of the effects of fungal oxygen consumption on bacterial-fungal interactions is limited. Here, we demonstrate the existence and persistence of oxygen-free zones in air-exposed mycelia enabling spore germination, growth, fermentative activity, and dispersal of the obligate anaerobe. Our study points out a previously overlooked role of aerobic fungi in creating and bridging anoxic microniches in ambient oxic habitats. Air-exposed hyphae hence may act as a scaffold for activity and dispersal of strictly anaerobic microbes. Given the short-term tolerance of strict anaerobes to oxygen and reduced oxygen content in the mycosphere, hyphae can promote spatial organization of both obligate anaerobic and aerobic bacteria. Such finding may be important for a better understanding of previously observed co-occurrences of aerobes and anaerobes in well-aerated habitats such as upland soils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bi-Jing Xiong
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sabine Kleinsteuber
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Heike Sträuber
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Dusny
- Department of Solar Materials, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hauke Harms
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lukas Y. Wick
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
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26
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Xia X, Stewart DI, Cheng L, Liu Y, Wang Y, Ding A. Variation of bacterial community and alkane monooxygenase gene abundance in diesel n-alkane contaminated subsurface environment under seasonal water table fluctuation. JOURNAL OF CONTAMINANT HYDROLOGY 2022; 248:104017. [PMID: 35523047 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconhyd.2022.104017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
n-Alkanes, the main component of diesel fuel, are common light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) that threaten ecological security. The subsurface from vadose zone, through fluctuating zone, to saturated zone, is a critical multi-interface earth layer which significantly affects the biodegradation processes of n-alkanes. A pilot-scale diesel contaminated aquifer column experiment has been undertaken to investigate the variations of bacterial community and alkane monooxygenase (alkB) gene abundance in these zones due to water-table fluctuations. The n-alkanes formed a layer immediately above the water table, and when this was raised, they were carried upwards through the fluctuating zone into the vadose zone. Water content and n-alkanes component C10-C12 are main factors influencing bacterial community variation in the vadose zone, while C10-C12 is a key driving factor shaping bacterial community in the fluctuating zone. The most abundant bacterial phyla at all three zones were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, but moisture-niche selection determined their relative abundance. The intermittent wetting cycle resulted in higher abundance of Proteobacteria, and lower abundance of Actinobacteria in the vadose and fluctuating zones in comparison to the control column with a static water-table. The abundances of the alkB gene variants were relatively uniform in different zones, probably because the bacterial populations harboring alkB gene are habituated to biogenic n-alkanes rather than responding to diesel fuel contamination. The variation in the bacterial populations with height due to moisture-niche selection had very little effect on the alkB gene abundance, possibly because numerous species in both phyla (Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria) carry an alkB gene variant. Nevertheless, the drop in the water table caused a short-term spike in alkB gene abundance in the saturated zone, which is most likely associated with transport of solutes or colloids from the fluctuating zone to bacteria species in the saturated zone, so a fluctuating water table could potentially increase n-alkane biodegradation function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuefeng Xia
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China
| | | | - Lirong Cheng
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yueqiao Liu
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yingying Wang
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Aizhong Ding
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China; Engineering Research Center of Groundwater Pollution Control and Remediation, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100875, China.
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27
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Cabugao KGM, Gushgari-Doyle S, Chacon SS, Wu X, Bhattacharyya A, Bouskill N, Chakraborty R. Characterizing Natural Organic Matter Transformations by Microbial Communities in Terrestrial Subsurface Ecosystems: A Critical Review of Analytical Techniques and Challenges. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:864895. [PMID: 35602028 PMCID: PMC9114703 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.864895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the mechanisms, traits, and pathways that regulate microbial transformation of natural organic matter (NOM) is critical to informing our understanding of the microbial impacts on the global carbon cycle. The capillary fringe of subsurface soils is a highly dynamic environment that remains poorly understood. Characterization of organo-mineral chemistry combined with a nuanced understanding of microbial community composition and function is necessary to understand microbial impacts on NOM speciation in the capillary fringe. We present a critical review of the popular analytical and omics techniques used for characterizing complex carbon transformation by microbial communities and focus on how complementary information obtained from the different techniques enable us to connect chemical signatures with microbial genes and pathways. This holistic approach offers a way forward for the comprehensive characterization of the formation, transformation, and mineralization of terrestrial NOM as influenced by microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Grace M Cabugao
- Department of Ecology, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Sara Gushgari-Doyle
- Department of Ecology, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Stephany S Chacon
- Department of Ecology, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Xiaoqin Wu
- Department of Ecology, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Amrita Bhattacharyya
- Department of Ecology, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas Bouskill
- Department of Ecology, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Romy Chakraborty
- Department of Ecology, Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
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28
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Rinaldo A, Rodriguez-Iturbe I. Ecohydrology 2.0. RENDICONTI LINCEI. SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2022; 33:245-270. [PMID: 35673327 PMCID: PMC9165276 DOI: 10.1007/s12210-022-01071-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This paper aims at a definition of the domain of ecohydrology, a relatively new discipline borne out of an intrusion-as advertised by this Topical Collection of the Rendiconti Lincei-of hydrology and geomorphology into ecology (or vice-versa, depending on the reader's background). The study of hydrologic controls on the biota proves, in our view, significantly broader than envisioned by its original focus that was centered on the critical zone where much of the action of soil, climate and vegetation interactions takes place. In this review of related topics and contributions, we propose a reasoned broadening of perspective, in particular by firmly centering ecohydrology on the fluvial catchment as its fundamental control volume. A substantial unity of materials and methods suggests that our advocacy may be considered legitimate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Rinaldo
- Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome, Italy
- Laboratory of Ecohydrology ENAC/IIE/ECHO, École Polytechinque Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Dipartimento ICEA, Università degli studi di Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe
- Department of Ocean Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX USA
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX USA
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29
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Smercina D, Zambare N, Hofmockel K, Sadler N, Bredeweg EL, Nicora C, Markillie LM, Aufrecht J. Synthetic Soil Aggregates: Bioprinted Habitats for High-Throughput Microbial Metaphenomics. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10050944. [PMID: 35630387 PMCID: PMC9146112 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10050944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The dynamics of microbial processes are difficult to study in natural soil, owing to the small spatial scales on which microorganisms operate and to the opacity and chemical complexity of the soil habitat. To circumvent these challenges, we have created a 3D-bioprinted habitat that mimics aspects of natural soil aggregates while providing a chemically defined and translucent alternative culturing method for soil microorganisms. Our Synthetic Soil Aggregates (SSAs) retain the porosity, permeability, and patchy resource distribution of natural soil aggregates—parameters that are expected to influence emergent microbial community interactions. We demonstrate the printability and viability of several different microorganisms within SSAs and show how the SSAs can be integrated into a multi-omics workflow for single SSA resolution genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and biogeochemical assays. We study the impact of the structured habitat on the distribution of a model co-culture microbial community and find that it is significantly different from the spatial organization of the same community in liquid culture, indicating a potential for SSAs to reproduce naturally occurring emergent community phenotypes. The SSAs have the potential as a tool to help researchers quantify microbial scale processes in situ and achieve high-resolution data from the interplay between environmental properties and microbial ecology.
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30
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Mechanisms underlying interactions between two abundant oral commensal bacteria. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:948-957. [PMID: 34732850 PMCID: PMC8940909 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01141-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Complex polymicrobial biofilm communities are abundant in nature particularly in the human oral cavity where their composition and fitness can affect health. While the study of these communities during disease is essential and prevalent, little is known about interactions within the healthy plaque community. Here we describe interactions between two of the most abundant species in this healthy microbiome, Haemophilus parainfluenzae and Streptococcus mitis. We discovered that H. parainfluenzae typically exists adjacent to mitis group streptococci in vivo with which it is also positively correlated based on microbiome data. By comparing in vitro coculture data to ex vivo microscopy we revealed that this co-occurrence is density dependent and further influenced by H2O2 production. We discovered that H. parainfluenzae utilizes a more redundant, multifactorial response to H2O2 than related microorganisms and that this system's integrity enhances streptococcal fitness. Our results indicate that mitis group streptococci are likely the in vivo source of NAD for H. parainfluenzae and also evoke patterns of carbon utilization in vitro for H. parainfluenzae similar to those observed in vivo. Our findings describe mechanistic interactions between two of the most abundant and prevalent members of healthy supragingival plaque that contribute to their in vivo survival.
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31
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Keegstra JM, Carrara F, Stocker R. The ecological roles of bacterial chemotaxis. Nat Rev Microbiol 2022; 20:491-504. [PMID: 35292761 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-022-00709-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
How bacterial chemotaxis is performed is much better understood than why. Traditionally, chemotaxis has been understood as a foraging strategy by which bacteria enhance their uptake of nutrients and energy, yet it has remained puzzling why certain less nutritious compounds are strong chemoattractants and vice versa. Recently, we have gained increased understanding of alternative ecological roles of chemotaxis, such as navigational guidance in colony expansion, localization of hosts or symbiotic partners and contribution to microbial diversity by the generation of spatial segregation in bacterial communities. Although bacterial chemotaxis has been observed in a wide range of environmental settings, insights into the phenomenon are mostly based on laboratory studies of model organisms. In this Review, we highlight how observing individual and collective migratory behaviour of bacteria in different settings informs the quantification of trade-offs, including between chemotaxis and growth. We argue that systematically mapping when and where bacteria are motile, in particular by transgenerational bacterial tracking in dynamic environments and in situ approaches from guts to oceans, will open the door to understanding the rich interplay between metabolism and growth and the contribution of chemotaxis to microbial life.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francesco Carrara
- Institute for Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roman Stocker
- Institute for Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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32
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Exploratory Growth in Streptomyces venezuelae Involves a Unique Transcriptional Program, Enhanced Oxidative Stress Response, and Profound Acceleration in Response to Glycerol. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0062321. [PMID: 35254103 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00623-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Exploration is a recently discovered mode of growth and behavior exhibited by some Streptomyces species that is distinct from their classical sporulating life cycle. While much has been uncovered regarding initiating environmental conditions and phenotypic outcomes of exploratory growth, how this process is coordinated at a genetic level remains unclear. We used RNA sequencing to survey global changes in the transcriptional profile of exploring cultures over time in the model organism Streptomyces venezuelae. Transcriptomic analyses revealed widespread changes in gene expression impacting diverse cellular functions. Investigations into differentially expressed regulatory elements revealed specific groups of regulatory factors to be impacted, including the expression of several extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors, second messenger signaling pathways, and members of the whiB-like (wbl) family of transcription factors. Dramatic changes were observed among primary metabolic pathways, especially among respiration-associated genes and the oxidative stress response; enzyme assays confirmed that exploring cultures exhibit an enhanced oxidative stress response compared with classically growing cultures. Changes in the expression of the glycerol catabolic genes in S. venezuelae led to the discovery that glycerol supplementation of the growth medium promotes a dramatic acceleration of exploration. This effect appears to be unique to glycerol as an alternative carbon source, and this response is broadly conserved across other exploration-competent species. IMPORTANCE Exploration represents an alternative growth strategy for Streptomyces bacteria and is initiated in response to other microbes or specific environmental conditions. Here, we show that entry into exploration involves comprehensive transcriptional reprogramming, with an emphasis on changes in primary metabolism and regulatory/signaling functions. Intriguingly, a number of transcription factor classes were downregulated upon entry into exploration. In contrast, respiration-associated genes were strongly induced, and this was accompanied by an enhanced oxidative stress response. Notably, our transcriptional analyses suggested that glycerol may play a role in exploration, and we found that glycerol supplementation dramatically enhanced the exploration response in many streptomycetes. This work sheds new light on the regulatory and metabolic cues that influence a fascinating new microbial behavior.
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33
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Aufrecht J, Khalid M, Walton CL, Tate K, Cahill JF, Retterer ST. Hotspots of root-exuded amino acids are created within a rhizosphere-on-a-chip. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:954-963. [PMID: 35089295 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00705j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The rhizosphere is a challenging ecosystem to study from a systems biology perspective due to its diverse chemical, physical, and biological characteristics. In the past decade, microfluidic platforms (e.g. plant-on-a-chip) have created an alternative way to study whole rhizosphere organisms, like plants and microorganisms, under reduced-complexity conditions. However, in reducing the complexity of the environment, it is possible to inadvertently alter organism phenotype, which biases laboratory data compared to in situ experiments. To build back some of the complexity of the rhizosphere in a fully-defined, parameterized approach we have developed a rhizosphere-on-a-chip platform that mimics the physical structure of soil. We demonstrate, through computational simulation, how this synthetic soil structure can influence the emergence of molecular "hotspots" and "hotmoments" that arise naturally from the plant's exudation of labile carbon compounds. We establish the amenability of the rhizosphere-on-a-chip for long-term culture of Brachypodium distachyon, and experimentally validate the presence of exudate hotspots within the rhizosphere-on-a-chip pore spaces using liquid microjunction surface sampling probe mass spectrometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayde Aufrecht
- Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
| | - Muneeba Khalid
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Courtney L Walton
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Kylee Tate
- Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
| | - John F Cahill
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Scott T Retterer
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
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34
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Mall A, Kasarlawar S, Saini S. Limited Pairwise Synergistic and Antagonistic Interactions Impart Stability to Microbial Communities. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.648997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the central goals of ecology is to explain and predict coexistence of species. In this context, microbial communities provide a model system where community structure can be studied in environmental niches and in laboratory conditions. A community of microbial population is stabilized by interactions between participating species. However, the nature of these stabilizing interactions has remained largely unknown. Theory and experiments have suggested that communities are stabilized by antagonistic interactions between member species, and destabilized by synergistic interactions. However, experiments have also revealed that a large fraction of all the interactions between species in a community are synergistic in nature. To understand the relative significance of the two types of interactions (synergistic vs. antagonistic) between species, we perform simulations of microbial communities with a small number of participating species using two frameworks—a replicator equation and a Lotka-Volterra framework. Our results demonstrate that synergistic interactions between species play a critical role in maintaining diversity in cultures. These interactions are critical for the ability of the communities to survive perturbations and maintain diversity. We follow up the simulations with quantification of the extent to which synergistic and antagonistic interactions are present in a bacterial community present in a soil sample. Overall, our results show that community stability is largely achieved with the help of synergistic interactions between participating species. However, we perform experiments to demonstrate that antagonistic interactions, in specific circumstances, can also contribute toward community stability.
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35
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Borer B, Or D. Bacterial age distribution in soil - Generational gaps in adjacent hot and cold spots. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1009857. [PMID: 35213536 PMCID: PMC8906644 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Resource patchiness and aqueous phase fragmentation in soil may induce large differences local growth conditions at submillimeter scales. These are translated to vast differences in bacterial age from cells dividing every thirty minutes in close proximity to plant roots to very old cells experiencing negligible growth in adjacent nutrient poor patches. In this study, we link bacterial population demographics with localized soil and hydration conditions to predict emerging generation time distributions and estimate mean bacterial cell ages using mechanistic and heuristic models of bacterial life in soil. Results show heavy-tailed distributions of generation times that resemble a power law for certain conditions, suggesting that we may find bacterial cells of vastly different ages living side by side within small soil volumes. Our results imply that individual bacteria may exist concurrently with all of their ancestors, resulting in an archive of bacterial cells with traits that have been gained (and lost) throughout time-a feature unique to microbial life. This reservoir of bacterial strains and the potential for the reemergence of rare strains with specific functions may be critical for ecosystem stability and function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dani Or
- ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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36
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Jimenez-Martinez J, Nguyen J, Or D. Controlling pore-scale processes to tame subsurface biomineralization. RE/VIEWS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND BIO/TECHNOLOGY 2022; 21:27-52. [PMID: 35221831 PMCID: PMC8831379 DOI: 10.1007/s11157-021-09603-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms capable of biomineralization can catalyze mineral precipitation by modifying local physical and chemical conditions. In porous media, such as soil and rock, these microorganisms live and function in highly heterogeneous physical, chemical and ecological microenvironments, with strong local gradients created by both microbial activity and the pore-scale structure of the subsurface. Here, we focus on extracellular bacterial biomineralization, which is sensitive to external heterogeneity, and review the pore-scale processes controlling microbial biomineralization in natural and engineered porous media. We discuss how individual physical, chemical and ecological factors integrate to affect the spatial and temporal control of biomineralization, and how each of these factors contributes to a quantitative understanding of biomineralization in porous media. We find that an improved understanding of microbial behavior in heterogeneous microenvironments would promote understanding of natural systems and output in diverse technological applications, including improved representation and control of fluid mixing from pore to field scales. We suggest a range of directions by which future work can build from existing tools to advance each of these areas to improve understanding and predictability of biomineralization science and technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquin Jimenez-Martinez
- Department of Water Resources and Drinking Water, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jen Nguyen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada
| | - Dani Or
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV USA
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Zhu X, Wang K, Yan H, Liu C, Zhu X, Chen B. Microfluidics as an Emerging Platform for Exploring Soil Environmental Processes: A Critical Review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:711-731. [PMID: 34985862 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c03899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Investigating environmental processes, especially those occurring in soils, calls for innovative and multidisciplinary technologies that can provide insights at the microscale. The heterogeneity, opacity, and dynamics make the soil a "black box" where interactions and processes are elusive. Recently, microfluidics has emerged as a powerful research platform and experimental tool which can create artificial soil micromodels, enabling exploring soil processes on a chip. Micro/nanofabricated microfluidic devices can mimic some of the key features of soil with highly controlled physical and chemical microenvironments at the scale of pores, aggregates, and microbes. The combination of various techniques makes microfluidics an integrated approach for observation, reaction, analysis, and characterization. In this review, we systematically summarize the emerging applications of microfluidic soil platforms, from investigating soil interfacial processes and soil microbial processes to soil analysis and high-throughput screening. We highlight how innovative microfluidic devices are used to provide new insights into soil processes, mechanisms, and effects at the microscale, which contribute to an integrated interrogation of the soil systems across different scales. Critical discussions of the practical limitations of microfluidic soil platforms and perspectives of future research directions are summarized. We envisage that microfluidics will represent the technological advances toward microscopic, controllable, and in situ soil research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Kun Wang
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Huicong Yan
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Congcong Liu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
| | - Baoliang Chen
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
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Smercina DN, Bailey VL, Hofmockel KS. Micro on a macroscale: relating microbial-scale soil processes to global ecosystem function. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6315324. [PMID: 34223869 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiab091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil microorganisms play a key role in driving major biogeochemical cycles and in global responses to climate change. However, understanding and predicting the behavior and function of these microorganisms remains a grand challenge for soil ecology due in part to the microscale complexity of soils. It is becoming increasingly clear that understanding the microbial perspective is vital to accurately predicting global processes. Here, we discuss the microbial perspective including the microbial habitat as it relates to measurement and modeling of ecosystem processes. We argue that clearly defining and quantifying the size, distribution and sphere of influence of microhabitats is crucial to managing microbial activity at the ecosystem scale. This can be achieved using controlled and hierarchical sampling designs. Model microbial systems can provide key data needed to integrate microhabitats into ecosystem models, while adapting soil sampling schemes and statistical methods can allow us to collect microbially-focused data. Quantifying soil processes, like biogeochemical cycles, from a microbial perspective will allow us to more accurately predict soil functions and address long-standing unknowns in soil ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darian N Smercina
- Biological Sciences Division, Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, 3335 Innovation Blvd, Richland, WA, 99354, USA
| | - Vanessa L Bailey
- Biological Sciences Division, Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, 3335 Innovation Blvd, Richland, WA, 99354, USA
| | - Kirsten S Hofmockel
- Biological Sciences Division, Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, 3335 Innovation Blvd, Richland, WA, 99354, USA.,Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, 716 Farm House Ln, Ames, IA 50011, USA
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Mafla-Endara PM, Arellano-Caicedo C, Aleklett K, Pucetaite M, Ohlsson P, Hammer EC. Microfluidic chips provide visual access to in situ soil ecology. Commun Biol 2021; 4:889. [PMID: 34285323 PMCID: PMC8292388 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02379-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes govern most soil functions, but investigation of these processes at the scale of their cells has been difficult to accomplish. Here we incubate microfabricated, transparent 'soil chips' with soil, or bury them directly in the field. Both soil microbes and minerals enter the chips, which enables us to investigate diverse community interdependences, such as inter-kingdom and food-web interactions, and feedbacks between microbes and the pore space microstructures. The presence of hyphae ('fungal highways') strongly and frequently increases the dispersal range and abundance of water-dwelling organisms such as bacteria and protists across air pockets. Physical forces such as water movements, but also organisms and especially fungi form new microhabitats by altering the pore space architecture and distribution of soil minerals in the chip. We show that soil chips hold a large potential for studying in-situ microbial interactions and soil functions, and to interconnect field microbial ecology with laboratory experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Micaela Mafla-Endara
- grid.4514.40000 0001 0930 2361Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden ,grid.4514.40000 0001 0930 2361Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, CEC, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Kristin Aleklett
- grid.4514.40000 0001 0930 2361Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden ,grid.6341.00000 0000 8578 2742Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden
| | - Milda Pucetaite
- grid.4514.40000 0001 0930 2361Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Pelle Ohlsson
- grid.4514.40000 0001 0930 2361Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Edith C. Hammer
- grid.4514.40000 0001 0930 2361Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden ,grid.4514.40000 0001 0930 2361Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, CEC, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Microaerobic Lifestyle at Nanomolar O 2 Concentrations Mediated by Low-Affinity Terminal Oxidases in Abundant Soil Bacteria. mSystems 2021; 6:e0025021. [PMID: 34227829 PMCID: PMC8407424 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00250-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
High-affinity terminal oxidases (TOs) are believed to permit microbial respiration at low oxygen (O2) levels. Genes encoding such oxidases are widespread, and their existence in microbial genomes is taken as an indicator for microaerobic respiration. We combined respiratory kinetics determined via highly sensitive optical trace O2 sensors, genomics, and transcriptomics to test the hypothesis that high-affinity TOs are a prerequisite to respire micro- and nanooxic concentrations of O2 in environmentally relevant model soil organisms: acidobacteria. Members of the Acidobacteria harbor branched respiratory chains terminating in low-affinity (caa3-type cytochrome c oxidases) as well as high-affinity (cbb3-type cytochrome c oxidases and/or bd-type quinol oxidases) TOs, potentially enabling them to cope with varying O2 concentrations. The measured apparent Km (Km(app)) values for O2 of selected strains ranged from 37 to 288 nmol O2 liter−1, comparable to values previously assigned to low-affinity TOs. Surprisingly, we could not detect the expression of the conventional high-affinity TO (cbb3 type) at micro- and nanomolar O2 concentrations but detected the expression of low-affinity TOs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first observation of microaerobic respiration imparted by low-affinity TOs at O2 concentrations as low as 1 nM. This challenges the standing hypothesis that a microaerobic lifestyle is exclusively imparted by the presence of high-affinity TOs. As low-affinity TOs are more efficient at generating ATP than high-affinity TOs, their utilization could provide a great benefit, even at low-nanomolar O2 levels. Our findings highlight energy conservation strategies that could promote the success of Acidobacteria in soil but might also be important for as-yet-unrevealed microorganisms. IMPORTANCE Low-oxygen habitats are widely distributed on Earth, ranging from the human intestine to soils. Microorganisms are assumed to have the capacity to respire low O2 concentrations via high-affinity terminal oxidases. By utilizing strains of a ubiquitous and abundant group of soil bacteria, the Acidobacteria, and combining respiration kinetics, genomics, and transcriptomics, we provide evidence that these microorganisms use the energetically more efficient low-affinity terminal oxidases to respire low-nanomolar O2 concentrations. This questions the standing hypothesis that the ability to respire traces of O2 stems solely from the activity of high-affinity terminal oxidases. We propose that this energetically efficient strategy extends into other, so-far-unrevealed microbial clades. Our findings also demonstrate that physiological predictions regarding the utilization of different O2 concentrations based solely on the presence or absence of terminal oxidases in bacterial genomes can be misleading.
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Reconfiguration of metabolic fluxes in Pseudomonas putida as a response to sub-lethal oxidative stress. THE ISME JOURNAL 2021; 15:1751-1766. [PMID: 33432138 PMCID: PMC8163872 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00884-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
As a frequent inhabitant of sites polluted with toxic chemicals, the soil bacterium and plant-root colonizer Pseudomonas putida can tolerate high levels of endogenous and exogenous oxidative stress. Yet, the ultimate reason of such phenotypic property remains largely unknown. To shed light on this question, metabolic network-wide routes for NADPH generation-the metabolic currency that fuels redox-stress quenching mechanisms-were inspected when P. putida KT2440 was challenged with a sub-lethal H2O2 dose as a proxy of oxidative conditions. 13C-tracer experiments, metabolomics, and flux analysis, together with the assessment of physiological parameters and measurement of enzymatic activities, revealed a substantial flux reconfiguration in oxidative environments. In particular, periplasmic glucose processing was rerouted to cytoplasmic oxidation, and the cyclic operation of the pentose phosphate pathway led to significant NADPH-forming fluxes, exceeding biosynthetic demands by ~50%. The resulting NADPH surplus, in turn, fueled the glutathione system for H2O2 reduction. These properties not only account for the tolerance of P. putida to environmental insults-some of which end up in the formation of reactive oxygen species-but they also highlight the value of this bacterial host as a platform for environmental bioremediation and metabolic engineering.
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Ankrah NYD, Barker BE, Song J, Wu C, McMullen JG, Douglas AE. Predicted Metabolic Function of the Gut Microbiota of Drosophila melanogaster. mSystems 2021. [PMID: 33947801 DOI: 10.1101/2021.01.20.427455] [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] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
An important goal for many nutrition-based microbiome studies is to identify the metabolic function of microbes in complex microbial communities and their impact on host physiology. This research can be confounded by poorly understood effects of community composition and host diet on the metabolic traits of individual taxa. Here, we investigated these multiway interactions by constructing and analyzing metabolic models comprising every combination of five bacterial members of the Drosophila gut microbiome (from single taxa to the five-member community of Acetobacter and Lactobacillus species) under three nutrient regimes. We show that the metabolic function of Drosophila gut bacteria is dynamic, influenced by community composition, and responsive to dietary modulation. Furthermore, we show that ecological interactions such as competition and mutualism identified from the growth patterns of gut bacteria are underlain by a diversity of metabolic interactions, and show that the bacteria tend to compete for amino acids and B vitamins more frequently than for carbon sources. Our results reveal that, in addition to fermentation products such as acetate, intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, including 2-oxoglutarate and succinate, are produced at high flux and cross-fed between bacterial taxa, suggesting important roles for TCA cycle intermediates in modulating Drosophila gut microbe interactions and the potential to influence host traits. These metabolic models provide specific predictions of the patterns of ecological and metabolic interactions among gut bacteria under different nutrient regimes, with potentially important consequences for overall community metabolic function and nutritional interactions with the host.IMPORTANCE Drosophila is an important model for microbiome research partly because of the low complexity of its mostly culturable gut microbiota. Our current understanding of how Drosophila interacts with its gut microbes and how these interactions influence host traits derives almost entirely from empirical studies that focus on individual microbial taxa or classes of metabolites. These studies have failed to capture fully the complexity of metabolic interactions that occur between host and microbe. To overcome this limitation, we reconstructed and analyzed 31 metabolic models for every combination of the five principal bacterial taxa in the gut microbiome of Drosophila This revealed that metabolic interactions between Drosophila gut bacterial taxa are highly dynamic and influenced by cooccurring bacteria and nutrient availability. Our results generate testable hypotheses about among-microbe ecological interactions in the Drosophila gut and the diversity of metabolites available to influence host traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Y D Ankrah
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Brandon E Barker
- Center for Advanced Computing, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Joan Song
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Cindy Wu
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - John G McMullen
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Angela E Douglas
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Ankrah NYD, Barker BE, Song J, Wu C, McMullen JG, Douglas AE. Predicted Metabolic Function of the Gut Microbiota of Drosophila melanogaster. mSystems 2021; 6:e01369-20. [PMID: 33947801 PMCID: PMC8269265 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01369-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
An important goal for many nutrition-based microbiome studies is to identify the metabolic function of microbes in complex microbial communities and their impact on host physiology. This research can be confounded by poorly understood effects of community composition and host diet on the metabolic traits of individual taxa. Here, we investigated these multiway interactions by constructing and analyzing metabolic models comprising every combination of five bacterial members of the Drosophila gut microbiome (from single taxa to the five-member community of Acetobacter and Lactobacillus species) under three nutrient regimes. We show that the metabolic function of Drosophila gut bacteria is dynamic, influenced by community composition, and responsive to dietary modulation. Furthermore, we show that ecological interactions such as competition and mutualism identified from the growth patterns of gut bacteria are underlain by a diversity of metabolic interactions, and show that the bacteria tend to compete for amino acids and B vitamins more frequently than for carbon sources. Our results reveal that, in addition to fermentation products such as acetate, intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, including 2-oxoglutarate and succinate, are produced at high flux and cross-fed between bacterial taxa, suggesting important roles for TCA cycle intermediates in modulating Drosophila gut microbe interactions and the potential to influence host traits. These metabolic models provide specific predictions of the patterns of ecological and metabolic interactions among gut bacteria under different nutrient regimes, with potentially important consequences for overall community metabolic function and nutritional interactions with the host.IMPORTANCE Drosophila is an important model for microbiome research partly because of the low complexity of its mostly culturable gut microbiota. Our current understanding of how Drosophila interacts with its gut microbes and how these interactions influence host traits derives almost entirely from empirical studies that focus on individual microbial taxa or classes of metabolites. These studies have failed to capture fully the complexity of metabolic interactions that occur between host and microbe. To overcome this limitation, we reconstructed and analyzed 31 metabolic models for every combination of the five principal bacterial taxa in the gut microbiome of Drosophila This revealed that metabolic interactions between Drosophila gut bacterial taxa are highly dynamic and influenced by cooccurring bacteria and nutrient availability. Our results generate testable hypotheses about among-microbe ecological interactions in the Drosophila gut and the diversity of metabolites available to influence host traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Y D Ankrah
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Brandon E Barker
- Center for Advanced Computing, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Joan Song
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Cindy Wu
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - John G McMullen
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Angela E Douglas
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Morales M, Sentchilo V, Hadadi N, van der Meer JR. Genome-wide gene expression changes of Pseudomonas veronii 1YdBTEX2 during bioaugmentation in polluted soils. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2021; 16:8. [PMID: 33926576 PMCID: PMC8082905 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-021-00378-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bioaugmentation aims to use the capacities of specific bacterial strains inoculated into sites to enhance pollutant biodegradation. Bioaugmentation results have been mixed, which has been attributed to poor inoculant growth and survival in the field, and, consequently, moderate catalytic performance. However, our understanding of biodegradation activity mostly comes from experiments conducted under laboratory conditions, and the processes occurring during adaptation and invasion of inoculants into complex environmental microbiomes remain poorly known. The main aim of this work was thus to study the specific and different cellular reactions of an inoculant for bioaugmentation during adaptation, growth and survival in natural clean and contaminated non-sterile soils, in order to better understand factors limiting bioaugmentation. RESULTS As inoculant we focused on the monoaromatic compound-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas veronii 1YdBTEX2. The strain proliferated in all but one soil types in presence and in absence of exogenously added toluene. RNAseq and differential genome-wide gene expression analysis illustrated both a range of common soil responses such as increased nutrient scavenging and recycling, expression of defense mechanisms, as well as environment-specific reactions, notably osmoprotection and metal homeostasis. The core metabolism of P. veronii remained remarkably constant during exponential growth irrespective of the environment, with slight changes in cofactor regeneration pathways, possibly needed for balancing defense reactions. CONCLUSIONS P. veronii displayed a versatile global program, enabling it to adapt to a variety of soil environments in the presence and even in absence of its target pollutant toluene. Our results thus challenge the widely perceived dogma of poor survival and growth of exogenous inoculants in complex microbial ecosystems such as soil and provide a further basis to developing successful bioaugmentation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marian Morales
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vladimir Sentchilo
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Noushin Hadadi
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jan Roelof van der Meer
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Dubey M, Hadadi N, Pelet S, Carraro N, Johnson DR, van der Meer JR. Environmental connectivity controls diversity in soil microbial communities. Commun Biol 2021; 4:492. [PMID: 33888858 PMCID: PMC8062517 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02023-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Interspecific interactions are thought to govern the stability and functioning of microbial communities, but the influence of the spatial environment and its structural connectivity on the potential of such interactions to unfold remain largely unknown. Here we studied the effects on community growth and microbial diversity as a function of environmental connectivity, where we define environmental connectivity as the degree of habitat fragmentation preventing microbial cells from living together. We quantitatively compared growth of a naturally-derived high microbial diversity community from soil in a completely mixed liquid suspension (high connectivity) to growth in a massively fragmented and poorly connected environment (low connectivity). The low connectivity environment consisted of homogenously-sized miniature agarose beads containing random single or paired founder cells. We found that overall community growth was the same in both environments, but the low connectivity environment dramatically reduced global community-level diversity compared to the high connectivity environment. Experimental observations were supported by community growth modeling. The model predicts a loss of diversity in the low connectivity environment as a result of negative interspecific interactions becoming more dominant at small founder species numbers. Counterintuitively for the low connectivity environment, growth of isolated single genotypes was less productive than that of random founder genotype cell pairs, suggesting that the community as a whole profited from emerging positive interspecific interactions. Our work demonstrates the importance of environmental connectivity for growth of natural soil microbial communities, which aids future efforts to intervene in or restore community composition to achieve engineering and biotechnological objectives. Manupriyam Dubey et al. use experimental systems with naturally derived soil microbiomes in liquid suspensions and encapsulated beads to compare community dynamics in well-connected and poorly connected environments. While their results show that microbial growth does not vary between conditions, they report that low connectivity led to reduced microbial diversity and suggest that these reductions in microbial diversity may be due to increased negative interspecific interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manupriyam Dubey
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Noushin Hadadi
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Serge Pelet
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Carraro
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - David R Johnson
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Jan R van der Meer
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Garaycochea S, Romero H, Beyhaut E, Neal AL, Altier N. Soil structure, nutrient status and water holding capacity shape Uruguayan grassland prokaryotic communities. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 96:5920615. [PMID: 33038219 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil microbial communities play critical roles in maintaining natural ecosystems such as the Campos biome grasslands of southern South America. These grasslands are characterized by a high diversity of soils, low available phosphorus (P) and limited water holding capacity. This work aimed to describe prokaryotic communities associated with different soil types and to examine the relationship among these soil communities, the parent material and the soil nutrient status. Five Uruguayan soils with different parent material and nutrient status, under natural grasslands, were compared. The structure and diversity of prokaryotic communities were characterized by sequencing 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes,Verrucomicrobia, Acidobacteria, Planctomycetes and Chloroflexi were the predominant phyla. Ordination based on several distance measures was able to discriminate clearly between communities associated with different soil types. Edge-PCA phylogeny-sensitive ordination and differential relative abundance analyses identified Archaea and the bacterial phyla Firmicutes, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Verrucomicrobia as those with significant differences among soil types. Canonical analysis of principal coordinates identified porosity, clay content, available P, soil organic carbon and water holding capacity as the main variables contributing to determine the characteristic prokaryotic communities of each soil type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Garaycochea
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Estación Experimental INIA Las Brujas, Ruta 48 Km 10, Canelones, 90200, Uruguay
| | - Héctor Romero
- Laboratorio de Organización y Evolución del Genoma/Unidad de Genómica Evolutiva, Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias/CURE, Universidad de la República, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Elena Beyhaut
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Estación Experimental INIA Las Brujas, Ruta 48 Km 10, Canelones, 90200, Uruguay
| | - Andrew L Neal
- Department of Sustainable Agricultural Sciences, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Devon EX22 2SB, UK
| | - Nora Altier
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Estación Experimental INIA Las Brujas, Ruta 48 Km 10, Canelones, 90200, Uruguay
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Borer B, Or D. Spatiotemporal metabolic modeling of bacterial life in complex habitats. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2021; 67:65-71. [PMID: 33493977 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The combination of genome-scale metabolic networks with spatially explicit representation of microbial habitats (spatiotemporal metabolic network modeling) paves the way to predict complex metabolic landscapes to a hitherto unparalleled detail, thus providing new insights into trophic interactions occurring at different scales. Placing detailed bacterial metabolism in realistic physical environment highlights the roles of physical barriers and diffusional bottlenecks on bacterial community interactions, structure and stability. We review recent advances in spatiotemporal metabolic network modeling using a few illustrative examples that highlight the immense potential of these novel approaches to interpret and design metabolic mediated interactions in structures (natural and engineered) environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedict Borer
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; The Department for Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, MIT, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Dani Or
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; Div. of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, USA
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Ursell T. Structured environments foster competitor coexistence by manipulating interspecies interfaces. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1007762. [PMID: 33412560 PMCID: PMC7790539 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural environments, like soils or the mammalian gut, frequently contain microbial consortia competing within a niche, wherein many species contain genetically encoded mechanisms of interspecies competition. Recent computational work suggests that physical structures in the environment can stabilize local competition between species that would otherwise be subject to competitive exclusion under isotropic conditions. Here we employ Lotka-Volterra models to show that interfacial competition localizes to physical structures, stabilizing competitive ecological networks of many species, even with significant differences in the strength of competitive interactions between species. Within a limited range of parameter space, we show that for stable communities the length-scale of physical structure inversely correlates with the width of the distribution of competitive fitness, such that physical environments with finer structure can sustain a broader spectrum of interspecific competition. These results highlight the potentially stabilizing effects of physical structure on microbial communities and lay groundwork for engineering structures that stabilize and/or select for diverse communities of ecological, medical, or industrial utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan Ursell
- Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
- Materials Science Institute, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
- Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
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Ross BN, Whiteley M. Ignoring social distancing: advances in understanding multi-species bacterial interactions. Fac Rev 2020; 9:23. [PMID: 33659955 PMCID: PMC7886066 DOI: 10.12703/r/9-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Almost every ecosystem on this planet is teeming with microbial communities made of diverse bacterial species. At a reductionist view, many of these bacteria form pairwise interactions, but, as the field of view expands, the neighboring organisms and the abiotic environment can play a crucial role in shaping the interactions between species. Over the years, a strong foundation of knowledge has been built on isolated pairwise interactions between bacteria, but now the field is advancing toward understanding how cohabitating bacteria and natural surroundings affect these interactions. Use of bottom-up approaches, piecing communities together, and top-down approaches that deconstruct communities are providing insight on how different species interact. In this review, we highlight how studies are incorporating more complex communities, mimicking the natural environment, and recurring findings such as the importance of cooperation for stability in harsh environments and the impact of bacteria-induced environmental pH shifts. Additionally, we will discuss how omics are being used as a top-down approach to identify previously unknown interspecies bacterial interactions and the challenges of these types of studies for microbial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany N Ross
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Emory-Children's Cystic Fibrosis Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Marvin Whiteley
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Emory-Children's Cystic Fibrosis Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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