1
|
Boas Lichty KE, Loughran RM, Ushijima B, Richards GP, Boyd EF. Osmotic stress response of the coral and oyster pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus: acquisition of catabolism gene clusters for the compatible solute and signaling molecule myo-inositol. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0092024. [PMID: 38874337 PMCID: PMC11267925 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00920-24] [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: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Marine bacteria experience fluctuations in osmolarity that they must adapt to, and most bacteria respond to high osmolarity by accumulating compatible solutes also known as osmolytes. The osmotic stress response and compatible solutes used by the coral and oyster pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus were unknown. In this study, we showed that to alleviate osmotic stress V. coralliilyticus biosynthesized glycine betaine (GB) and transported into the cell choline, GB, ectoine, dimethylglycine, and dimethylsulfoniopropionate, but not myo-inositol. Myo-inositol is a stress protectant and a signaling molecule that is biosynthesized and used by algae. Bioinformatics identified myo-inositol (iol) catabolism clusters in V. coralliilyticus and other Vibrio, Photobacterium, Grimontia, and Enterovibrio species. Growth pattern analysis demonstrated that V. coralliilyticus utilized myo-inositol as a sole carbon source, with a short lag time of 3 h. An iolG deletion mutant, which encodes an inositol dehydrogenase, was unable to grow on myo-inositol. Within the iol clusters were an MFS-type (iolT1) and an ABC-type (iolXYZ) transporter and analyses showed that both transported myo-inositol. IolG and IolA phylogeny among Vibrionaceae species showed different evolutionary histories indicating multiple acquisition events. Outside of Vibrionaceae, IolG was most closely related to IolG from a small group of Aeromonas fish and human pathogens and Providencia species. However, IolG from hypervirulent A. hydrophila strains clustered with IolG from Enterobacter, and divergently from Pectobacterium, Brenneria, and Dickeya plant pathogens. The iol cluster was also present within Aliiroseovarius, Burkholderia, Endozoicomonas, Halomonas, Labrenzia, Marinomonas, Marinobacterium, Cobetia, Pantoea, and Pseudomonas, of which many species were associated with marine flora and fauna.IMPORTANCEHost associated bacteria such as Vibrio coralliilyticus encounter competition for nutrients and have evolved metabolic strategies to better compete for food. Emerging studies show that myo-inositol is exchanged in the coral-algae symbiosis, is likely involved in signaling, but is also an osmolyte in algae. The bacterial consumption of myo-inositol could contribute to a breakdown of the coral-algae symbiosis during thermal stress or disrupt the coral microbiome. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the evolutionary history of myo-inositol metabolism is complex, acquired multiple times in Vibrio, but acquired once in many bacterial plant pathogens. Further analysis also showed that a conserved iol cluster is prevalent among many marine species (commensals, mutualists, and pathogens) associated with marine flora and fauna, algae, sponges, corals, molluscs, crustaceans, and fish.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachel M. Loughran
- Microbiology Graduate Program, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Blake Ushijima
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gary P. Richards
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Dover, Delaware, USA
| | - E. Fidelma Boyd
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mason B, Hayward DC, Moya A, Cooke I, Sorenson A, Brunner R, Andrade N, Huerlimann R, Bourne DG, Schaeffer P, Grinblat M, Ravasi T, Ueda N, Tang SL, Ball EE, Miller DJ. Microbiome manipulation by corals and other Cnidaria via quorum quenching. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3226-3232.e5. [PMID: 38942019 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.073] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
A dynamic mucous layer containing numerous micro-organisms covers the surface of corals and has multiple functions including both removal of sediment and "food gathering."1 It is likely to also act as the primary barrier to infection; various proteins and compounds with antimicrobial activity have been identified in coral mucus, though these are thought to be largely or exclusively of microbial origin. As in Hydra,2 anti-microbial peptides (AMPs) are likely to play major roles in regulating the microbiomes of corals.3,4 Some eukaryotes employ a complementary but less obvious approach to manipulate their associated microbiome by interfering with quorum signaling, effectively preventing bacteria from coordinating gene expression across a population. Our investigation of immunity in the reef-building coral Acropora millepora,5 however, led to the discovery of a coral gene referred to here as AmNtNH1 that can inactivate a range of acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), common bacterial quorum signaling molecules, and is induced on immune challenge of adult corals and expressed during the larval settlement process. Closely related proteins are widely distributed within the Scleractinia (hard corals) and some other cnidarians, with multiple paralogs in Acropora, but their closest relatives are bacterial, implying that these are products of one or more lateral gene transfer events post-dating the cnidarian-bilaterian divergence. The deployment by corals of genes used by bacteria to compete with other bacteria reflects a mechanism of microbiome manipulation previously unknown in Metazoa but that may apply more generally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Mason
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - David C Hayward
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Aurelie Moya
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Ira Cooke
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Alanna Sorenson
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Ramona Brunner
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Natalia Andrade
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Roger Huerlimann
- Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - David G Bourne
- Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Patrick Schaeffer
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Mila Grinblat
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Timothy Ravasi
- Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Nobuo Ueda
- Marine Science Section, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Sen-Lin Tang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 15529, Taiwan
| | - Eldon E Ball
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia.
| | - David J Miller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia; Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
MacVittie S, Doroodian S, Alberto A, Sogin M. Microbiome depletion and recovery in the sea anemone, Exaiptasia diaphana, following antibiotic exposure. mSystems 2024; 9:e0134223. [PMID: 38757963 PMCID: PMC11237641 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01342-23] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial species that comprise host-associated microbiomes play an essential role in maintaining and mediating the health of plants and animals. While defining the role of individual or even complex communities is important toward quantifying the effect of the microbiome on host health, it is often challenging to develop causal studies that link microbial populations to changes in host fitness. Here, we investigated the impacts of reduced microbial load following antibiotic exposure on the fitness of the anemone, Exaiptasia diaphana and subsequent recovery of the host's microbiome. Anemones were exposed to two different types of antibiotic solutions for 3 weeks and subsequently held in sterilized seawater for a 3-week recovery period. Our results revealed that both antibiotic treatments reduced the overall microbial load during and up to 1 week post-treatment. The observed reduction in microbial load was coupled with reduced anemone biomass, halted asexual reproduction rates, and for one of the antibiotic treatments, the partial removal of the anemone's algal symbiont. Finally, our amplicon sequencing results of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that anemone bacterial composition only shifted in treated individuals during the recovery phase of the experiment, where we also observed a significant reduction in the overall diversity of the microbial community. Our work implies that the E. diaphana's microbiome contributes to host fitness and that the recovery of the host's microbiome following disturbance with antibiotics leads to a reduced, but stable microbial state.IMPORTANCEExaiptasia diaphana is an emerging model used to define the cellular and molecular mechanisms of coral-algal symbioses. E. diaphana also houses a diverse microbiome, consisting of hundreds of microbial partners with undefined function. Here, we applied antibiotics to quantify the impact of microbiome removal on host fitness as well as define trajectories in microbiome recovery following disturbance. We showed that reduction of the microbiome leads to negative impacts on host fitness, and that the microbiome does not recover to its original composition while held under aseptic conditions. Rather the microbiome becomes less diverse, but more consistent across individuals. Our work is important because it suggests that anemone microbiomes play a role in maintaining host fitness, that they are susceptible to disturbance events, and that it is possible to generate gnotobiotic individuals that can be leveraged in microbiome manipulation studies to investigate the role of individual species on host health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie MacVittie
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| | - Saam Doroodian
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| | - Aaron Alberto
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| | - Maggie Sogin
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Krueger Q, Phippen B, Reitzel A. Antibiotics alter development and gene expression in the model cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17349. [PMID: 38784394 PMCID: PMC11114123 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Antibiotics are commonly used for controlling microbial growth in diseased organisms. However, antibiotic treatments during early developmental stages can have negative impacts on development and physiology that could offset the positive effects of reducing or eliminating pathogens. Similarly, antibiotics can shift the microbial community due to differential effectiveness on resistant and susceptible bacteria. Though antibiotic application does not typically result in mortality of marine invertebrates, little is known about the developmental and transcriptional effects. These sublethal effects could reduce the fitness of the host organism and lead to negative changes after removal of the antibiotics. Here, we quantify the impact of antibiotic treatment on development, gene expression, and the culturable bacterial community of a model cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis. Methods Ampicillin, streptomycin, rifampicin, and neomycin were compared individually at two concentrations, 50 and 200 µg mL-1, and in combination at 50 µg mL-1 each, to assess their impact on N. vectensis. First, we determined the impact antibiotics have on larval development. Next Amplicon 16S rDNA gene sequencing was used to compare the culturable bacteria that persist after antibiotic treatment to determine how these treatments may differentially select against the native microbiome. Lastly, we determined how acute (3-day) and chronic (8-day) antibiotic treatments impact gene expression of adult anemones. Results Under most exposures, the time of larval settlement extended as the concentration of antibiotics increased and had the longest delay of 3 days in the combination treatment. Culturable bacteria persisted through a majority of exposures where we identified 359 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). The largest proportion of bacteria belonged to Gammaproteobacteria, and the most common ASVs were identified as Microbacterium and Vibrio. The acute antibiotic exposure resulted in differential expression of genes related to epigenetic mechanisms and neural processes, while constant application resulted in upregulation of chaperones and downregulation of mitochondrial genes when compared to controls. Gene Ontology analyses identified overall depletion of terms related to development and metabolism in both antibiotic treatments. Discussion Antibiotics resulted in a significant increase to settlement time of N. vectensis larvae. Culturable bacterial species after antibiotic treatments were taxonomically diverse. Additionally, the transcriptional effects of antibiotics, and after their removal result in significant differences in gene expression that may impact the physiology of the anemone, which may include removal of bacterial signaling on anemone gene expression. Our research suggests that impacts of antibiotics beyond the reduction of bacteria may be important to consider when they are applied to aquatic invertebrates including reef building corals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quinton Krueger
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
- Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) Center, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
| | - Britney Phippen
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
| | - Adam Reitzel
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
- Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER) Center, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Boas Lichty KE, Loughran RM, Ushijima B, Richards GP, Boyd EF. Osmotic stress response of the coral and oyster pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus : acquisition of catabolism gene clusters for the compatible solute and signaling molecule myo -inositol. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.16.575920. [PMID: 38766061 PMCID: PMC11100586 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.16.575920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Marine bacteria experience fluctuations in osmolarity that they must adapt to, and most bacteria respond to high osmolarity by accumulating compatible solutes also known as osmolytes. The osmotic stress response and compatible solutes used by the coral and oyster pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus were unknown. In this study, we showed that to alleviate osmotic stress V. coralliilyticus biosynthesized glycine betaine (GB) and transported into the cell choline, GB, ectoine, dimethylglycine, and dimethylsulfoniopropionate, but not myo -inositol. Myo -inositol is a stress protectant and a signaling molecule that is biosynthesized and used by algae. Bioinformatics identified myo -inositol ( iol ) catabolism clusters in V. coralliilyticus and other Vibrio, Photobacterium, Grimontia, and Enterovibrio species. Growth pattern analysis demonstrated that V. coralliilyticus utilized myo -inositol as a sole carbon source, with a short lag time of 3 h. An iolG deletion mutant, which encodes an inositol dehydrogenase, was unable to grow on myo -inositol. Within the iol clusters were an MFS-type ( iolT1) and an ABC-type ( iolXYZ) transporter and analyses showed that both transported myo -inositol. IolG and IolA phylogeny among Vibrionaceae species showed different evolutionary histories indicating multiple acquisition events. Outside of Vibrionaceae , IolG was most closely related to IolG from a small group of Aeromonas fish and human pathogens and Providencia species. However, IolG from hypervirulent A. hydrophila strains clustered with IolG from Enterobacter, and divergently from Pectobacterium, Brenneria, and Dickeya plant pathogens. The iol cluster was also present within Aliiroseovarius, Burkholderia, Endozoicomonas, Halomonas, Labrenzia, Marinomonas, Marinobacterium, Cobetia, Pantoea, and Pseudomonas, of which many species were associated with marine flora and fauna. IMPORTANCE Host associated bacteria such as V. coralliilyticus encounter competition for nutrients and have evolved metabolic strategies to better compete for food. Emerging studies show that myo -inositol is exchanged in the coral-algae symbiosis, is likely involved in signaling, but is also an osmolyte in algae. The bacterial consumption of myo -inositol could contribute to a breakdown of the coral-algae symbiosis during thermal stress or disrupt the coral microbiome. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the evolutionary history of myo -inositol metabolism is complex, acquired multiple times in Vibrio, but acquired once in many bacterial plant pathogens. Further analysis also showed that a conserved iol cluster is prevalent among many marine species (commensals, mutualists, and pathogens) associated with marine flora and fauna, algae, sponges, corals, molluscs, crustaceans, and fish.
Collapse
|
6
|
Wei Y, Chen B, Yu K, Liao Z, Yu X, Qin Z, Bao Z, Xu L, Wang Y. Evolutionary radiation and microbial community dynamics shape the thermal tolerance of Fungiidae in the southern South China Sea. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0243623. [PMID: 38174936 PMCID: PMC10845974 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02436-23] [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: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Fungiidae have shown increased thermal adaptability in coral reef ecosystems under global warming. This study analyzes the evolutionary divergence and microbial communities of Fungiidae in the Sanjiao Reef of the southern South China Sea and explores the impact of coral evolution radiation and microbial dynamics on the heat tolerance of Fungiidae. The results found that Cycloseris was an ancient branch of Fungiidae, dating back approximately 147.8953 Mya, and Fungiidae differentiated into two ancestral clades (clades I and II) before 107.0312 Ma. Fungiidae exhibited specific symbioses with the Cladocopium C27 sub-clade. Notably, the Cladocopium C1 sub-clade has a high relative abundance in clade I, whereas the heat-tolerant Cladocopium C40 and C3u sub-clades subdominante in clade II. Regarding bacterial communities, Cycloseris costulata, the earliest divergent species, had higher bacterial β-diversity, while the latest divergent species, Lithophyllon scabra, displayed lower bacterial α-diversity and higher community stability. Beneficial bacteria dominante Fungiidae's bacterial community (54%). The co-occurrence network revealed that microbial networks in clade II exhibited lower complexity and greater resilience than those in clade I. Our study highlights that host evolutionary radiation and microbial communities shaped Fungiidae's thermal tolerance. The variability in subdominant Symbiodiniaceae populations may contribute to interspecific differences in thermal tolerance along the evolutionary branches of Fungiidae. The presence of abundant beneficial bacteria may further enhance the thermal ability of the Fungiidae. Furthermore, the later divergent species of Fungiidae have stronger heat tolerance, possibly driven by the increased regulation ability of the host on the bacterial community, greater microbial community stability, and interaction network resistance.IMPORTANCECoral reefs are facing significant threats due to global warming. The heat tolerance of coral holobionts depends on both the coral host and its microbiome. However, the association between coral evolutionary radiation and interspecific differences in microbial communities remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of evolutionary radiation and microbial community dynamics in shaping the thermal acclimation potential of Fungiidae in the Sanjiao Reef of the southern South China Sea. The study's results suggest that evolutionary radiation enhances the thermal tolerance of Fungiidae. Fungiidae species that have diverged more recently have exhibited a higher presence of heat-tolerant Symbiodiniaceae taxa, more stable bacterial communities, and a robust and resilient microbial interaction network, improving the thermal adaptability of Fungiidae. In summary, this study provides new insights into the thermal adaptation patterns of corals under global warming conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Wei
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Biao Chen
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Kefu Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiheng Liao
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Resource Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, China
| | - Xiaopeng Yu
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Zhenjun Qin
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Zeming Bao
- Guangxi Laboratory on the Study of Coral Reefs in the South China Sea, Coral Reef Research Center of China, School of Marine Sciences, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| | - Lijia Xu
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEE, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongzhi Wang
- South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEE, Guangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|