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Kho J, Delgado ML, McCracken GR, Munden J, Ruzzante DE. Epigenetic patterns in Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus): Temperature and photoperiod as environmental stressors during larval development. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17187. [PMID: 37909655 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17187] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying individual responses to environmental changes is crucial for species conservation and management. Pelagic fishes including Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) are of particular interest because of their key ecological and economic roles and their susceptibility to a changing ocean from global warming. Temperature and photoperiod have been linked with spawning time and location in adult herring, but no study has thus far investigated the role of environmental factors on gene regulation during the vulnerable early developmental stages. Here, we examine DNA methylation patterns of larval herring bred under two temperatures (11°C and 13°C) and photoperiod (6 and 12 h) regimes in a 2 × 2 factorial design. We found consistently high levels of global methylation across all individuals and a decline in global methylation with increased developmental stage that was more pronounced at 13°C (p ≤ 0.007) than at 11°C (p ≥ 0.21). Most of the differentially methylated sites were in exon and promoter regions for genes linked to metabolism and development, some of which were hypermethylated at higher temperature. These results demonstrate the important role of DNA methylation during larval development and suggest that this molecular mechanism might be key in regulating early-stage responses to environmental stressors in Atlantic herring.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Kho
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - M L Delgado
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - G R McCracken
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - J Munden
- Herring Science Council, Halifax, Canada
| | - D E Ruzzante
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
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Chibani CM, Hertel R, Neumann-Schaal M, Goehlich H, Wagner K, Bunk B, Spröer C, Overmann J, Hoppert M, Marten SM, Roth O, Liesegang H, Wendling CC. Vibrio syngnathi sp. nov., a fish pathogen, isolated from the Kiel Fjord. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2023; 73. [PMID: 37384381 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
A new Vibrio strain, K08M4T, was isolated from the broad-nosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle in the Kiel Fjord. Infection experiments revealed that K08M4T was highly virulent for juvenile pipefish. Cells of strain K08M4T were Gram-stain-negative, curved rod-shaped and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. The strain grew aerobically at 9-40° C, at pH 4-10.5 and it tolerated up to 12 % (w/v) NaCl. The most prevalent (>10 %) cellular fatty acids of K08M4T were C16 : 1 ω7c and C16 : 0. Whole-genome comparisons revealed that K08M4T represents a separate evolutionary lineage that is distinct from other Vibrio species and falls within the Splendidus clade. The genome is 4,886,292 bp in size, consists of two circular chromosomes (3,298,328 and 1, 587,964 bp) and comprises 4,178 protein-coding genes and 175 RNA genes. In this study, we describe the phenotypic features of the new isolate and present the annotation and analysis of its complete genome sequence. Based on these data, the new isolate represents a new species for which we propose the name Vibrio syngnathi sp. nov. The type strain is K08M4T (=DSM 109818T=CECT 30086T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Maria Chibani
- Georg-August University Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
- Institute for General Microbiology, University of Kiel, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Robert Hertel
- Georg-August University Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Meina Neumann-Schaal
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Inhoffenstr. 7B, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Henry Goehlich
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Marine Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Kim Wagner
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Marine Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Boyke Bunk
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Inhoffenstr. 7B, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Cathrin Spröer
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Inhoffenstr. 7B, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jörg Overmann
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Inhoffenstr. 7B, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Michael Hoppert
- Georg-August University Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Silke Mareike Marten
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Marine Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Olivia Roth
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Marine Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Heiko Liesegang
- Georg-August University Goettingen, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Carolin C Wendling
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology, Universitätsstraße 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
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Goehlich H, Sartoris L, Wagner KS, Wendling CC, Roth O. Pipefish Locally Adapted to Low Salinity in the Baltic Sea Retain Phenotypic Plasticity to Cope With Ancestral Salinity Levels. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.626442] [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
Genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity facilitate the migration into new habitats and enable organisms to cope with a rapidly changing environment. In contrast to genetic adaptation that spans multiple generations as an evolutionary process, phenotypic plasticity allows acclimation within the life-time of an organism. Genetic adaptation and phenotypic plasticity are usually studied in isolation, however, only by including their interactive impact, we can understand acclimation and adaptation in nature. We aimed to explore the contribution of adaptation and plasticity in coping with an abiotic (salinity) and a biotic (Vibriobacteria) stressor using six different populations of the broad-nosed pipefishSyngnathus typhlethat originated from either high [14–17 Practical Salinity Unit (PSU)] or low (7–11 PSU) saline environments along the German coastline of the Baltic Sea. We exposed wild caught animals, to either high (15 PSU) or low (7 PSU) salinity, representing native and novel salinity conditions and allowed animals to mate. After male pregnancy, offspring was split and each half was exposed to one of the two salinities and infected withVibrio alginolyticusbacteria that were evolved at either of the two salinities in a fully reciprocal design. We investigated life-history traits of fathers and expression of 47 target genes in mothers and offspring. Pregnant males originating from high salinity exposed to low salinity were highly susceptible to opportunistic fungi infections resulting in decreased offspring size and number. In contrast, no signs of fungal infection were identified in fathers originating from low saline conditions suggesting that genetic adaptation has the potential to overcome the challenges encountered at low salinity. Offspring from parents with low saline origin survived better at low salinity suggesting genetic adaptation to low salinity. In addition, gene expression analyses of juveniles indicated patterns of local adaptation,trans-generational plasticity and developmental plasticity. In conclusion, our study suggests that pipefish are locally adapted to the low salinity in their environment, however, they are retaining phenotypic plasticity, which allows them to also cope with ancestral salinity levels and prevailing pathogens.
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Chibani CM, Roth O, Liesegang H, Wendling CC. Genomic variation among closely related Vibrio alginolyticus strains is located on mobile genetic elements. BMC Genomics 2020; 21:354. [PMID: 32393168 PMCID: PMC7216594 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-6735-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Species of the genus Vibrio, one of the most diverse bacteria genera, have undergone niche adaptation followed by clonal expansion. Niche adaptation and ultimately the formation of ecotypes and speciation in this genus has been suggested to be mainly driven by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) through mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Our knowledge about the diversity and distribution of Vibrio MGEs is heavily biased towards human pathogens and our understanding of the distribution of core genomic signatures and accessory genes encoded on MGEs within specific Vibrio clades is still incomplete. We used nine different strains of the marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus isolated from pipefish in the Kiel-Fjord to perform a multiscale-comparative genomic approach that allowed us to investigate [1] those genomic signatures that characterize a habitat-specific ecotype and [2] the source of genomic variation within this ecotype. RESULTS We found that the nine isolates from the Kiel-Fjord have a closed-pangenome and did not differ based on core-genomic signatures. Unique genomic regions and a unique repertoire of MGEs within the Kiel-Fjord isolates suggest that the acquisition of gene-blocks by HGT played an important role in the evolution of this ecotype. Additionally, we found that ~ 90% of the genomic variation among the nine isolates is encoded on MGEs, which supports ongoing theory that accessory genes are predominately located on MGEs and shared by HGT. Lastly, we could show that these nine isolates share a unique virulence and resistance profile which clearly separates them from all other investigated V. alginolyticus strains and suggests that these are habitat-specific genes, required for a successful colonization of the pipefish, the niche of this ecotype. CONCLUSION We conclude that all nine V. alginolyticus strains from the Kiel-Fjord belong to a unique ecotype, which we named the Kiel-alginolyticus ecotype. The low sequence variation of the core-genome in combination with the presence of MGE encoded relevant traits, as well as the presence of a suitable niche (here the pipefish), suggest, that this ecotype might have evolved from a clonal expansion following HGT driven niche-adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Maria Chibani
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August University Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Olivia Roth
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Duesternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Heiko Liesegang
- Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Carolin Charlotte Wendling
- GEOMAR, Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Duesternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätsstraße 16, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland.
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Goehlich H, Roth O, Wendling CC. Filamentous phages reduce bacterial growth in low salinities. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:191669. [PMID: 31903215 PMCID: PMC6936277 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Being non-lytic, filamentous phages can replicate at high frequencies and often carry virulence factors, which are important in the evolution and emergence of novel pathogens. However, their net effect on bacterial fitness remains unknown. To understand the ecology and evolution between filamentous phages and their hosts, it is important to assess (i) fitness effects of filamentous phages on their hosts and (ii) how these effects depend on the environment. To determine how the net effect on bacterial fitness by filamentous phages changes across environments, we constructed phage-bacteria infection networks at ambient 15 practical salinity units (PSU) and stressful salinities (11 and 7 PSU) using the marine bacterium, Vibrio alginolyticus and its derived filamentous phages as model system. We observed no significant difference in network structure at 15 and 11 PSU. However, at 7 PSU phages significantly reduced bacterial growth changing network structure. This pattern was mainly driven by a significant increase in bacterial susceptibility. Our findings suggest that filamentous phages decrease bacterial growth, an indirect measure of fitness in stressful environmental conditions, which might impact bacterial communities, alter horizontal gene transfer events and possibly favour the emergence of novel pathogens in environmental Vibrios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Goehlich
- Marine Evolutionary Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Olivia Roth
- Marine Evolutionary Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
| | - Carolin C. Wendling
- Marine Evolutionary Ecology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Integrative Biology, Universitätstrasse 16, CHN D 33, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
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Poirier M, Listmann L, Roth O. Selection by higher-order effects of salinity and bacteria on early life-stages of Western Baltic spring-spawning herring. Evol Appl 2017; 10:603-615. [PMID: 28616067 PMCID: PMC5469169 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat stratification by abiotic and biotic factors initiates divergence of populations and leads to ecological speciation. In contrast to fully marine waters, the Baltic Sea is stratified by a salinity gradient that strongly affects fish physiology, distribution, diversity and virulence of important marine pathogens. Animals thus face the challenge to simultaneously adapt to the concurrent salinity and cope with the selection imposed by the changing pathogenic virulence. Western Baltic spring‐spawning herring (Clupea harengus) migrate to spawning grounds characterized by different salinities to which herring are supposedly adapted. We hypothesized that herring populations do not only have to cope with different salinity levels but that they are simultaneously exposed to higher‐order effects that accompany the shifts in salinity, that is induced pathogenicity of Vibrio bacteria in lower saline waters. To experimentally evaluate this, adults of two populations were caught in their spawning grounds and fully reciprocally crossed within and between populations. Larvae were reared at three salinity levels, representing the spawning ground salinity of each of the two populations, or Atlantic salinity conditions resembling the phylogenetic origin of Clupea harengus. In addition, larvae were exposed to a Vibrio spp. infection. Life‐history traits and gene expression analysis served as response variables. Herring seem adapted to Baltic Sea conditions and cope better with low saline waters. However, upon a bacterial infection, herring larvae suffer more when kept at lower salinities implying reduced resistance against Vibrio or higher Vibrio virulence. In the context of recent climate change with less saline marine waters in the Baltic Sea, such interactions may constitute key future stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maude Poirier
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Germany
| | | | - Olivia Roth
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Germany
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