1
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Wang L, Wang X, Wu H, Wang H, Lu Z. Interspecies synergistic interactions mediated by cofactor exchange enhance stress tolerance by inducing biofilm formation. mSystems 2024; 9:e0088424. [PMID: 39189769 PMCID: PMC11406921 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00884-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabolic exchange plays a crucial role in shaping microbial community interactions and functions, including the exchange of small molecules such as cofactors. Cofactors are fundamental to enzyme catalytic activities; however, the role of cofactors in microbial stress tolerance is unclear. Here, we constructed a synergistic consortium containing two strains that could efficiently mineralize di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate under hyperosmotic stress. Integration of transcriptomic analysis, metabolic profiling, and a genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) facilitated the discovery of the potential mechanism of microbial interactions. Multi-omics analysis revealed that the vitamin B12-dependent methionine-folate cycle could be a key pathway for enhancing the hyperosmotic stress tolerance of synergistic consortium. Further GEM simulations revealed interspecies exchange of S-adenosyl-L-methionine and riboflavin, cofactors needed for vitamin B12 biosynthesis, which was confirmed by in vitro experiments. Overall, we proposed a new mechanism of bacterial hyperosmotic stress tolerance: bacteria might promote the production of vitamin B12 to enhance biofilm formation, and the species collaborate with each other by exchanging cofactors to improve consortium hyperosmotic stress tolerance. These findings offer new insights into the role of cofactors in microbial interactions and stress tolerance and are potentially exploitable for environmental remediation. IMPORTANCE Metabolic interactions (also known as cross-feeding) are thought to be ubiquitous in microbial communities. Cross-feeding is the basis for many positive interactions (e.g., mutualism) and is a primary driver of microbial community assembly. In this study, a combination of multi-omics analysis and metabolic modeling simulation was used to reveal the metabolic interactions of a synthetic consortium under hyperosmotic stress. Interspecies cofactor exchange was found to promote biofilm formation under hyperosmotic stress. This provides a new perspective for understanding the role of metabolic interactions in microbial communities to enhance environmental adaptation, which is significant for improving the efficiency of production activities and environmental bioremediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lvjing Wang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao Wu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haixia Wang
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhenmei Lu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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2
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Hartmann FSF, Grégoire M, Renzi F, Delvigne F. Single cell technologies for monitoring protein secretion heterogeneity. Trends Biotechnol 2024; 42:1144-1160. [PMID: 38480024 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2024.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Cell-to-cell heterogeneity presents challenges across various fields, from biomedicine to bioproduction, where precise cellular responses are vital. While single cell technologies have significantly enhanced our understanding of population heterogeneity, the predominant focus has been on monitoring intracellular compounds. Recognizing the added complexity introduced by the secretion system, in this review, we first provide a systematic overview of the distinct steps necessary for driving protein secretion. We discuss the various sources of noise acting from the synthesized preprotein to the secretory protein released based on a Gram-positive cellular system as a model. We next explore the applicability of single cell technologies for monitoring protein secretion throughout these functional stages. We also emphasize the importance of applying these single cell technologies for monitoring protein secretion during bioproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Stefan Franz Hartmann
- Terra Research and Teaching Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions (MiPI), Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Mélanie Grégoire
- Terra Research and Teaching Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions (MiPI), Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium; Research Unit in Biology of Microorganisms (URBM), Biology Department, Narilis, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Francesco Renzi
- Research Unit in Biology of Microorganisms (URBM), Biology Department, Narilis, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Frank Delvigne
- Terra Research and Teaching Centre, Microbial Processes and Interactions (MiPI), Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium.
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3
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Fang K, Kou YP, Tang N, Liu J, Zhang XY, He HL, Xia RX, Zhao WQ, Li DD, Liu Q. Differential responses of soil bacteria, fungi and protists to root exudates and temperature. Microbiol Res 2024; 286:127829. [PMID: 39018940 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
The impact of climate warming on soil microbes has been well documented, with studies revealing its effects on diversity, community structure and network dynamics. However, the consistency of soil microbial community assembly, particularly in response to diverse plant root exudates under varying temperature conditions, remains an unresolved issue. To address this issue, we employed a growth chamber to integrate temperature and root exudates in a controlled experiment to examine the response of soil bacteria, fungi, and protists. Our findings revealed that temperature independently regulated microbial diversity, with distinct patterns observed among bacteria, fungi, and protists. Both root exudates and temperature significantly influenced microbial community composition, yet interpretations of these factors varied among prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In addition to phototrophic bacteria and protists, as well as protistan consumers, root exudates determined to varying degrees the enrichment of other microbial functional guilds at specific temperatures. The effects of temperature and root exudates on microbial co-occurrence patterns were interdependent; root exudates primarily simplified the network at low and high temperatures, while responses to temperature varied between single and mixed exudate treatments. Moreover, temperature altered the composition of keystone species within the microbial network, while root exudates led to a decrease in their number. These results emphasize the substantial impact of plant root exudates on soil microbial community responses to temperature, underscoring the necessity for future climate change research to incorporate additional environmental variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Fang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China; College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, Dali University, Dali 671003, China
| | - Yong-Ping Kou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China.
| | - Na Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
| | - Jia Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
| | - Xiao-Ying Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
| | - He-Liang He
- College of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China
| | - Rui-Xue Xia
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
| | - Wen-Qiang Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
| | - Dan-Dan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
| | - Qing Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China.
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4
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Mostafa F, Krüger A, Nies T, Frunzke J, Schipper K, Matuszyńska A. Microbial markets: socio-economic perspective in studying microbial communities. MICROLIFE 2024; 5:uqae016. [PMID: 39318452 PMCID: PMC11421381 DOI: 10.1093/femsml/uqae016] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
Studying microbial communities through a socio-economic lens, this paper draws parallels with human economic transactions and microbes' race for resources. Extending the 'Market Economy' concept of social science to microbial ecosystems, the paper aims to contribute to comprehending the collaborative and competitive dynamics among microorganisms. Created by a multidisciplinary team of an economist, microbiologists, and mathematicians, the paper also highlights the risks involved in employing a socio-economic perspective to explain the complexities of natural ecosystems. Navigating through microbial markets offers insights into the implications of these interactions while emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation within the broader ecological context. We hope that this paper will be a fruitful source of inspiration for future studies on microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fariha Mostafa
- Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Aileen Krüger
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Tim Nies
- Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Julia Frunzke
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences, IBG-1: Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Kerstin Schipper
- Institute of Microbiology, Heinrich-Heine University Dusseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Anna Matuszyńska
- Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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5
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Yang L, Chen Q, Wei J, Fan T, Kong L, Long T, Zhang S, Deng S. Response of microbial communities in aquifers with multiple organic solvent contamination: Implications for MNA remedy. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 474:134798. [PMID: 38843633 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134798] [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: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
The application of Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) technology has been widespread, while there is a paucity of data on groundwater with multiple co-contaminants. This study focused on high permeability, low hydraulic gradient groundwater with co-contamination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs), and chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons (CPs). The objective was to investigate the responses of microbial communities during natural attenuation processes. Results revealed greater horizontal variation in groundwater microbial community composition compared to vertical variation. The variation was strongly correlated with the total contaminant quantity (r = 0.722, p < 0.001) rather than individual contaminants. BTEX exerted a more significant influence on community diversity than other contaminants. The assembly of groundwater microbial communities was primarily governed by deterministic processes (βNTI < -2) in high contaminant concentration zones, while stochastic processes (|βNTI| < 2) dominated in low-concentration zones. Moreover, the microbial interactions shifted at different depths indicating the degradation rate variation in the vertical. This study makes fundamental contribution to the understanding for the effects of groundwater flow and material fields on indigenous microbial communities, which will provide a scientific basis for more precise adoption of microbial stimulation/augmentation to accelerate the rate of contaminant removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Qiang Chen
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Jing Wei
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Tingting Fan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Lingya Kong
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China.
| | - Tao Long
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Shengtian Zhang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Shaopo Deng
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Management and Pollution Control, Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China, Nanjing 210042, China.
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6
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Matuszyńska A, Ebenhöh O, Zurbriggen MD, Ducat DC, Axmann IM. A new era of synthetic biology-microbial community design. Synth Biol (Oxf) 2024; 9:ysae011. [PMID: 39086602 PMCID: PMC11290361 DOI: 10.1093/synbio/ysae011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Synthetic biology conceptualizes biological complexity as a network of biological parts, devices, and systems with predetermined functionalities and has had a revolutionary impact on fundamental and applied research. With the unprecedented ability to synthesize and transfer any DNA and RNA across organisms, the scope of synthetic biology is expanding and being recreated in previously unimaginable ways. The field has matured to a level where highly complex networks, such as artificial communities of synthetic organisms, can be constructed. In parallel, computational biology became an integral part of biological studies, with computational models aiding the unravelling of the escalating complexity and emerging properties of biological phenomena. However, there is still a vast untapped potential for the complete integration of modelling into the synthetic design process, presenting exciting opportunities for scientific advancements. Here, we first highlight the most recent advances in computer-aided design of microbial communities. Next, we propose that such a design can benefit from an organism-free modular modelling approach that places its emphasis on modules of organismal function towards the design of multispecies communities. We argue for a shift in perspective from single organism-centred approaches to emphasizing the functional contributions of organisms within the community. By assembling synthetic biological systems using modular computational models with mathematical descriptions of parts and circuits, we can tailor organisms to fulfil specific functional roles within the community. This approach aligns with synthetic biology strategies and presents exciting possibilities for the design of artificial communities. Graphical Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Matuszyńska
- Computational Life Science, Department of Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, CEPLAS, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Oliver Ebenhöh
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, CEPLAS, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
- Institute of Quantitative and Theoretical Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Matias D Zurbriggen
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, CEPLAS, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
- Institute of Synthetic Biology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Daniel C Ducat
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
- Institute for Synthetic Microbiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
| | - Ilka M Axmann
- Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences, CEPLAS, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
- Institute for Synthetic Microbiology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf 40225, Germany
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7
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Meroz N, Livny T, Friedman J. Quantifying microbial interactions: concepts, caveats, and applications. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 80:102511. [PMID: 39002491 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Microbial communities are fundamental to every ecosystem on Earth and hold great potential for biotechnological applications. However, their complex nature hampers our ability to study and understand them. A common strategy to tackle this complexity is to abstract the community into a network of interactions between its members - a phenomenological description that captures the overall effects of various chemical and physical mechanisms that underpin these relationships. This approach has proven useful for numerous applications in microbial ecology, including predicting community dynamics and stability and understanding community assembly and evolution. However, care is required in quantifying and interpreting interactions. Here, we clarify the concept of an interaction and discuss when interaction measurements are useful despite their context-dependent nature. Furthermore, we categorize different approaches for quantifying interactions, highlighting the research objectives each approach is best suited for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nittay Meroz
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University, Rehovot
| | - Tal Livny
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University, Rehovot; Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot
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8
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Xiao M, Zhang C, Duan H, Narbad A, Zhao J, Chen W, Zhai Q, Yu L, Tian F. Cross-feeding of bifidobacteria promotes intestinal homeostasis: a lifelong perspective on the host health. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2024; 10:47. [PMID: 38898089 PMCID: PMC11186840 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-024-00524-6] [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: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Throughout the life span of a host, bifidobacteria have shown superior colonization and glycan abilities. Complex glycans, such as human milk oligosaccharides and plant glycans, that reach the colon are directly internalized by the transport system of bifidobacteria, cleaved into simple structures by extracellular glycosyl hydrolase, and transported to cells for fermentation. The glycan utilization of bifidobacteria introduces cross-feeding activities between bifidobacterial strains and other microbiota, which are influenced by host nutrition and regulate gut homeostasis. This review discusses bifidobacterial glycan utilization strategies, focusing on the cross-feeding involved in bifidobacteria and its potential health benefits. Furthermore, the impact of cross-feeding on the gut trophic niche of bifidobacteria and host health is also highlighted. This review provides novel insights into the interactions between microbe-microbe and host-microbe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meifang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Chuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Hui Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Arjan Narbad
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park Colney, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7UA, UK
| | - Jianxin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
- National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Qixiao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Leilei Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China.
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China.
| | - Fengwei Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, P. R. China.
- School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China.
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9
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Qiao Y, Wang Z, Sun H, Guo H, Song Y, Zhang H, Ruan Y, Xu Q, Huang Q, Shen Q, Ling N. Synthetic community derived from grafted watermelon rhizosphere provides protection for ungrafted watermelon against Fusarium oxysporum via microbial synergistic effects. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:101. [PMID: 38840214 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01814-z] [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: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plant microbiota contributes to plant growth and health, including enhancing plant resistance to various diseases. Despite remarkable progress in understanding diseases resistance in plants, the precise role of rhizosphere microbiota in enhancing watermelon resistance against soil-borne diseases remains unclear. Here, we constructed a synthetic community (SynCom) of 16 core bacterial strains obtained from the rhizosphere of grafted watermelon plants. We further simplified SynCom and investigated the role of bacteria with synergistic interactions in promoting plant growth through a simple synthetic community. RESULTS Our results demonstrated that the SynCom significantly enhanced the growth and disease resistance of ungrafted watermelon grown in non-sterile soil. Furthermore, analysis of the amplicon and metagenome data revealed the pivotal role of Pseudomonas in enhancing plant health, as evidenced by a significant increase in the relative abundance and biofilm-forming pathways of Pseudomonas post-SynCom inoculation. Based on in vitro co-culture experiments and bacterial metabolomic analysis, we selected Pseudomonas along with seven other members of the SynCom that exhibited synergistic effects with Pseudomonas. It enabled us to further refine the initially constructed SynCom into a simplified SynCom comprising the eight selected bacterial species. Notably, the plant-promoting effects of simplified SynCom were similar to those of the initial SynCom. Furthermore, the simplified SynCom protected plants through synergistic effects of bacteria. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the SynCom proliferate in the rhizosphere and mitigate soil-borne diseases through microbial synergistic interactions, highlighting the potential of synergistic effects between microorganisms in enhancing plant health. This study provides a novel insight into using the functional SynCom as a promising solution for sustainable agriculture. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhu Qiao
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zhendong Wang
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Hong Sun
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Hanyue Guo
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yang Song
- Plant-Microbe Interactions, Department of Biology, Science4Life, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, Utrecht, 3584 CH, the Netherlands
| | - He Zhang
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yang Ruan
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Qicheng Xu
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Centre for Grassland Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
| | - Qiwei Huang
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Ning Ling
- Key Lab of Organic-Based Fertilizers of China and Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
- Centre for Grassland Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China.
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10
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Wang X, Wu Y, Fu C, Zhao W, Li L. Metabolic cross-feeding between the competent degrader Rhodococcus sp. strain p52 and an incompetent partner during catabolism of dibenzofuran: Understanding the leading and supporting roles. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 471:134310. [PMID: 38640677 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134310] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Microbial interactions, particularly metabolic cross-feeding, play important roles in removing recalcitrant environmental pollutants; however, the underlying mechanisms involved in this process remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which metabolic cross-feeding occurs during synergistic dibenzofuran degradation between a highly efficient degrader, Rhodococcus sp. strain p52, and a partner incapable of utilizing dibenzofuran. A bottom-up approach combined with pairwise coculturing was used to examine metabolic cross-feeding between strain p52 and Arthrobacter sp. W06 or Achromobacter sp. D10. Pairwise coculture not only promoted bacterial pair growth but also facilitated dibenzofuran degradation. Specifically, strain p52, acting as a donor, released dibenzofuran metabolic intermediates, including salicylic acid and gentisic acid, for utilization and growth, respectively, by the partner strains W06 and D10. Both salicylic acid and gentisic acid exhibited biotoxicity, and their accumulation inhibited dibenzofuran degradation. The transcriptional activity of the genes responsible for the catabolism of dibenzofuran and its metabolic intermediates was coordinately regulated in strain p52 and its cocultivated partners, thus achieving synergistic dibenzofuran degradation. This study provides insights into microbial metabolic cross-feeding during recalcitrant environmental pollutant removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xudi Wang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Changai Fu
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Wenhui Zhao
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Li Li
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, China.
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11
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Cai H, McLimans CJ, Jiang H, Chen F, Krumholz LR, Hambright KD. Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs play important roles in nutrient cycling within cyanobacterial Microcystis bloom microbiomes. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:88. [PMID: 38741135 PMCID: PMC11089705 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01801-4] [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: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the bloom season, the colonial cyanobacterium Microcystis forms complex aggregates which include a diverse microbiome within an exopolymer matrix. Early research postulated a simple mutualism existing with bacteria benefitting from the rich source of fixed carbon and Microcystis receiving recycled nutrients. Researchers have since hypothesized that Microcystis aggregates represent a community of synergistic and interacting species, an interactome, each with unique metabolic capabilities that are critical to the growth, maintenance, and demise of Microcystis blooms. Research has also shown that aggregate-associated bacteria are taxonomically different from free-living bacteria in the surrounding water. Moreover, research has identified little overlap in functional potential between Microcystis and members of its microbiome, further supporting the interactome concept. However, we still lack verification of general interaction and know little about the taxa and metabolic pathways supporting nutrient and metabolite cycling within Microcystis aggregates. RESULTS During a 7-month study of bacterial communities comparing free-living and aggregate-associated bacteria in Lake Taihu, China, we found that aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic (AAP) bacteria were significantly more abundant within Microcystis aggregates than in free-living samples, suggesting a possible functional role for AAP bacteria in overall aggregate community function. We then analyzed gene composition in 102 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of bloom-microbiome bacteria from 10 lakes spanning four continents, compared with 12 complete Microcystis genomes which revealed that microbiome bacteria and Microcystis possessed complementary biochemical pathways that could serve in C, N, S, and P cycling. Mapping published transcripts from Microcystis blooms onto a comprehensive AAP and non-AAP bacteria MAG database (226 MAGs) indicated that observed high levels of expression of genes involved in nutrient cycling pathways were in AAP bacteria. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide strong corroboration of the hypothesized Microcystis interactome and the first evidence that AAP bacteria may play an important role in nutrient cycling within Microcystis aggregate microbiomes. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyuan Cai
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Helong Jiang
- Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Feng Chen
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, USA
| | - Lee R Krumholz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA
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12
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Zhang S, Hung J, Yen TN, Huang S. Mutualistic interactions of lactate-producing lactobacilli and lactate-utilizing Veillonella dispar: Lactate and glutamate cross-feeding for the enhanced growth and short-chain fatty acid production. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14484. [PMID: 38801349 PMCID: PMC11129673 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14484] [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: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The human gut hosts numerous ecological niches for microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions. Gut lactate homeostasis in humans is crucial and relies on various bacteria. Veillonella spp., gut lactate-utilizing bacteria, and lactate-producing bacteria were frequently co-isolated. A recent clinical trial has revealed that lactate-producing bacteria in humans cross-feed lactate to Veillonella spp.; however, their interspecies interaction mechanisms remain unclear. Veillonella dispar, an obligate anaerobe commonly found in the human gut and oral cavity, ferments lactate into acetate and propionate. In our study, we investigated the interaction between V. dispar ATCC 17748T and three representative phylogenetically distant strains of lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356T, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei ATCC 27216T, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ATCC 10241. Bacterial growth, viability, metabolism and gene level adaptations during bacterial interaction were examined. V. dispar exhibited the highest degree of mutualism with L. acidophilus. During co-culture of V. dispar with L. acidophilus, both bacteria exhibited enhanced growth and increased viability. V. dispar demonstrated an upregulation of amino acid biosynthesis pathways and the aspartate catabolic pathway. L. acidophilus also showed a considerable number of upregulated genes related to growth and lactate fermentation. Our results support that V. dispar is able to enhance the fermentative capability of L. acidophilus by presumably consuming the produced lactate, and that L. acidophilus cross-feed not only lactate, but also glutamate, to V. dispar during co-culture. The cross-fed glutamate enters the central carbon metabolism in V. dispar. These findings highlight an intricate metabolic relationship characterized by cross-feeding of lactate and glutamate in parallel with considerable gene regulation within both L. acidophilus (lactate-producing) and V. dispar (lactate-utilizing). The mechanisms of mutualistic interactions between a traditional probiotic bacterium and a potential next-generation probiotic bacterium were elucidated in the production of short-chain fatty acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi‐Min Zhang
- Program in Molecular MedicineNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Jia‐He Hung
- School of MedicineNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Tran Ngoc Yen
- Institute of Microbiology and ImmunologyNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Shir‐Ly Huang
- Institute of Microbiology and ImmunologyNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
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13
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Giordano N, Gaudin M, Trottier C, Delage E, Nef C, Bowler C, Chaffron S. Genome-scale community modelling reveals conserved metabolic cross-feedings in epipelagic bacterioplankton communities. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2721. [PMID: 38548725 PMCID: PMC10978986 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46374-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Marine microorganisms form complex communities of interacting organisms that influence central ecosystem functions in the ocean such as primary production and nutrient cycling. Identifying the mechanisms controlling their assembly and activities is a major challenge in microbial ecology. Here, we integrated Tara Oceans meta-omics data to predict genome-scale community interactions within prokaryotic assemblages in the euphotic ocean. A global genome-resolved co-activity network revealed a significant number of inter-lineage associations across diverse phylogenetic distances. Identified co-active communities include species displaying smaller genomes but encoding a higher potential for quorum sensing, biofilm formation, and secondary metabolism. Community metabolic modelling reveals a higher potential for interaction within co-active communities and points towards conserved metabolic cross-feedings, in particular of specific amino acids and group B vitamins. Our integrated ecological and metabolic modelling approach suggests that genome streamlining and metabolic auxotrophies may act as joint mechanisms shaping bacterioplankton community assembly in the global ocean surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Giordano
- Nantes Université, École Centrale Nantes, CNRS, LS2N, UMR 6004, F-44000, Nantes, France
| | - Marinna Gaudin
- Nantes Université, École Centrale Nantes, CNRS, LS2N, UMR 6004, F-44000, Nantes, France
| | - Camille Trottier
- Nantes Université, École Centrale Nantes, CNRS, LS2N, UMR 6004, F-44000, Nantes, France
| | - Erwan Delage
- Nantes Université, École Centrale Nantes, CNRS, LS2N, UMR 6004, F-44000, Nantes, France
| | - Charlotte Nef
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, F-75016, Paris, France
| | - Chris Bowler
- Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure (IBENS), École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Université Paris, F-75016, Paris, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, F-75016, Paris, France
| | - Samuel Chaffron
- Nantes Université, École Centrale Nantes, CNRS, LS2N, UMR 6004, F-44000, Nantes, France.
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, F-75016, Paris, France.
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14
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Custer GF, Bresciani L, Dini-Andreote F. Toward an integrative framework for microbial community coalescence. Trends Microbiol 2024; 32:241-251. [PMID: 37778924 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Community coalescence is defined as the mixing of intact ecological communities. From river confluences to fecal microbiota transplantation, community coalescence constitutes a common ecological occurrence affecting natural and engineered microbial systems. In this opinion article, we propose an integrative framework for microbial community coalescence to guide advances in our understanding of this important - yet underexplored - ecological phenomenon. We start by aligning community coalescence with the unified framework of biological invasion and enumerate commonalities and idiosyncrasies between these two analogous processes. Then, we discuss how organismal interactions and cohesive establishment affect coalescence outcomes with direct implications for community functioning. Last, we propose the use of ecological null modeling to study the interplay of ecological processes structuring community reassembly following coalescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon F Custer
- Department of Plant Science and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; The One Health Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Luana Bresciani
- Department of Plant Science and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; The One Health Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Francisco Dini-Andreote
- Department of Plant Science and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; The One Health Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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15
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Wang Y, Ma M, Dai W, Shang Q, Yu G. Bacteroides salyersiae is a potent chondroitin sulfate-degrading species in the human gut microbiota. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:41. [PMID: 38419055 PMCID: PMC10902947 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01768-2] [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: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Chondroitin sulfate (CS) has widely been used as a symptomatic slow-acting drug or a dietary supplement for the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis. However, CS could not be absorbed after oral intake due to its polyanionic nature and large molecular weight. Gut microbiota has recently been proposed to play a pivotal role in the metabolism of drugs and nutrients. Nonetheless, how CS is degraded by the human gut microbiota has not been fully characterized. In the present study, we demonstrated that each human gut microbiota was characterized with a unique capability for CS degradation. Degradation and fermentation of CS by the human gut microbiota produced significant amounts of unsaturated CS oligosaccharides (CSOSs) and short-chain fatty acids. To uncover which microbes were responsible for CS degradation, we isolated a total of 586 bacterial strains with a potential CS-degrading capability from 23 human fecal samples. Bacteroides salyersiae was a potent species for CS degradation in the human gut microbiota and produced the highest amount of CSOSs as compared to other well-recognized CS-degraders, including Bacteroides finegoldii, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides xylanisolvens, and Bacteroides ovatus. Genomic analysis suggested that B. salyersiae was armed with multiple carbohydrate-active enzymes that could potentially degrade CS into CSOSs. By using a spent medium assay, we further demonstrated that the unsaturated tetrasaccharide (udp4) produced by the primary degrader B. salyersiae could serve as a "public goods" molecule for the growth of Bacteroides stercoris, a secondary CS-degrader that was proficient at fermenting CSOSs but not CS. Taken together, our study provides insights into the metabolism of CS by the human gut microbiota, which has promising implications for the development of medical and nutritional therapies for osteoarthritis. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycotechnology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Mingfeng Ma
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycotechnology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Wei Dai
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycotechnology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Qingsen Shang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycotechnology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, 266237, China.
- Qingdao Marine Biomedical Research Institute, Qingdao, 266071, China.
| | - Guangli Yu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, Shandong Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycotechnology, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, 266237, China.
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16
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Yu L, Xiao M, Tian F, Chen W, Zhai Q. Glycan utilization properties govern the cross-feeding network in gut microbiota: A focus on Bifidobacteria. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024; 69:299-302. [PMID: 38129235 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.11.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Leilei Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Meifang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Fengwei Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Wei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Qixiao Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
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17
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Qiao Y, Huang Q, Guo H, Qi M, Zhang H, Xu Q, Shen Q, Ling N. Nutrient status changes bacterial interactions in a synthetic community. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0156623. [PMID: 38126758 PMCID: PMC10807438 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01566-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial interactions affect community stability and niche spaces in all ecosystems. However, it is not clear what factors influence these interactions, leading to changes in species fitness and ecological niches. Here, we utilized 16 monocultures and their corresponding pairwise co-cultures to measure niche changes among 16 cultivable bacterial species in a wide range of carbon sources, and we used resource availability as a parameter to alter the interactions of the synthetic bacterial community. Our results suggest that metabolic similarity drives niche deformation between bacterial species. We further found that resource limitation resulted in increased microbial inhibition and more negative interactions. At high resource availability, bacteria exhibited little inhibitory potential and stronger facilitation (in 71% of cases), promoting niche expansion. Overall, our results show that metabolic similarity induces different degrees of resource competition, altering pairwise interactions within the synthetic community and potentially modulating bacterial niches. This framework may lay the basis for understanding complex niche deformation and microbial interactions as modulated by metabolic similarity and resource availability.IMPORTANCEUnderstanding the intricate dynamics of microbial interactions is crucial for unraveling the stability and ecological roles of diverse ecosystems. However, the factors driving these interactions, leading to shifts in species fitness and ecological niches, remain inadequately explored. We demonstrate that metabolic similarity serves as a key driver of niche deformation between bacterial species. Resource availability emerges as a pivotal parameter, affecting interactions within the community. Our findings reveal heightened microbial inhibition and more negative interactions under resource-limited conditions. The prevalent facilitation is observed under conditions of high resource availability, underscoring the potential for niche expansion in such contexts. These findings emphasize that metabolic similarity induces varying degrees of resource competition, thereby altering pairwise interactions within the synthetic community and potentially modulating bacterial niches. Our workflow has broad implications for understanding the roles of metabolic similarity and resource availability in microbial interactions and for designing synthetic microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhu Qiao
- Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qiwei Huang
- Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hanyue Guo
- Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Meijie Qi
- Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - He Zhang
- Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qicheng Xu
- Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Centre for Grassland Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Key Lab of Organic-based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ning Ling
- Centre for Grassland Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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18
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Wang C, Kuzyakov Y. Mechanisms and implications of bacterial-fungal competition for soil resources. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae073. [PMID: 38691428 PMCID: PMC11104273 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Elucidating complex interactions between bacteria and fungi that determine microbial community structure, composition, and functions in soil, as well as regulate carbon (C) and nutrient fluxes, is crucial to understand biogeochemical cycles. Among the various interactions, competition for resources is the main factor determining the adaptation and niche differentiation between these two big microbial groups in soil. This is because C and energy limitations for microbial growth are a rule rather than an exception. Here, we review the C and energy demands of bacteria and fungi-the two major kingdoms in soil-the mechanisms of their competition for these and other resources, leading to niche differentiation, and the global change impacts on this competition. The normalized microbial utilization preference showed that bacteria are 1.4-5 times more efficient in the uptake of simple organic compounds as substrates, whereas fungi are 1.1-4.1 times more effective in utilizing complex compounds. Accordingly, bacteria strongly outcompete fungi for simple substrates, while fungi take advantage of complex compounds. Bacteria also compete with fungi for the products released during the degradation of complex substrates. Based on these specifics, we differentiated spatial, temporal, and chemical niches for these two groups in soil. The competition will increase under the main five global changes including elevated CO2, N deposition, soil acidification, global warming, and drought. Elevated CO2, N deposition, and warming increase bacterial dominance, whereas soil acidification and drought increase fungal competitiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoqun Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China
- Biogeochemistry of Agroecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen 37077, Germany
- Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T1Z4, Canada
| | - Yakov Kuzyakov
- National Key Laboratory of Wheat Improvement, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, Shandong, China
- Department of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen 37077, Germany
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19
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Chen G, Yang Y, Yan J, Löffler FE. Metabolite cross-feeding enables concomitant catabolism of chlorinated methanes and chlorinated ethenes in synthetic microbial assemblies. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae090. [PMID: 38818735 PMCID: PMC11170663 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae090] [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: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Isolate studies have been a cornerstone for unraveling metabolic pathways and phenotypical (functional) features. Biogeochemical processes in natural and engineered ecosystems are generally performed by more than a single microbe and often rely on mutualistic interactions. We demonstrate the rational bottom-up design of synthetic, interdependent co-cultures to achieve concomitant utilization of chlorinated methanes as electron donors and organohalogens as electron acceptors. Specialized anaerobes conserve energy from the catabolic conversion of chloromethane or dichloromethane to formate, H2, and acetate, compounds that the organohalide-respiring bacterium Dehalogenimonas etheniformans strain GP requires to utilize cis-1,2-dichloroethenene and vinyl chloride as electron acceptors. Organism-specific qPCR enumeration matched the growth of individual dechlorinators to the respective functional (i.e. dechlorination) traits. The metabolite cross-feeding in the synthetic (co-)cultures enables concomitant utilization of chlorinated methanes (i.e. chloromethane and dichloromethane) and chlorinated ethenes (i.e. cis-1,2-dichloroethenene and vinyl chloride) without the addition of an external electron donor (i.e. formate and H2). The findings illustrate that naturally occurring chlorinated C1 compounds can sustain anaerobic food webs, an observation with implications for the development of interdependent, mutualistic communities, the sustenance of microbial life in oligotrophic and energy-deprived environments, and the fate of chloromethane/dichloromethane and chlorinated electron acceptors (e.g. chlorinated ethenes) in pristine environments and commingled contaminant plumes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gao Chen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States
| | - Yi Yang
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Jun Yan
- Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, China
| | - Frank E Löffler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States
- Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, United States
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20
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Wang S, Mu L, Yu C, He Y, Hu X, Jiao Y, Xu Z, You S, Liu SL, Bao H. Microbial collaborations and conflicts: unraveling interactions in the gut ecosystem. Gut Microbes 2024; 16:2296603. [PMID: 38149632 PMCID: PMC10761165 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2296603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The human gut microbiota constitutes a vast and complex community of microorganisms. The myriad of microorganisms present in the intestinal tract exhibits highly intricate interactions, which play a crucial role in maintaining the stability and balance of the gut microbial ecosystem. These interactions, in turn, influence the overall health of the host. The mammalian gut microbes have evolved a wide range of mechanisms to suppress or even eliminate their competitors for nutrients and space. Simultaneously, extensive cooperative interactions exist among different microbes to optimize resource utilization and enhance their own fitness. This review will focus on the competitive mechanisms among members of the gut microorganisms and discuss key modes of actions, including bacterial secretion systems, bacteriocins, membrane vesicles (MVs) etc. Additionally, we will summarize the current knowledge of the often-overlooked positive interactions within the gut microbiota, and showcase representative machineries. This information will serve as a reference for better understanding the complex interactions occurring within the mammalian gut environment. Understanding the interaction dynamics of competition and cooperation within the gut microbiota is crucial to unraveling the ecology of the mammalian gut microbial communities. Targeted interventions aimed at modulating these interactions may offer potential therapeutic strategies for disease conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Wang
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences (State-Province Key Laboratories of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China), College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Lingyi Mu
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Chong Yu
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yuting He
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xinliang Hu
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Yanlei Jiao
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Ziqiong Xu
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Shaohui You
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Shu-Lin Liu
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Hongxia Bao
- Genomics Research Center, Key Laboratory of Gut Microbiota and Pharmacogenomics of Heilongjiang Province, State-Province Key Laboratory of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- National Key Laboratory of Frigid Zone Cardiovascular Diseases (NKLFZCD) College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- Harbin Medical University-University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Centre for Infection and Genomics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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21
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Cao L, Garcia SL, Wurzbacher C. Establishment of microbial model communities capable of removing trace organic chemicals for biotransformation mechanisms research. Microb Cell Fact 2023; 22:245. [PMID: 38042813 PMCID: PMC10693053 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-023-02252-6] [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: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Removal of trace organic chemicals (TOrCs) in aquatic environments has been intensively studied. Some members of natural microbial communities play a vital role in transforming chemical contaminants, however, complex microbial interactions impede us from gaining adequate understanding of TOrC biotransformation mechanisms. To simplify, in this study, we propose a strategy of establishing reduced-richness model communities capable of removing diverse TOrCs via pre-adaptation and dilution-to-extinction. RESULTS Microbial communities were adapted from tap water, soil, sand, sediment deep and sediment surface to changing concentrations of 27 TOrCs mixture. After adaptation, the communities were further diluted to reduce diversity into 96 deep well plates for high-throughput cultivation. After characterizing microbial structure and TOrC removal performance, thirty taxonomically non-redundant model communities with different removal abilities were obtained. The pre-adaptation process was found to reduce the microbial richness but to increase the evenness and phylogenetic diversity of resulting model communities. Moreover, phylogenetic diversity showed a positive effect on the number of TOrCs that can be transformed simultaneously. Pre-adaptation also improved the overall TOrC removal rates, which was found to be positively correlated with the growth rates of model communities. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study that investigated a wide range of TOrC biotransformation based on different model communities derived from varying natural microbial systems. This study provides a standardized workflow of establishing model communities for different metabolic purposes with changeable inoculum and substrates. The obtained model communities can be further used to find the driving agents of TOrC biotransformation at the enzyme/gene level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijia Cao
- Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany
| | - Sarahi L Garcia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Christian Wurzbacher
- Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany.
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22
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Starke S, Harris DMM, Zimmermann J, Schuchardt S, Oumari M, Frank D, Bang C, Rosenstiel P, Schreiber S, Frey N, Franke A, Aden K, Waschina S. Amino acid auxotrophies in human gut bacteria are linked to higher microbiome diversity and long-term stability. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2370-2380. [PMID: 37891427 PMCID: PMC10689445 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01537-3] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Amino acid auxotrophies are prevalent among bacteria. They can govern ecological dynamics in microbial communities and indicate metabolic cross-feeding interactions among coexisting genotypes. Despite the ecological importance of auxotrophies, their distribution and impact on the diversity and function of the human gut microbiome remain poorly understood. This study performed the first systematic analysis of the distribution of amino acid auxotrophies in the human gut microbiome using a combined metabolomic, metagenomic, and metabolic modeling approach. Results showed that amino acid auxotrophies are ubiquitous in the colon microbiome, with tryptophan auxotrophy being the most common. Auxotrophy frequencies were higher for those amino acids that are also essential to the human host. Moreover, a higher overall abundance of auxotrophies was associated with greater microbiome diversity and stability, and the distribution of auxotrophs was found to be related to the human host's metabolome, including trimethylamine oxide, small aromatic acids, and secondary bile acids. Thus, our results suggest that amino acid auxotrophies are important factors contributing to microbiome ecology and host-microbiome metabolic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Starke
- Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Nutriinformatics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Danielle M M Harris
- Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Nutriinformatics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Johannes Zimmermann
- Zoological Institute, Research Group Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Sven Schuchardt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM), Hanover, Germany
| | - Mhmd Oumari
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Derk Frank
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Corinna Bang
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Philip Rosenstiel
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stefan Schreiber
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Norbert Frey
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner site Hamburg, Kiel, Lübeck, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Konrad Aden
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Silvio Waschina
- Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Nutriinformatics, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
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23
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Kost C, Patil KR, Friedman J, Garcia SL, Ralser M. Metabolic exchanges are ubiquitous in natural microbial communities. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:2244-2252. [PMID: 37996708 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01511-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Microbial communities drive global biogeochemical cycles and shape the health of plants and animals-including humans. Their structure and function are determined by ecological and environmental interactions that govern the assembly, stability and evolution of microbial communities. A widely held view is that antagonistic interactions such as competition predominate in microbial communities and are ecologically more important than synergistic interactions-for example, mutualism or commensalism. Over the past decade, however, a more nuanced picture has emerged, wherein bacteria, archaea and fungi exist within interactive networks in which they exchange essential and non-essential metabolites. These metabolic interactions profoundly impact not only the physiology, ecology and evolution of the strains involved, but are also central to the functioning of many, if not all, microbiomes. Therefore, we advocate for a balanced view of microbiome ecology that encompasses both synergistic and antagonistic interactions as key forces driving the structure and dynamics within microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Kost
- Osnabrück University, Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück, Germany.
| | - Kiran Raosaheb Patil
- Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Jonathan Friedman
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Sarahi L Garcia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Markus Ralser
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Biochemistry, Berlin, Germany.
- The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
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24
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Martinson JNV, Chacón JM, Smith BA, Villarreal AR, Hunter RC, Harcombe WR. Mutualism reduces the severity of gene disruptions in predictable ways across microbial communities. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2270-2278. [PMID: 37865718 PMCID: PMC10689784 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01534-6] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Predicting evolution in microbial communities is critical for problems from human health to global nutrient cycling. Understanding how species interactions impact the distribution of fitness effects for a focal population would enhance our ability to predict evolution. Specifically, does the type of ecological interaction, such as mutualism or competition, change the average effect of a mutation (i.e., the mean of the distribution of fitness effects)? Furthermore, how often does increasing community complexity alter the impact of species interactions on mutant fitness? To address these questions, we created a transposon mutant library in Salmonella enterica and measured the fitness of loss of function mutations in 3,550 genes when grown alone versus competitive co-culture or mutualistic co-culture with Escherichia coli and Methylorubrum extorquens. We found that mutualism reduces the average impact of mutations, while competition had no effect. Additionally, mutant fitness in the 3-species communities can be predicted by averaging the fitness in each 2-species community. Finally, we discovered that in the mutualism S. enterica obtained vitamins and more amino acids than previously known. Our results suggest that species interactions can predictably impact fitness effect distributions, in turn suggesting that evolution may ultimately be predictable in multi-species communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan N V Martinson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Jeremy M Chacón
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Minnesota Super Computing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Brian A Smith
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Alex R Villarreal
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ryan C Hunter
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - William R Harcombe
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
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25
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Zhao C, Duan X, Liu C, Huang H, Wu M, Zhang X, Chen Y. Metabolite Cross-Feeding Promoting NADH Production and Electron Transfer during Efficient SMX Biodegradation by a Denitrifier and S. oneidensis MR-1 in the Presence of Nitrate. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:18306-18316. [PMID: 37043541 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotics often coexist with other pollutants (e.g., nitrate) in an aquatic environment, and their simultaneous biological removal has attracted widespread interest. We have found that sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and nitrate can be efficiently removed by the coculture of a model denitrifier (Paracoccus denitrificans, Pd) and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (So), and SMX degradation is affected by NADH production and electron transfer. In this paper, the mechanism of a coculture promoting NADH production and electron transfer was investigated by proteomic analysis and intermediate experiments. The results showed that glutamine and lactate produced by Pd were captured by So to synthesize thiamine and heme, and the released thiamine was taken up by Pd as a cofactor of pyruvate and ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, which were related to NADH generation. Additionally, Pd acquired heme, which facilitated electron transfer as heme, was the important composition of complex III and cytochrome c and the iron source of iron sulfur clusters, the key component of complex I in the electron transfer chain. Further investigation revealed that lactate and glutamine generated by Pd prompted So chemotactic moving toward Pd, which helped the two bacteria effectively obtain their required substances. Obviously, metabolite cross-feeding promoted NADH production and electron transfer, resulting in efficient SMX biodegradation by Pd and So in the presence of nitrate. Its feasibility was finally verified by the coculture of an activated sludge denitrifier and So.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunxia Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and ReSource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xu Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and ReSource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and ReSource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Haining Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and ReSource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Meirou Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and ReSource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xuemeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and ReSource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yinguang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and ReSource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China
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26
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Ge ZB, Zhai ZQ, Xie WY, Dai J, Huang K, Johnson DR, Zhao FJ, Wang P. Two-tiered mutualism improves survival and competitiveness of cross-feeding soil bacteria. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2090-2102. [PMID: 37737252 PMCID: PMC10579247 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01519-5] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic cross-feeding is a pervasive microbial interaction type that affects community stability and functioning and directs carbon and energy flows. The mechanisms that underlie these interactions and their association with metal/metalloid biogeochemistry, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we identified two soil bacteria, Bacillus sp. BP-3 and Delftia sp. DT-2, that engage in a two-tiered mutualism. Strain BP-3 has low utilization ability of pyruvic acid while strain DT-2 lacks hexokinase, lacks a phosphotransferase system, and is defective in glucose utilization. When strain BP-3 is grown in isolation with glucose, it releases pyruvic acid to the environment resulting in acidification and eventual self-killing. However, when strain BP-3 is grown together with strain DT-2, strain DT-2 utilizes the released pyruvic acid to meet its energy requirements, consequently rescuing strain BP-3 from pyruvic acid-induced growth inhibition. The two bacteria further enhance their collective competitiveness against other microbes by using arsenic as a weapon. Strain DT-2 reduces relatively non-toxic methylarsenate [MAs(V)] to highly toxic methylarsenite [MAs(III)], which kills or suppresses competitors, while strain BP-3 detoxifies MAs(III) by methylation to non-toxic dimethylarsenate [DMAs(V)]. These two arsenic transformations are enhanced when strains DT-2 and BP-3 are grown together. The two strains, along with their close relatives, widely co-occur in soils and their abundances increase with the soil arsenic concentration. Our results reveal that these bacterial types employ a two-tiered mutualism to ensure their collective metabolic activity and maintain their ecological competitive against other soil microbes. These findings shed light on the intricateness of bacterial interactions and their roles in ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhan-Biao Ge
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Centre for Agriculture and Health, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Zhi-Qiang Zhai
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
- Centre for Agriculture and Health, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Wan-Ying Xie
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jun Dai
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Ke Huang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - David R Johnson
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Fang-Jie Zhao
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
- Centre for Agriculture and Health, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.
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27
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D’Souza G, Schwartzman J, Keegstra J, Schreier JE, Daniels M, Cordero OX, Stocker R, Ackermann M. Interspecies interactions determine growth dynamics of biopolymer-degrading populations in microbial communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305198120. [PMID: 37878716 PMCID: PMC10622921 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305198120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial communities perform essential ecosystem functions such as the remineralization of organic carbon that exists as biopolymers. The first step in mineralization is performed by biopolymer degraders, which harbor enzymes that can break down polymers into constituent oligo- or monomeric forms. The released nutrients not only allow degraders to grow, but also promote growth of cells that either consume the degradation products, i.e., exploiters, or consume metabolites released by the degraders or exploiters, i.e., scavengers. It is currently not clear how such remineralizing communities assemble at the microscale-how interactions between the different guilds influence their growth and spatial distribution, and hence the development and dynamics of the community. Here, we address this knowledge gap by studying marine microbial communities that grow on the abundant marine biopolymer alginate. We used batch growth assays and microfluidics coupled to time-lapse microscopy to quantitatively investigate growth and spatial distribution of single cells. We found that the presence of exploiters or scavengers alters the spatial distribution of degrader cells. In general, exploiters and scavengers-which we collectively refer to as cross-feeder cells-slowed down the growth of degrader cells. In addition, coexistence with cross-feeders altered the production of the extracellular enzymes that break down polymers by degrader cells. Our findings reveal that ecological interactions by nondegrading community members have a profound impact on the functions of microbial communities that remineralize carbon biopolymers in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen D’Souza
- Microbial Systems Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH-Zurich, Zurich8006, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences, Duebendorf8600, Switzerland
| | - Julia Schwartzman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Johannes Keegstra
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich8093, Switzerland
| | | | - Michael Daniels
- Microbial Systems Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH-Zurich, Zurich8006, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences, Duebendorf8600, Switzerland
| | - Otto X. Cordero
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA02139
| | - Roman Stocker
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich8093, Switzerland
| | - Martin Ackermann
- Microbial Systems Ecology Group, Department of Environmental Systems Sciences, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH-Zurich, Zurich8006, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Sciences, Duebendorf8600, Switzerland
- Environmental Engineering Institute, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015Lausanne, Switzerland
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28
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Sun X, Sanchez A. Synthesizing microbial biodiversity. Curr Opin Microbiol 2023; 75:102348. [PMID: 37352679 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2023.102348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The diversity of microbial ecosystems is linked to crucial ecological processes and functions. Despite its significance, the ecological mechanisms responsible for the initiation and maintenance of microbiome diversity are still not fully understood. The primary challenge lies in the difficulty of isolating, monitoring, and manipulating the complex and interrelated ecological processes that modulate the diversity of microbial communities in their natural habitats. Synthetic ecology experiments provide a suitable alternative for investigating the mechanisms behind microbial biodiversity in controlled laboratory settings, as the environment can be systematically and modularly manipulated by adding and removing components. This enables the testing of hypotheses and the advancement of predictive theories. In this review, we present an overview of recent progress toward achieving this goal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Sun
- Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Alvaro Sanchez
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, National Center for Biotechnology CNB-CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
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29
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Zhao Y, Liu Z, Zhang B, Cai J, Yao X, Zhang M, Deng Y, Hu B. Inter-bacterial mutualism promoted by public goods in a system characterized by deterministic temperature variation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5394. [PMID: 37669961 PMCID: PMC10480208 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41224-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutualism is commonly observed in nature but not often reported for bacterial communities. Although abiotic stress is thought to promote microbial mutualism, there is a paucity of research in this area. Here, we monitor microbial communities in a quasi-natural composting system, where temperature variation (20 °C-70 °C) is the main abiotic stress. Genomic analyses and culturing experiments provide evidence that temperature selects for slow-growing and stress-tolerant strains (i.e., Thermobifida fusca and Saccharomonospora viridis), and mutualistic interactions emerge between them and the remaining strains through the sharing of cobalamin. Comparison of 3000 bacterial pairings reveals that mutualism is common (~39.1%) and competition is rare (~13.9%) in pairs involving T. fusca and S. viridis. Overall, our work provides insights into how high temperature can favour mutualism and reduce competition at both the community and species levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Zhao
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zishu Liu
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Baofeng Zhang
- Hangzhou Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingjie Cai
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiangwu Yao
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ye Deng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Baolan Hu
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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30
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Luan L, Dini-Andreote F, Sun B, Jiang Y. Modeling soil bacterial diversity: challenges and opportunities. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:885-888. [PMID: 37301687 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.05.013] [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: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms structuring soil bacterial diversity has critical implications to advance the parametrization of species distribution models. This forum article discusses recent advances in the use of the metabolic theory of ecology applicable to soil microbiology, and highlights challenges and opportunities to inform future empirical and theoretical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Luan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yingtan 335211, China
| | - Francisco Dini-Andreote
- Department of Plant Science & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Bo Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yingtan 335211, China.
| | - Yuji Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Ecological Experimental Station of Red Soil, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yingtan 335211, China.
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31
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Treerat P, Anderson D, Giacaman RA, Merritt J, Kreth J. Glycerol metabolism supports oral commensal interactions. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1116-1127. [PMID: 37169870 PMCID: PMC10284889 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01426-9] [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: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
During oral biofilm development, interspecies interactions drive species distribution and biofilm architecture. To understand what molecular mechanisms determine these interactions, we used information gained from recent biogeographical investigations demonstrating an association of corynebacteria with streptococci. We previously reported that Streptococcus sanguinis and Corynebacterium durum have a close relationship through the production of membrane vesicle and fatty acids leading to S. sanguinis chain elongation and overall increased fitness supporting their commensal state. Here we present the molecular mechanisms of this interspecies interaction. Coculture experiments for transcriptomic analysis identified several differentially expressed genes in S. sanguinis. Due to its connection to fatty acid synthesis, we focused on the glycerol-operon. We further explored the differentially expressed type IV pili genes due to their connection to motility and biofilm adhesion. Gene inactivation of the glycerol kinase glpK had a profound impact on the ability of S. sanguinis to metabolize C. durum secreted glycerol and impaired chain elongation important for their interaction. Investigations on the effect of type IV pili revealed a reduction of S. sanguinis twitching motility in the presence of C. durum, which was caused by a decrease in type IV pili abundance on the surface of S. sanguinis as determined by SEM. In conclusion, we identified that the ability to metabolize C. durum produced glycerol is crucial for the interaction of C. durum and S. sanguinis. Reduced twitching motility could lead to a closer interaction of both species, supporting niche development in the oral cavity and potentially shaping symbiotic health-associated biofilm communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puthayalai Treerat
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
| | - David Anderson
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Rodrigo A Giacaman
- Cariology Unit, Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Justin Merritt
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, 97239, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Jens Kreth
- Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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32
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Dini-Andreote F, Custer GF. Ecological principles of fecal microbiota transplantation. Trends Microbiol 2023:S0966-842X(23)00162-2. [PMID: 37301689 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.05.009] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure used to treat diseases related to microbiome imbalances. We discuss how ecological principles can inform the design of FMT clinical trials and contribute to data interpretation. This effort will promote a better understanding of microbiome engraftment and assist the development of clinical protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Dini-Andreote
- Department of Plant Science & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; The One Health Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Gordon F Custer
- Department of Plant Science & Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; The One Health Microbiome Center, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
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33
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Kong L, Zheng R, Feng Y, Du W, Xie C, Gu Y, Liu S. Anammox bacteria adapt to long-term light irradiation in photogranules. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 241:120144. [PMID: 37300965 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Photogranules composed of algae, nitrifiers, and anammox bacteria are promising for nitrogen removal from wastewater with reduced aeration and carbon emissions. However, it is difficult to be achieved as the potential inhibition of anammox bacteria by light. In this study, a syntrophic algal-partial nitrification/anammox granular sludge process was developed, with a nitrogen removal rate of 294.5 mg N/(L·d). We found the symbiosis in the community promoted the adaptation of anammox bacteria under light, and cross-feeding played an important role. Microalgae in the outer layers of photogranules sheltered most of the light and supplied cofactors and amino acids to promote nitrogen removal. In particular, Myxococcota MYX1 degraded the extracellular proteins produced by microalgae, providing amino acids to the entire bacterial community, which helped anammox bacteria save metabolic energy and adapt to light. Notably, the anammox bacteria Candidatus Brocadia exhibited unique light-sensing potential and adaptations to light irradiation compared with Candidatus Jettenia, including diverse DNA repair, scavenging of reactive oxygen species, cell movement. The phytochrome-like proteins encoded by Candidatus Brocadia further facilitated their spatial positioning and niche partitioning in photogranules. This study provides insights into the response of anammox bacteria in the algae-bacteria symbiosis system and suggests its potential application for carbon-negative nitrogen removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingrui Kong
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ru Zheng
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yiming Feng
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenran Du
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chen Xie
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yuanqi Gu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Sitong Liu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China.
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34
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Lin L, Du R, Wu Q, Xu Y. Metabolic cooperation between conspecific genotypic groups contributes to bacterial fitness. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:41. [PMID: 37117489 PMCID: PMC10147913 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00250-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Microbial interactions are important for the survival of species and the stability of the microbial ecosystem. Although bacteria have diverse conspecific genotypes in the natural microbial ecosystem, little is known about whether wild-type strains within species would interact with each other and how the intraspecific interaction influences the growth of the species. In this work, using Lactobacillus acetotolerans, a dominant species with diverse conspecific genotypes in natural food fermentation ecosystems as a case, we studied the interactions between different genotypic groups of this species. In interspecific and intraspecific pairwise cocultures, the growth of L. acetotolerans decreased, but the increase of the phylogenetic similarity would reduce this negative effect, indicating a potential intraspecific interaction of this species. Meanwhile, the strain classification method affected the analysis of intraspecific interactions, which can be efficiently demonstrated using 99.5% average nucleotide identity (ANI) as the strain-level classification method. Using this ANI classification method, we revealed the population fitness significantly increased in cocultures of different genotypic groups. Facilitation involving 11 amino acids was identified between different ANI genotypic groups, which was beneficial for increasing population fitness. This work revealed that wild-type conspecific strains could interact with each other via cooperative metabolic changes and benefit each other to increase fitness. It shed new light on the survival and stability of species in natural microbial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Lin
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Rubing Du
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
| | - Qun Wu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China.
| | - Yan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology and Applied Enzymology, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China
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von Meijenfeldt FAB, Hogeweg P, Dutilh BE. A social niche breadth score reveals niche range strategies of generalists and specialists. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:768-781. [PMID: 37012375 PMCID: PMC10172124 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02027-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Generalists can survive in many environments, whereas specialists are restricted to a single environment. Although a classical concept in ecology, niche breadth has remained challenging to quantify for microorganisms because it depends on an objective definition of the environment. Here, by defining the environment of a microorganism as the community it resides in, we integrated information from over 22,000 environmental sequencing samples to derive a quantitative measure of the niche, which we call social niche breadth. At the level of genera, we explored niche range strategies throughout the prokaryotic tree of life. We found that social generalists include opportunists that stochastically dominate local communities, whereas social specialists are stable but low in abundance. Social generalists have a more diverse and open pan-genome than social specialists, but we found no global correlation between social niche breadth and genome size. Instead, we observed two distinct evolutionary strategies, whereby specialists have relatively small genomes in habitats with low local diversity, but relatively large genomes in habitats with high local diversity. Together, our analysis shines data-driven light on microbial niche range strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- F A Bastiaan von Meijenfeldt
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Science for Life, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, the Netherlands
| | - Paulien Hogeweg
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Science for Life, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Bas E Dutilh
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Biology, Science for Life, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
- Institute of Biodiversity, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
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36
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Geller AM, Levy A. "What I cannot create, I do not understand": elucidating microbe-microbe interactions to facilitate plant microbiome engineering. Curr Opin Microbiol 2023; 72:102283. [PMID: 36868050 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2023.102283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
Plant-microbe interactions are important for both physiological and pathological processes. Despite the significance of plant-microbe interactions, microbe-microbe interactions themselves represent an important, complex, dynamic network that warrants deeper investigation. To understand how microbe-microbe interactions affect plant microbiomes, one approach is to systematically understand all the factors involved in successful engineering of a microbial community. This follows the physicist Richard Feynman's declaration: "what I cannot create, I do not understand". This review highlights recent studies that focus on aspects that we believe are important for building (ergo understanding) microbe-microbe interactions in the plant environment, including pairwise screening, intelligent application of cross-feeding models, spatial distributions of microbes, and understudied interactions between bacteria and fungi, phages, and protists. We offer a framework for systematic collection and centralized integration of data of plant microbiomes that could organize all the factors that can help ecologists understand microbiomes and help synthetic ecologists engineer beneficial microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Geller
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Science, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Asaf Levy
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Institute of Environmental Science, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
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37
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Pauli B, Ajmera S, Kost C. Determinants of synergistic cell-cell interactions in bacteria. Biol Chem 2023; 404:521-534. [PMID: 36859766 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2022-0303] [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: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria are ubiquitous and colonize virtually every conceivable habitat on earth. To achieve this, bacteria require different metabolites and biochemical capabilities. Rather than trying to produce all of the needed materials by themselves, bacteria have evolved a range of synergistic interactions, in which they exchange different commodities with other members of their local community. While it is widely acknowledged that synergistic interactions are key to the ecology of both individual bacteria and entire microbial communities, the factors determining their establishment remain poorly understood. Here we provide a comprehensive overview over our current knowledge on the determinants of positive cell-cell interactions among bacteria. Taking a holistic approach, we review the literature on the molecular mechanisms bacteria use to transfer commodities between bacterial cells and discuss to which extent these mechanisms favour or constrain the successful establishment of synergistic cell-cell interactions. In addition, we analyse how these different processes affect the specificity among interaction partners. By drawing together evidence from different disciplines that study the focal question on different levels of organisation, this work not only summarizes the state of the art in this exciting field of research, but also identifies new avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Pauli
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, D-49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Shiksha Ajmera
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, D-49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Christian Kost
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, D-49076 Osnabrück, Germany.,Center of Cellular Nanoanalytics (CellNanOs), Osnabrück University, Barbarastrasse 11, D-49076 Osnabrück, Germany
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38
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Gokhale CS, Velasque M, Denton JA. Ecological Drivers of Community Cohesion. mSystems 2023; 8:e0092922. [PMID: 36656037 PMCID: PMC9948702 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00929-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
From protocellular to societal, networks of living systems are complex and multiscale. Discerning the factors that facilitate assembly of these intricate interdependencies using pairwise interactions can be nearly impossible. To facilitate a greater understanding, we developed a mathematical and computational model based on a synthetic four-strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae interdependent system. Specifically, we aimed to provide a greater understanding of how ecological factors influence community dynamics. By leveraging transiently structured ecologies, we were able to drive community cohesion. We show how ecological interventions could reverse or slow the extinction rate of a cohesive community. An interconnected system first needs to persist long enough to be a subject of natural selection. Our emulation of Darwin's "warm little ponds" with an ecology governed by transient compartmentalization provided the necessary persistence. Our results reveal utility across scales of organization, stressing the importance of cyclic processes in major evolutionary transitions, engineering of synthetic microbial consortia, and conservation biology. IMPORTANCE We are facing unprecedented disruption and collapse of ecosystems across the globe. To have any hope of mitigating this phenomenon, a much greater understanding of ecosystem dynamics is required. However, ecosystems are typically composed of highly dynamic networks of individual species. These interactions are further modulated by abiotic and biotic factors that vary temporally and spatially. Thus, ecological dynamics are obfuscated by this complexity. Here, we developed a theoretical model, informed by a synthetic experimental system, of Darwin's "warm little ponds." This cycling four-species system seeks to elucidate the ecological factors that drive or inhibit interaction. We show that these factors could provide an essential tool for avoiding the accelerating ecological collapse. Our study also provides a starting point to develop a more encompassing model to inform conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaitanya S. Gokhale
- Research Group for Theoretical Models of Eco-evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Mariana Velasque
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Japan
- Experimental Evolutionary Biology Lab, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Jai A. Denton
- Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Japan
- World Mosquito Program, Institute of Vector-borne Disease, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
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39
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Cooperative virulence via the collective action of secreted pathogen effectors. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:640-650. [PMID: 36782026 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01328-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
Although virulence is typically attributed to single pathogenic strains, here we investigated whether effectors secreted by a population of non-virulent strains could function as public goods to enable the emergence of collective virulence. We disaggregated the 36 type III effectors of the phytopathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae strain PtoDC3000 into a 'metaclone' of 36 coisogenic strains, each carrying a single effector in an effectorless background. Each coisogenic strain was individually unfit, but the metaclone was collectively as virulent as the wild-type strain on Arabidopsis thaliana, suggesting that effectors can drive the emergence of cooperation-based virulence through their public action. We show that independently evolved effector suits can equally drive this cooperative behaviour by transferring the effector alleles native to the strain PmaES4326 into the conspecific but divergent strain PtoDC3000. Finally, we transferred the disaggregated PtoDC3000 effector arsenal into Pseudomonas fluorescens and show that their cooperative action was sufficient to convert this rhizosphere-inhabiting beneficial bacterium into a phyllosphere pathogen. These results emphasize the importance of microbial community interactions and expand the ecological scale at which disease may be attributed.
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40
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Hu H, Wang M, Huang Y, Xu Z, Xu P, Nie Y, Tang H. Guided by the principles of microbiome engineering: Accomplishments and perspectives for environmental use. MLIFE 2022; 1:382-398. [PMID: 38818482 PMCID: PMC10989833 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Although the accomplishments of microbiome engineering highlight its significance for the targeted manipulation of microbial communities, knowledge and technical gaps still limit the applications of microbiome engineering in biotechnology, especially for environmental use. Addressing the environmental challenges of refractory pollutants and fluctuating environmental conditions requires an adequate understanding of the theoretical achievements and practical applications of microbiome engineering. Here, we review recent cutting-edge studies on microbiome engineering strategies and their classical applications in bioremediation. Moreover, a framework is summarized for combining both top-down and bottom-up approaches in microbiome engineering toward improved applications. A strategy to engineer microbiomes for environmental use, which avoids the build-up of toxic intermediates that pose a risk to human health, is suggested. We anticipate that the highlighted framework and strategy will be beneficial for engineering microbiomes to address difficult environmental challenges such as degrading multiple refractory pollutants and sustain the performance of engineered microbiomes in situ with indigenous microorganisms under fluctuating conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyang Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Miaoxiao Wang
- Department of Environmental Systems ScienceETH ZürichZürichSwitzerland
- Department of Environmental MicrobiologyETH ZürichEawagSwitzerland
| | - Yiqun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Zhaoyong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ping Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yong Nie
- College of EngineeringPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Hongzhi Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, and School of Life Sciences & BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
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41
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Zuo J, Tan F, Zhang H, Xue Y, Grossart HP, Jeppesen E, Xiao P, Chen H, Yang J. Interaction between Raphidiopsis raciborskii and rare bacterial species revealed by dilution-to-extinction experiments. HARMFUL ALGAE 2022; 120:102350. [PMID: 36470605 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2022.102350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between heterotrophic bacteria and cyanobacteria regulate the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems and are thus crucial for the prediction and management of cyanobacterial blooms in relation to water security. Currently, abundant bacterial species are of primary concern, while the role of more diverse and copious rare species remains largely unknown. Using a dilution-to-extinction approach, rare bacterial species from reservoir water were co-cultured with the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Raphidiopsis raciborskii in the lab to explore their interactions by using Phyto-PAM and 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. We found that a ≤1000-fold bacterial dilution led to bacteria control of the growth and photosynthesis of R. raciborskii. Moreover, the bacterial community compositions in the low-dilution groups were clearly diverged from the high-dilution groups. Importantly, rare species changed dramatically in the low-dilution groups, resulting in lower phylogenetic diversity and narrower niche width. The network complexity and compositional stability of bacterial communities decreased in the low-dilution groups. Collectively, our results suggest that rare bacterial species inhibit R. raciborskii growth and photosynthesis through microbial interactions mediated by species coexistence and interaction mechanisms. Our study provides new knowledge of the ecological role of rare bacteria and offers new perspectives for understanding the outbreak and regression of R. raciborskii blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zuo
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Fengjiao Tan
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongteng Zhang
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yuanyuan Xue
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China
| | - Hans-Peter Grossart
- Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Stechlin 16775, Germany; University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam 14469, Germany
| | - Erik Jeppesen
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark; Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, Beijing 100049, China; Limnology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Ecosystem Research and Implementation, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey; Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Mersin 33731, Turkey
| | - Peng Xiao
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Huihuang Chen
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jun Yang
- Aquatic EcoHealth Group, Fujian Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecology, Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China.
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McClure R, Farris Y, Danczak R, Nelson W, Song HS, Kessell A, Lee JY, Couvillion S, Henry C, Jansson JK, Hofmockel KS. Interaction Networks Are Driven by Community-Responsive Phenotypes in a Chitin-Degrading Consortium of Soil Microbes. mSystems 2022; 7:e0037222. [PMID: 36154140 PMCID: PMC9599572 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00372-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Soil microorganisms provide key ecological functions that often rely on metabolic interactions between individual populations of the soil microbiome. To better understand these interactions and community processes, we used chitin, a major carbon and nitrogen source in soil, as a test substrate to investigate microbial interactions during its decomposition. Chitin was applied to a model soil consortium that we developed, "model soil consortium-2" (MSC-2), consisting of eight members of diverse phyla and including both chitin degraders and nondegraders. A multiomics approach revealed how MSC-2 community-level processes during chitin decomposition differ from monocultures of the constituent species. Emergent properties of both species and the community were found, including changes in the chitin degradation potential of Streptomyces species and organization of all species into distinct roles in the chitin degradation process. The members of MSC-2 were further evaluated via metatranscriptomics and community metabolomics. Intriguingly, the most abundant members of MSC-2 were not those that were able to metabolize chitin itself, but rather those that were able to take full advantage of interspecies interactions to grow on chitin decomposition products. Using a model soil consortium greatly increased our knowledge of how carbon is decomposed and metabolized in a community setting, showing that niche size, rather than species metabolic capacity, can drive success and that certain species become active carbon degraders only in the context of their surrounding community. These conclusions fill important knowledge gaps that are key to our understanding of community interactions that support carbon and nitrogen cycling in soil. IMPORTANCE The soil microbiome performs many functions that are key to ecology, agriculture, and nutrient cycling. However, because of the complexity of this ecosystem we do not know the molecular details of the interactions between microbial species that lead to these important functions. Here, we use a representative but simplified model community of bacteria to understand the details of these interactions. We show that certain species act as primary degraders of carbon sources and that the most successful species are likely those that can take the most advantage of breakdown products, not necessarily the primary degraders. We also show that a species phenotype, including whether it is a primary degrader or not, is driven in large part by the membership of the community it resides in. These conclusions are critical to a better understanding of the soil microbial interaction network and how these interactions drive central soil microbiome functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan McClure
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Yuliya Farris
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Robert Danczak
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - William Nelson
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Hyun-Seob Song
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Aimee Kessell
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Joon-Yong Lee
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Sneha Couvillion
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Christopher Henry
- Data Science and Learning Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Janet K. Jansson
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | - Kirsten S. Hofmockel
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
- Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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43
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Giri S, Yousif G, Shitut S, Oña L, Kost C. Prevalent emergence of reciprocity among cross-feeding bacteria. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:71. [PMID: 37938764 PMCID: PMC9723789 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00155-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Explaining the de novo evolution of obligate cooperative cross-feeding interactions among bacteria is a fundamental problem. A critical step during this process is the emergence of reciprocity among two interaction partners, because a mutually beneficial exchange of metabolic byproducts can subsequently favour the evolution of cooperative cross-feeding. However, so far, the propensity with which unidirectional cross-feeding interactions transition into bidirectional interactions remains unknown. To address this issue, we systematically cocultured four amino acid auxotrophic genotypes of two bacterial species with potential amino acid donors belonging to 25 different bacterial species. Surprisingly, the results of this experiment revealed that in around 40% of all cases analysed, both the auxotrophic recipient and the metabolically autonomous donor gained a significant growth advantage in coculture. Subsequent experiments clarified that the auxotrophy-causing mutation did not induce the growth-enhancing effect of recipients, but that it was rather due to a generally high propensity of different species to engage in synergistic metabolic interactions. Together, these findings show that reciprocity commonly emerges spontaneously in unidirectional cross-feeding interactions, thus paving the way for the evolution of even tighter metabolic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samir Giri
- Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745, Jena, Germany.
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany.
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Ghada Yousif
- Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt
| | - Shraddha Shitut
- Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Leonardo Oña
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Christian Kost
- Experimental Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, 07745, Jena, Germany.
- Department of Ecology, School of Biology/Chemistry, Osnabrück University, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany.
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44
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Wang X, Wu H, Dai C, Wang X, Wang L, Xu J, Lu Z. Microbial interactions enhanced environmental fitness and expanded ecological niches under dibutyl phthalate and cadmium co-contamination. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 306:119362. [PMID: 35489538 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Co-contamination of organic pollutants and heavy metals is universal in the natural environment. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a typical plasticizer, frequently coexists with cadmium (Cd) in nature. However, little attention has been given to the impacts of co-contamination by DBP and Cd on microbial communities or the responses of microbes. To address this, a microcosm experiment was conducted by supplying the exogenous DBP-degrading bacterium Glutamicibacter nicotianae ZM05 to investigate the interplay among DBP-Cd co-contamination, the exogenous DBP-degrading bacterium G. nicotianae ZM05, and indigenous microorganisms. To adapt to co-contamination stress, microbial communities adjust their diversity, interactions, and functions. The stability of the microbial community decreased under co-contamination, as evidenced by lower diversity, simpler network, and fewer ecological niches. Microbial interactions were strengthened, as evidenced by enriched pathways related to microbial communications. Meanwhile, interactions between microorganisms enhanced the environmental fitness of the exogenous DBP-degrading bacterium ZM05. Based on co-occurrence network prediction and coculture experiments, metabolic interactions between the non-DBP-degrading bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans ZM16 and ZM05 were proven. Strain ZM16 utilized protocatechuic acid, a DBP downstream metabolite, to relieve acid inhibition and adsorbed Cd to relieve toxic stress. These findings help to explain the responses of bacterial and fungal communities to DBP-Cd co-contamination and provide new insights for the construction of degrading consortia for bioremediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejun Wang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao Wu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chuhan Dai
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lvjing Wang
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianming Xu
- Institute of Soil and Water Resources and Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhenmei Lu
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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45
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Browne HP, Shao Y, Lawley TD. Mother-infant transmission of human microbiota. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 69:102173. [PMID: 35785616 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Humans are colonised by a highly adapted microbiota with coevolved functions that promote human health, development and disease resistance. Acquisition and assembly of the microbiota start at birth and recent evidence suggests that it coincides with, and informs, immune system development and regulation in the rapidly growing infant. Several large-scale studies have identified Bifidobacterium and Bacteroides species maternally transmitted to infants, many of which are capable of colonising over the longer term. Disruption of maternal transmission by caesarean section and antibiotic exposure around birth is associated with a higher incidence of pathogen colonisation and immune-related disorders in children. In this review, we discuss key maternally transmitted bacterial species, their sources and their potential role in shaping immune development. Maternal transmission of gut bacteria provides a microbial 'starter kit' for infants which promotes healthy growth and disease resistance. Optimising and nurturing this under-appreciated form of kinship should be considered as a priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilary P Browne
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK.
| | - Yan Shao
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Trevor D Lawley
- Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA, UK.
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46
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Lin L, Du R, Wang Y, Wu Q, Xu Y. Regulation of auxotrophic lactobacilli growth by amino acid cross-feeding interaction. Int J Food Microbiol 2022; 377:109769. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.109769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
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Abstract
Ecotypic diversification and its associated cooperative behaviors are frequently observed in natural microbial populations whose access to resources is often sporadic. However, the extent to which fluctuations in resource availability influence the emergence of cooperative ecotypes is not fully understood. To determine how exposure to repeated resource limitation affects the establishment and long-term maintenance of ecotypes in a structured environment, we followed 32 populations of Escherichia coli evolving to either 1-day or 10-day feast/famine cycles for 900 days. Population-level analysis revealed that compared to populations evolving to 1-day cycles, 10-day populations evolved increased biofilm density, higher parallelism in mutational targets, and increased mutation rates. As previous investigations of evolution in structured environments have identified biofilm formation as the earliest observable phenotype associated with diversification of ecotypes, we revived cultures midway through the evolutionary process and conducted additional genomic, transcriptional, and phenotypic analyses of clones isolated from these evolving populations. We found not only that 10-day feast/famine cycles support multiple ecotypes but also that these ecotypes exhibit cooperative behavior. Consistent with the black queen hypothesis, or evolution of cooperation by gene loss, transcriptomic evidence suggests the evolution of bidirectional cross-feeding behaviors based on essential resources. These results provide insight into how analogous cooperative relationships may emerge in natural microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Despite regular feast and famine conditions representing an environmental pressure that is commonly encountered by microbial communities, the evolutionary outcomes of repeated cycles of feast and famine have been less studied. By experimentally evolving initially isogenic Escherichia coli populations to 10-day feast/famine cycles, we observed rapid diversification into ecotypes with evidence of bidirectional cross-feeding on costly resources and frequency-dependent fitness. Although unidirectional cross-feeding has been repeatedly observed to evolve in laboratory culture, most investigations of bidirectional cooperative behaviors in microbial populations have been conducted in engineered communities. This work demonstrates the de novo evolution of black queen relationships in a microbial population originating from a single ancestor, providing a model for investigation of the eco-evolutionary processes leading to mutualistic cooperation.
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48
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Qiao N, Wittouck S, Mattarelli P, Zheng J, Lebeer S, Felis GE, Gänzle MG. After the storm-Perspectives on the taxonomy of Lactobacillaceae. JDS COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 3:222-227. [PMID: 36338818 PMCID: PMC9623751 DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2021-0183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
In 2020, a taxonomic reorganization of the lactic acid bacteria reclassified over 300 species in 7 genera and 2 families into one family, the Lactobacillaceae, with 31 genera including 23 new genera to include organisms formerly classified as Lactobacillus species. This communication aims to provide a debrief on the taxonomic reorganization of lactobacilli to identify shortcomings in the proposed taxonomic framework, and to outline perspectives and opportunities provided by the current taxonomy of the Lactobacillaceae. The current taxonomy of lactobacilli not only necessitates becoming familiar with 23 new genus names but also provides substantial new opportunities in scientific discovery and regulatory approval of these organisms. First, description of new species in the Lactobacillaceae is facilitated and a solid framework for description of novel genera is provided. Second, the current taxonomy greatly enhances the resolution of genus-level sequencing approaches (e.g., 16S rRNA-based metagenomics) when identifying the composition and function of microbial communities. Third, the current taxonomy greatly facilitates the formulation of hypotheses linking phylogeny to metabolism and ecology of lactobacilli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanzhen Qiao
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2P5
| | - Stijn Wittouck
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Paola Mattarelli
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin 42, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Jinshui Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Sarah Lebeer
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Giovanna E. Felis
- Department of Biotechnology, Verona University Culture Collection, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie, 15, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Michael G. Gänzle
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2P5
- Corresponding author:
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Xiong X, Liao H, Xing Y, Han X, Wang W, Wan W, Huang Q, Chen W. Soil Aggregates and Fertilizer Treatments Drive Bacterial Interactions via Interspecies Niche Overlap. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0252421. [PMID: 35234512 PMCID: PMC8941866 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02524-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial interactions play significant roles in ecological functions in responding to anthropogenic interference and soil structure changes. However, it remains largely unknown how fertilizer regimes and soil particle sizes drive bacterial interactions. To evaluate bacterial interaction patterns in soil aggregates under long-term fertilizer treatments, we sampled nine bacterial co-occurrence communities and compared the difference between interspecies resource consumption patterns and network structure. Despite the differences between fertilizer treatments, the negative correlation ratios of interaction networks in soil aggregates were macroaggregates > microaggregates > silt + clays. Likewise, NPK-supplement (chemical fertilizer) had also decreased the number of positive correlations of the interaction network than M-supplement (organic fertilizer), regardless of the size of soil aggregates. Linear model analysis revealed that interspecies trophic patterns, including niche overlap and nestedness, drove bacterial competition in the interaction networks. Most importantly, interspecies niche overlap may be the intrinsic factor in the effects of fertilizer treatments and soil aggregates on bacterial interactions. This study enhances our understanding of the potential for changes in species trophic patterns and might guide the promotion of land management. IMPORTANCE Despite that the influence of soil structure and fertilizer treatments on the bacterial community has been widely studied, how they drive interspecies interactions has not been largely explored. Connectance and nestedness were significantly correlated with bacterial interactions, but no differences were found in different soil aggregates and fertilizer treatments. However, interspecies niche overlap could respond to soil aggregates and fertilizer treatments and ultimately drive the bacterial interactions. This study enhances our understanding of the mechanism of microbial interactions and highlights the importance of trophic patterns in the bacterial community. Our findings extend knowledge for nutrient availability on interspecific interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hao Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanfang Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xukun Han
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wanle Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenjie Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiaoyun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation (Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenli Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
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50
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Zachar I, Boza G. The Evolution of Microbial Facilitation: Sociogenesis, Symbiogenesis, and Transition in Individuality. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.798045] [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
Metabolic cooperation is widespread, and it seems to be a ubiquitous and easily evolvable interaction in the microbial domain. Mutual metabolic cooperation, like syntrophy, is thought to have a crucial role in stabilizing interactions and communities, for example biofilms. Furthermore, cooperation is expected to feed back positively to the community under higher-level selection. In certain cases, cooperation can lead to a transition in individuality, when freely reproducing, unrelated entities (genes, microbes, etc.) irreversibly integrate to form a new evolutionary unit. The textbook example is endosymbiosis, prevalent among eukaryotes but virtually lacking among prokaryotes. Concerning the ubiquity of syntrophic microbial communities, it is intriguing why evolution has not lead to more transitions in individuality in the microbial domain. We set out to distinguish syntrophy-specific aspects of major transitions, to investigate why a transition in individuality within a syntrophic pair or community is so rare. We review the field of metabolic communities to identify potential evolutionary trajectories that may lead to a transition. Community properties, like joint metabolic capacity, functional profile, guild composition, assembly and interaction patterns are important concepts that may not only persist stably but according to thought-provoking theories, may provide the heritable information at a higher level of selection. We explore these ideas, relating to concepts of multilevel selection and of informational replication, to assess their relevance in the debate whether microbial communities may inherit community-level information or not.
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