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Cowan DA, Albers SV, Antranikian G, Atomi H, Averhoff B, Basen M, Driessen AJM, Jebbar M, Kelman Z, Kerou M, Littlechild J, Müller V, Schönheit P, Siebers B, Vorgias K. Extremophiles in a changing world. Extremophiles 2024; 28:26. [PMID: 38683238 PMCID: PMC11058618 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-024-01341-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Extremophiles and their products have been a major focus of research interest for over 40 years. Through this period, studies of these organisms have contributed hugely to many aspects of the fundamental and applied sciences, and to wider and more philosophical issues such as the origins of life and astrobiology. Our understanding of the cellular adaptations to extreme conditions (such as acid, temperature, pressure and more), of the mechanisms underpinning the stability of macromolecules, and of the subtleties, complexities and limits of fundamental biochemical processes has been informed by research on extremophiles. Extremophiles have also contributed numerous products and processes to the many fields of biotechnology, from diagnostics to bioremediation. Yet, after 40 years of dedicated research, there remains much to be discovered in this field. Fortunately, extremophiles remain an active and vibrant area of research. In the third decade of the twenty-first century, with decreasing global resources and a steadily increasing human population, the world's attention has turned with increasing urgency to issues of sustainability. These global concerns were encapsulated and formalized by the United Nations with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the presentation of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. In the run-up to 2030, we consider the contributions that extremophiles have made, and will in the future make, to the SDGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
| | - S V Albers
- Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - G Antranikian
- Institute of Technical Biocatalysis, Hamburg University of Technology, 21073, Hamburg, Germany
| | - H Atomi
- Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - B Averhoff
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - M Basen
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - A J M Driessen
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - M Jebbar
- Univ. Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Biologie Et d'Écologie Des Écosystèmes Marins Profonds (BEEP), IUEM, Rue Dumont d'Urville, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Z Kelman
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - M Kerou
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - J Littlechild
- Henry Wellcome Building for Biocatalysis, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - V Müller
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
| | - P Schönheit
- Institute of General Microbiology, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - B Siebers
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology (EMB), Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), University of Duisburg-Essen, 45117, Essen, Germany
| | - K Vorgias
- Biology Department and RI-Bio3, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Tittes C, Nijland J, Schoentag AMC, Hackl T, Di Cianni N, Marchfelder A, Quax TEF. Development of a genetic system for Haloferax gibbonsii LR2-5, model host for haloarchaeal viruses. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0012924. [PMID: 38470030 PMCID: PMC11022537 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00129-24] [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: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Archaeal viruses are among the most enigmatic members of the virosphere, and their diverse morphologies raise many questions about their infection mechanisms. The study of molecular mechanisms underlying virus-host interactions hinges upon robust model organisms with a system for gene expression and deletion. Currently, there are only a limited number of archaea that have associated viruses and have a well-developed genetic system. Here, we report the development of a genetic system for the euryarchaeon Haloferax gibbonsii LR2-5. This strain can be infected by multiple viruses and is a model for the study of virus-host interactions. We created a Hfx. gibbonsii LR2-5 ∆pyrE strain, resulting in uracil auxotrophy, which could be used as a selection marker. An expression plasmid carrying a pyrE gene from the well-established Haloferax volcanii system was tested for functionality. Expression of a GFP-MinD fusion under a tryptophan inducible promoter was fully functional and showed similar cellular localization as in Hfx. volcanii. Thus, the plasmids of the Hfx. volcanii system can be used directly for the Hfx. gibbonsii LR2-5 genetic system, facilitating the transfer of tools between the two. Finally, we tested for the functionality of gene deletions by knocking out two genes of the archaeal motility structure, the archaellum. These deletion mutants were as expected non-motile and the phenotype of one deletion could be rescued by the expression of the deleted archaellum gene from a plasmid. Thus, we developed a functional genetic toolbox for the euryarchaeal virus host Hfx. gibbonsii LR2-5, which will propel future studies on archaeal viruses. IMPORTANCE Species from all domains of life are infected by viruses. In some environments, viruses outnumber their microbial hosts by a factor of 10, and viruses are the most important predators of microorganisms. While much has been discovered about the infection mechanisms of bacterial and eukaryotic viruses, archaeal viruses remain understudied. Good model systems are needed to study their virus-host interactions in detail. The salt-loving archaeon Haloferax gibbonsii LR2-5 has been shown to be infected by a variety of different viruses and, thus, is an excellent model to study archaeal viruses. By establishing a genetic system, we have significantly expanded the toolbox for this model organism, which will fuel our understanding of infection strategies of the underexplored archaeal viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Tittes
- Biology of Archaea and Viruses, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Nijland
- Biology of Archaea and Viruses, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Anna M. C. Schoentag
- Biology of Archaea and Viruses, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Thomas Hackl
- Microbial Ecology Cluster, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Tessa E. F. Quax
- Biology of Archaea and Viruses, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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3
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Leung PM, Grinter R, Tudor-Matthew E, Lingford JP, Jimenez L, Lee HC, Milton M, Hanchapola I, Tanuwidjaya E, Kropp A, Peach HA, Carere CR, Stott MB, Schittenhelm RB, Greening C. Trace gas oxidation sustains energy needs of a thermophilic archaeon at suboptimal temperatures. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3219. [PMID: 38622143 PMCID: PMC11018855 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47324-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Diverse aerobic bacteria use atmospheric hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) as energy sources to support growth and survival. Such trace gas oxidation is recognised as a globally significant process that serves as the main sink in the biogeochemical H2 cycle and sustains microbial biodiversity in oligotrophic ecosystems. However, it is unclear whether archaea can also use atmospheric H2. Here we show that a thermoacidophilic archaeon, Acidianus brierleyi (Thermoproteota), constitutively consumes H2 and CO to sub-atmospheric levels. Oxidation occurs across a wide range of temperatures (10 to 70 °C) and enhances ATP production during starvation-induced persistence under temperate conditions. The genome of A. brierleyi encodes a canonical CO dehydrogenase and four distinct [NiFe]-hydrogenases, which are differentially produced in response to electron donor and acceptor availability. Another archaeon, Metallosphaera sedula, can also oxidize atmospheric H2. Our results suggest that trace gas oxidation is a common trait of Sulfolobales archaea and may play a role in their survival and niche expansion, including during dispersal through temperate environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pok Man Leung
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
| | - Rhys Grinter
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Eve Tudor-Matthew
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - James P Lingford
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Luis Jimenez
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Han-Chung Lee
- Monash Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform and Department of Biochemistry, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Michael Milton
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Iresha Hanchapola
- Monash Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform and Department of Biochemistry, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Erwin Tanuwidjaya
- Monash Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform and Department of Biochemistry, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Ashleigh Kropp
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Hanna A Peach
- Geomicrobiology Research Group, Department of Geothermal Sciences, Te Pū Ao | GNS Science, Wairakei, Taupō, 3377, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Carlo R Carere
- Geomicrobiology Research Group, Department of Geothermal Sciences, Te Pū Ao | GNS Science, Wairakei, Taupō, 3377, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Te Tari Pūhanga Tukanga Matū | Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Matthew B Stott
- Geomicrobiology Research Group, Department of Geothermal Sciences, Te Pū Ao | GNS Science, Wairakei, Taupō, 3377, Aotearoa New Zealand
- Te Kura Pūtaiao Koiora | School of Biological Sciences, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, Christchurch, 8140, Aotearoa New Zealand
| | - Ralf B Schittenhelm
- Monash Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform and Department of Biochemistry, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Chris Greening
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
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Zhao P, Bi X, Wang X, Feng X, Shen Y, Yuan G, She Q. Rational design of unrestricted pRN1 derivatives and their application in the construction of a dual plasmid vector system for Saccharolobus islandicus. MLIFE 2024; 3:119-128. [PMID: 38827506 PMCID: PMC11139203 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Saccharolobus islandicus REY15A represents one of the very few archaeal models with versatile genetic tools, which include efficient genome editing, gene silencing, and robust protein expression systems. However, plasmid vectors constructed for this crenarchaeon thus far are based solely on the pRN2 cryptic plasmid. Although this plasmid coexists with pRN1 in its original host, early attempts to test pRN1-based vectors consistently failed to yield any stable host-vector system for Sa. islandicus. We hypothesized that this failure could be due to the occurrence of CRISPR immunity against pRN1 in this archaeon. We identified a putative target sequence in orf904 encoding a putative replicase on pRN1 (target N1). Mutated targets (N1a, N1b, and N1c) were then designed and tested for their capability to escape the host CRISPR immunity by using a plasmid interference assay. The results revealed that the original target triggered CRISPR immunity in this archaeon, whereas all three mutated targets did not, indicating that all the designed target mutations evaded host immunity. These mutated targets were then incorporated into orf904 individually, yielding corresponding mutated pRN1 backbones with which shuttle plasmids were constructed (pN1aSD, pN1bSD, and pN1cSD). Sa. islandicus transformation revealed that pN1aSD and pN1bSD were functional shuttle vectors, but pN1cSD lost the capability for replication. These results indicate that the missense mutations in the conserved helicase domain in pN1c inactivated the replicase. We further showed that pRN1-based and pRN2-based vectors were stably maintained in the archaeal cells either alone or in combination, and this yielded a dual plasmid system for genetic study with this important archaeal model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengpeng Zhao
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Xiaonan Bi
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Xiaoning Wang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Xu Feng
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Yulong Shen
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Guanhua Yuan
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Qunxin She
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology and Microbial Technology InstituteShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
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5
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Pilatowski-Herzing E, Samson RY, Takemata N, Badel C, Bohall PB, Bell SD. Capturing chromosome conformation in Crenarchaea. Mol Microbiol 2024. [PMID: 38404013 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
While there is a considerable body of knowledge regarding the molecular and structural biology and biochemistry of archaeal information processing machineries, far less is known about the nature of the substrate for these machineries-the archaeal nucleoid. In this article, we will describe recent advances in our understanding of the three-dimensional organization of the chromosomes of model organisms in the crenarchaeal phylum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyza Pilatowski-Herzing
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Rachel Y Samson
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Naomichi Takemata
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Catherine Badel
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Peter B Bohall
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Stephen D Bell
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
- Biology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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Abdul Halim MF, Fonseca DR, Niehaus TD, Costa KC. Functionally redundant formate dehydrogenases enable formate-dependent growth in Methanococcus maripaludis. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105550. [PMID: 38072055 PMCID: PMC10805699 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Methanogens are essential for the complete remineralization of organic matter in anoxic environments. Most cultured methanogens are hydrogenotrophic, using H2 as an electron donor to reduce CO2 to CH4, but in the absence of H2 many can also use formate. Formate dehydrogenase (Fdh) is essential for formate oxidation, where it transfers electrons for the reduction of coenzyme F420 or to a flavin-based electron bifurcating reaction catalyzed by heterodisulfide reductase (Hdr), the terminal reaction of methanogenesis. Furthermore, methanogens that use formate encode at least two isoforms of Fdh in their genomes, but how these different isoforms participate in methanogenesis is unknown. Using Methanococcus maripaludis, we undertook a biochemical characterization of both Fdh isoforms involved in methanogenesis. Both Fdh1 and Fdh2 interacted with Hdr to catalyze the flavin-based electron bifurcating reaction, and both reduced F420 at similar rates. F420 reduction preceded flavin-based electron bifurcation activity for both enzymes. In a Δfdh1 mutant background, a suppressor mutation was required for Fdh2 activity. Genome sequencing revealed that this mutation resulted in the loss of a specific molybdopterin transferase (moeA), allowing for Fdh2-dependent growth, and the metal content of the proteins suggested that isoforms are dependent on either molybdenum or tungsten for activity. These data suggest that both isoforms of Fdh are functionally redundant, but their activities in vivo may be limited by gene regulation or metal availability under different growth conditions. Together these results expand our understanding of formate oxidation and the role of Fdh in methanogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Farid Abdul Halim
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Dallas R Fonseca
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Thomas D Niehaus
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Kyle C Costa
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
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Abstract
Methanogenic archaea are the only organisms that produce CH4 as part of their energy-generating metabolism. They are ubiquitous in oxidant-depleted, anoxic environments such as aquatic sediments, anaerobic digesters, inundated agricultural fields, the rumen of cattle, and the hindgut of termites, where they catalyze the terminal reactions in the degradation of organic matter. Methanogenesis is the only metabolism that is restricted to members of the domain Archaea. Here, we discuss the importance of model organisms in the history of methanogen research, including their role in the discovery of the archaea and in the biochemical and genetic characterization of methanogenesis. We also discuss outstanding questions in the field and newly emerging model systems that will expand our understanding of this uniquely archaeal metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle C. Costa
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Leng H, Wang Y, Zhao W, Sievert SM, Xiao X. Identification of a deep-branching thermophilic clade sheds light on early bacterial evolution. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4354. [PMID: 37468486 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39960-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been proposed that early bacteria, or even the last universal common ancestor of all cells, were thermophilic. However, research on the origin and evolution of thermophily is hampered by the difficulties associated with the isolation of deep-branching thermophilic microorganisms in pure culture. Here, we isolate a deep-branching thermophilic bacterium from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent, using a two-step cultivation strategy ("Subtraction-Suboptimal", StS) designed to isolate rare organisms. The bacterium, which we name Zhurongbacter thermophilus 3DAC, is a sulfur-reducing heterotroph that is phylogenetically related to Coprothermobacterota and other thermophilic bacterial groups, forming a clade that seems to represent a major, early-diverging bacterial lineage. The ancestor of this clade might be a thermophilic, strictly anaerobic, motile, hydrogen-dependent, and mixotrophic bacterium. Thus, our study provides insights into the early evolution of thermophilic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Leng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- International Center for Deep Life Investigation (IC-DLI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yinzhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- International Center for Deep Life Investigation (IC-DLI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weishu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- International Center for Deep Life Investigation (IC-DLI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Stefan M Sievert
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Xiang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- International Center for Deep Life Investigation (IC-DLI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
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Application of the Fluorescence-Activating and Absorption-Shifting Tag (FAST) for Flow Cytometry in Methanogenic Archaea. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0178622. [PMID: 36920214 PMCID: PMC10132111 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01786-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Methane-producing archaea play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle and are used for biotechnological fuel production. Methanogenic model organisms such as Methanococcus maripaludis and Methanosarcina acetivorans have been biochemically characterized and can be genetically engineered by using a variety of existing molecular tools. The anaerobic lifestyle and autofluorescence of methanogens, however, restrict the use of common fluorescent reporter proteins (e.g., GFP and derivatives), which require oxygen for chromophore maturation. Recently, the use of a novel oxygen-independent fluorescent activation and absorption-shifting tag (FAST) was demonstrated with M. maripaludis. Similarly, we now describe the use of the tandem activation and absorption-shifting tag protein 2 (tdFAST2), which fluoresces when the cell-permeable fluorescent ligand (fluorogen) 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzylidene rhodanine (HBR-3,5DOM) is present. Expression of tdFAST2 in M. acetivorans and M. maripaludis is noncytotoxic and tdFAST2:HBR-3,5DOM fluorescence is clearly distinguishable from the autofluorescence. In flow cytometry experiments, mixed methanogen cultures can be distinguished, thereby allowing for the possibility of high-throughput investigations of the characteristic dynamics within single and mixed cultures. IMPORTANCE Methane-producing archaea play an essential role in the global carbon cycle and demonstrate great potential for various biotechnological applications, e.g., biofuel production, carbon dioxide capture, and electrochemical systems. Oxygen sensitivity and high autofluorescence hinder the use of common fluorescent proteins for studying methanogens. By using tdFAST2:HBR-3,5DOM fluorescence, which functions under anaerobic conditions and is distinguishable from the autofluorescence, real-time reporter studies and high-throughput investigation of the mixed culture dynamics of methanogens via flow cytometry were made possible. This will further help accelerate the sustainable exploitation of methanogens.
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The Overlooked Microbiome-Considering Archaea and Eukaryotes Using Multiplex Nanopore-16S-/18S-rDNA-Sequencing: A Technical Report Focusing on Nasopharyngeal Microbiomes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021426. [PMID: 36674956 PMCID: PMC9863950 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In contrast to bacteria, microbiome analyses often neglect archaea, but also eukaryotes. This is partly because they are difficult to culture due to their demanding growth requirements, or some even have to be classified as uncultured microorganisms. Consequently, little is known about the relevance of archaea in human health and diseases. Contemporary broad availability and spread of next generation sequencing techniques now enable a stronger focus on such microorganisms, whose cultivation is difficult. However, due to the enormous evolutionary distances between bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes, the implementation of sequencing strategies for smaller laboratory scales needs to be refined to achieve as a holistic view on the microbiome as possible. Here, we present a technical approach that enables simultaneous analyses of archaeal, bacterial and eukaryotic microbial communities to study their roles in development and courses of respiratory disorders. We thus applied combinatorial 16S-/18S-rDNA sequencing strategies for sequencing-library preparation. Considering the lower total microbiota density of airway surfaces, when compared with gut microbiota, we optimized the DNA purification workflow from nasopharyngeal swab specimens. As a result, we provide a protocol that allows the efficient combination of bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic libraries for nanopore-sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION devices and subsequent phylogenetic analyses. In a pilot study, this workflow allowed the identification of some environmental archaea, which were not correlated with airway microbial communities before. Moreover, we assessed the protocol's broader applicability using a set of human stool samples. We conclude that the proposed protocol provides a versatile and adaptable tool for combinatorial studies on bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic microbiomes on a small laboratory scale.
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Archaea as a Model System for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13010114. [PMID: 36671499 PMCID: PMC9855744 DOI: 10.3390/biom13010114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Archaea represents the third domain of life, displaying a closer relationship with eukaryotes than bacteria. These microorganisms are valuable model systems for molecular biology and biotechnology. In fact, nowadays, methanogens, halophiles, thermophilic euryarchaeota, and crenarchaeota are the four groups of archaea for which genetic systems have been well established, making them suitable as model systems and allowing for the increasing study of archaeal genes' functions. Furthermore, thermophiles are used to explore several aspects of archaeal biology, such as stress responses, DNA replication and repair, transcription, translation and its regulation mechanisms, CRISPR systems, and carbon and energy metabolism. Extremophilic archaea also represent a valuable source of new biomolecules for biological and biotechnological applications, and there is growing interest in the development of engineered strains. In this review, we report on some of the most important aspects of the use of archaea as a model system for genetic evolution, the development of genetic tools, and their application for the elucidation of the basal molecular mechanisms in this domain of life. Furthermore, an overview on the discovery of new enzymes of biotechnological interest from archaea thriving in extreme environments is reported.
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12
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Li J, Akinyemi TS, Shao N, Chen C, Dong X, Liu Y, Whitman WB. Genetic and Metabolic Engineering of Methanococcus spp. CURRENT RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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13
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van Wolferen M, Pulschen AA, Baum B, Gribaldo S, Albers SV. The cell biology of archaea. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:1744-1755. [PMID: 36253512 PMCID: PMC7613921 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01215-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has revealed the diversity and ubiquity of archaea in nature, with a growing number of studies highlighting their importance in ecology, biotechnology and even human health. Myriad lineages have been discovered, which expanded the phylogenetic breadth of archaea and revealed their central role in the evolutionary origins of eukaryotes. These discoveries, coupled with advances that enable the culturing and live imaging of archaeal cells under extreme environments, have underpinned a better understanding of their biology. In this Review we focus on the shape, internal organization and surface structures that are characteristic of archaeal cells as well as membrane remodelling, cell growth and division. We also highlight some of the technical challenges faced and discuss how new and improved technologies will help address many of the key unanswered questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Buzz Baum
- Division of Cell Biology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Unit, CNRS UMR2001, Department of Microbiology, Institute Pasteur, Paris, France.
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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14
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Thomsen J, Schmitz RA. Generating a Small Shuttle Vector for Effective Genetic Engineering of Methanosarcina mazei Allowed First Insights in Plasmid Replication Mechanism in the Methanoarchaeon. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911910. [PMID: 36233214 PMCID: PMC9569500 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to their role in methane production, methanoarchaea are of high ecological relevance and genetic systems have been ever more established in the last two decades. The system for protein expression in Methanosarcina using a comprehensive shuttle vector is established; however, details about its replication mechanism in methanoarchaea remain unknown. Here, we report on a significant optimisation of the rather large shuttle vector pWM321 (8.9 kbp) generated by Metcalf through a decrease in its size by about 35% by means of the deletion of several non-coding regions and the ssrA gene. The resulting plasmid (pRS1595) still stably replicates in M. mazei and—most likely due to its reduced size—shows a significantly higher transformation efficiency compared to pWM321. In addition, we investigate the essential gene repA, coding for a rep type protein. RepA was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, purified and characterised, demonstrating the significant binding and nicking activity of supercoiled plasmid DNA. Based on our findings we propose that the optimised shuttle vector replicates via a rolling circle mechanism with RepA as the initial replication protein in Methanosarcina. On the basis of bioinformatic comparisons, we propose the presence and location of a double-strand and a single-strand origin, which need to be further verified.
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15
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Karamycheva S, Wolf YI, Persi E, Koonin EV, Makarova KS. Analysis of lineage-specific protein family variability in prokaryotes combined with evolutionary reconstructions. Biol Direct 2022; 17:22. [PMID: 36042479 PMCID: PMC9425974 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-022-00337-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Evolutionary rate is a key characteristic of gene families that is linked to the functional importance of the respective genes as well as specific biological functions of the proteins they encode. Accurate estimation of evolutionary rates is a challenging task that requires precise phylogenetic analysis. Here we present an easy to estimate protein family level measure of sequence variability based on alignment column homogeneity in multiple alignments of protein sequences from Clade-Specific Clusters of Orthologous Genes (csCOGs). Results We report genome-wide estimates of variability for 8 diverse groups of bacteria and archaea and investigate the connection between variability and various genomic and biological features. The variability estimates are based on homogeneity distributions across amino acid sequence alignments and can be obtained for multiple groups of genomes at minimal computational expense. About half of the variance in variability values can be explained by the analyzed features, with the greatest contribution coming from the extent of gene paralogy in the given csCOG. The correlation between variability and paralogy appears to originate, primarily, not from gene duplication, but from acquisition of distant paralogs and xenologs, introducing sequence variants that are more divergent than those that could have evolved in situ during the lifetime of the given group of organisms. Both high-variability and low-variability csCOGs were identified in all functional categories, but as expected, proteins encoded by integrated mobile elements as well as proteins involved in defense functions and cell motility are, on average, more variable than proteins with housekeeping functions. Additionally, using linear discriminant analysis, we found that variability and fraction of genomes carrying a given gene are the two variables that provide the best prediction of gene essentiality as compared to the results of transposon mutagenesis in Sulfolobus islandicus. Conclusions Variability, a measure of sequence diversity within an alignment relative to the overall diversity within a group of organisms, offers a convenient proxy for evolutionary rate estimates and is informative with respect to prediction of functional properties of proteins. In particular, variability is a strong predictor of gene essentiality for the respective organisms and indicative of sub- or neofunctionalization of paralogs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13062-022-00337-7.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Karamycheva
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Erez Persi
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA.
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16
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Sieg J, Sandmeier CC, Lieske J, Meents A, Lemmen C, Streit WR, Rarey M. Analyzing structural features of proteins from deep-sea organisms. Proteins 2022; 90:1521-1537. [PMID: 35313380 DOI: 10.1002/prot.26337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Protein adaptations to extreme environmental conditions are drivers in biotechnological process optimization and essential to unravel the molecular limits of life. Most proteins with such desirable adaptations are found in extremophilic organisms inhabiting extreme environments. The deep sea is such an environment and a promising resource that poses multiple extremes on its inhabitants. Conditions like high hydrostatic pressure and high or low temperature are prevalent and many deep-sea organisms tolerate multiple of these extremes. While molecular adaptations to high temperature are comparatively good described, adaptations to other extremes like high pressure are not well-understood yet. To fully unravel the molecular mechanisms of individual adaptations it is probably necessary to disentangle multifactorial adaptations. In this study, we evaluate differences of protein structures from deep-sea organisms and their respective related proteins from nondeep-sea organisms. We created a data collection of 1281 experimental protein structures from 25 deep-sea organisms and paired them with orthologous proteins. We exhaustively evaluate differences between the protein pairs with machine learning and Shapley values to determine characteristic differences in sequence and structure. The results show a reasonable discrimination of deep-sea and nondeep-sea proteins from which we distinguish correlations previously attributed to thermal stability from other signals potentially describing adaptions to high pressure. While some distinct correlations can be observed the overall picture appears intricate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Sieg
- Universität Hamburg, ZBH - Center for Bioinformatics, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Julia Lieske
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alke Meents
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Wolfgang R Streit
- Universität Hamburg, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Rarey
- Universität Hamburg, ZBH - Center for Bioinformatics, Hamburg, Germany
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17
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Yao S, Li S, Zhan Y, Wan C. Proteome-wide analysis of stress response to temperature in Sulfolobus islandicus. J Proteomics 2022; 266:104681. [PMID: 35842219 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2022.104681] [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: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Sulfolobus islandicus is thermophilic archaea that live in an extreme environment of 75 °C-80 °C and pH 2-3. Currently, the molecular mechanism of archaeal adaptation to high temperatures and the stability of proteins at high temperatures are still unclear. This study utilizes proteomics to analyze the differential expression of S. islandicus proteins at different temperatures. We found that ribosomes, glycolysis, nucleotide metabolism, RNA metabolism, transport system, and sulfur metabolism are all affected by temperature. Methylation modification of some proteins changed with temperature. Thermal proteome profiling (TPP) was used to analyze the thermal stability of proteins under 65 °C-85 °C growth conditions. It is suggested that the Tm values of proteins are mainly distributed around the optimum growth temperature (OGT). The proteins in the glycolysis pathway had high thermal stability. Meanwhile, proteins related to DNA replication and translation showed low thermal stability. The protein thermal stability of S. islandicus cultured under 65 °C and 85 °C was higher than that of 75 °C. Our study reveals that S. islandicus may adapt to temperature changes by regulating protein synthesis and carbon metabolism pathways, changing post-translational modifications, and improving protein stability at the same time. SIGNIFICANCE: The molecular mechanism of archaeal adaptation to high temperatures and the stability of proteins at high temperatures are still unclear. Our proteomics study identified 477 differentially expressed proteins of S. islandicus at different temperatures, suggesting that ribosomes, glycolysis, nucleotide metabolism, RNA metabolism, transport system, and sulfur metabolism are affected by temperature. Meanwhile, we found that methylation modification of some proteins changed with temperature. To evaluate the thermal stability of the proteome, we performed thermal proteome profiling to analyze the Tm of proteins under 65 °C-85 °C growth conditions. Tm values of proteins are mainly distributed around the optimum growth temperature. The proteins in the glycolysis pathway had high thermal stability. Meanwhile, proteins related to DNA replication and translation showed low thermal stability. Our study reveals that S. islandicus may adapt to temperature changes by regulating protein synthesis and carbon metabolism pathways, changing post-translational modifications, and improving protein stability at the same time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng Yao
- School of Life Sciences and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, People's Republic of China
| | - Sige Li
- School of Life Sciences and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuyue Zhan
- School of Life Sciences and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, People's Republic of China
| | - Cuihong Wan
- School of Life Sciences and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, People's Republic of China.
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18
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The Viral Susceptibility of the Haloferax Species. Viruses 2022; 14:v14061344. [PMID: 35746816 PMCID: PMC9229481 DOI: 10.3390/v14061344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses can infect members of all three domains of life. However, little is known about viruses infecting archaea and the mechanisms that determine their host interactions are poorly understood. Investigations of molecular mechanisms of viral infection rely on genetically accessible virus–host model systems. Euryarchaea belonging to the genus Haloferax are interesting models, as a reliable genetic system and versatile microscopy methods are available. However, only one virus infecting the Haloferax species is currently available. In this study, we tested ~100 haloarchaeal virus isolates for their infectivity on 14 Haloferax strains. From this, we identified 10 virus isolates in total capable of infecting Haloferax strains, which represented myovirus or siphovirus morphotypes. Surprisingly, the only susceptible strain of all 14 tested was Haloferax gibbonsii LR2-5, which serves as an auspicious host for all of these 10 viruses. By applying comparative genomics, we shed light on factors determining the host range of haloarchaeal viruses on Haloferax. We anticipate our study to be a starting point in the study of haloarchaeal virus–host interactions.
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19
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The Fluorescence-Activating and Absorption-Shifting Tag (FAST) Enables Live-Cell Fluorescence Imaging of Methanococcus maripaludis. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0012022. [PMID: 35657707 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00120-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Live-cell fluorescence imaging of methanogenic archaea has been limited due to the strictly anoxic conditions required for growth and issues with autofluorescence associated with electron carriers in central metabolism. Here, we show that the fluorescence-activating and absorption-shifting tag (FAST) complexed with the fluorogenic ligand 4-hydroxy-3-methylbenzylidene-rhodanine (HMBR) overcomes these issues and displays robust fluorescence in Methanococcus maripaludis. We also describe a mechanism to visualize cells under anoxic conditions using a fluorescence microscope. Derivatives of FAST were successfully applied for protein abundance analysis, subcellular localization analysis, and determination of protein-protein interactions. FAST fusions to both formate dehydrogenase (Fdh) and F420-reducing hydrogenase (Fru) displayed increased fluorescence in cells grown on formate-containing medium, consistent with previous studies suggesting the increased abundance of these proteins in the absence of H2. Additionally, FAST fusions to both Fru and the ATPase associated with the archaellum (FlaI) showed a membrane localization in single cells observed using anoxic fluorescence microscopy. Finally, a split reporter translationally fused to the alpha and beta subunits of Fdh reconstituted a functionally fluorescent molecule in vivo via bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Together, these observations demonstrate the utility of FAST as a tool for studying members of the methanogenic archaea. IMPORTANCE Methanogenic archaea are important members of anaerobic microbial communities where they catalyze essential reactions in the degradation of organic matter. Developing additional tools for studying the cell biology of these organisms is essential to understanding them at a mechanistic level. Here, we show that FAST, in combination with the fluorogenic ligand HMBR, can be used to monitor protein dynamics in live cells of M. maripaludis. The application of FAST holds promise for future studies focused on the metabolism and physiology of methanogenic archaea.
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20
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Structural insights into the mechanism of archaellar rotational switching. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2857. [PMID: 35606361 PMCID: PMC9126983 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30358-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal transduction via phosphorylated CheY towards the flagellum and the archaellum involves a conserved mechanism of CheY phosphorylation and subsequent conformational changes within CheY. This mechanism is conserved among bacteria and archaea, despite substantial differences in the composition and architecture of archaellum and flagellum, respectively. Phosphorylated CheY has higher affinity towards the bacterial C-ring and its binding leads to conformational changes in the flagellar motor and subsequent rotational switching of the flagellum. In archaea, the adaptor protein CheF resides at the cytoplasmic face of the archaeal C-ring formed by the proteins ArlCDE and interacts with phosphorylated CheY. While the mechanism of CheY binding to the C-ring is well-studied in bacteria, the role of CheF in archaea remains enigmatic and mechanistic insights are absent. Here, we have determined the atomic structures of CheF alone and in complex with activated CheY by X-ray crystallography. CheF forms an elongated dimer with a twisted architecture. We show that CheY binds to the C-terminal tail domain of CheF leading to slight conformational changes within CheF. Our structural, biochemical and genetic analyses reveal the mechanistic basis for CheY binding to CheF and allow us to propose a model for rotational switching of the archaellum. Signal transduction via phosphorylated CheY is conserved in bacteria and archaea. In this study, the authors employ structural biochemistry combined with cell biology to delineate the mechanism of CheY recognition by the adaptor protein CheF.
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21
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Machine learning and statistics shape a novel path in archaeal promoter annotation. BMC Bioinformatics 2022; 23:171. [PMID: 35538405 PMCID: PMC9087966 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-022-04714-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Archaea are a vast and unexplored domain. Bioinformatic techniques might enlighten the path to a higher quality genome annotation in varied organisms. Promoter sequences of archaea have the action of a plethora of proteins upon it. The conservation found in a structural level of the binding site of proteins such as TBP, TFB, and TFE aids RNAP-DNA stabilization and makes the archaeal promoter prone to be explored by statistical and machine learning techniques. Results and discussions In this study, experimentally verified promoter sequences of the organisms Haloferax volcanii, Sulfolobus solfataricus, and Thermococcus kodakarensis were converted into DNA duplex stability attributes (i.e. numerical variables) and were classified through Artificial Neural Networks and an in-house statistical method of classification, being tested with three forms of controls. The recognition of these promoters enabled its use to validate unannotated promoter sequences in other organisms. As a result, the binding site of basal transcription factors was located through a DNA duplex stability codification. Additionally, the classification presented satisfactory results (above 90%) among varied levels of control. Concluding remarks The classification models were employed to perform genomic annotation into the archaea Aciduliprofundum boonei and Thermofilum pendens, from which potential promoters have been identified and uploaded into public repositories. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12859-022-04714-x.
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22
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Liang J, Quan Z, Zhu J, Gan M, Shen P. A functional promoter from the archaeon Halobacterium salinarum is also transcriptionally active in E. coli. BMC Microbiol 2022; 22:79. [PMID: 35331139 PMCID: PMC8943987 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02489-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Archaea form a third domain of life that is distinct from Bacteria and Eukarya. So far, many scholars have elucidated considerable details about the typical promoter architectures of the three domains of life. However, a functional promoter from the archaeon Halobacterium salinarum has never been studied in Escherichia coli. Results This paper found that the promoter of Halobacterium salinarum showed a promoter function in Escherichia coli. This Escherichia coli promoter structure contains − 10 box, -10 box extension and − 29 elements, however, no -35 box. The − 29 element is exercised by the TATA box in archaea. And we isolated the RM10 fragment that possessed the fusion characteristics of bacteria and archaea, which was overlapped with functionality of TATA box and − 29 elements. Conclusions The − 29 element reflects the evolutionary relationship between the archaeal promoter and the bacterial promoter. The result possibly indicated that there may be a certain internal connection between archaea and bacteria. We hypothesized that it provided a new viewpoint of the evolutionary relationship of archaea and other organisms. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-022-02489-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinye Liang
- Key laboratory of Biometallurgy, Ministry of Education, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, 410083, Changsha, China
| | - Zhenghui Quan
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, 430000, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianyu Zhu
- Key laboratory of Biometallurgy, Ministry of Education, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, 410083, Changsha, China. .,College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, 430000, Wuhan, China.
| | - Min Gan
- Key laboratory of Biometallurgy, Ministry of Education, School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, 410083, Changsha, China.
| | - Ping Shen
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, 430000, Wuhan, China.
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Ithurbide S, Gribaldo S, Albers SV, Pende N. Spotlight on FtsZ-based cell division in Archaea. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:665-678. [PMID: 35246355 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Compared with the extensive knowledge on cell division in model eukaryotes and bacteria, little is known about how archaea divide. Interestingly, both endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-based and FtsZ-based cell division systems are found in members of the Archaea. In the past couple of years, several studies have started to shed light on FtsZ-based cell division processes in members of the Euryarchaeota. In this review we highlight recent findings in this emerging field of research. We present current knowledge of the cell division machinery of halophiles which relies on two FtsZ proteins, and we compare it with that of methanobacteria, which relies on only one FtsZ. Finally, we discuss how these differences relate to the distinct cell envelopes of these two archaeal model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solenne Ithurbide
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Unit, CNRS UMR2001, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Nika Pende
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Unit, CNRS UMR2001, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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24
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Chen W, Jin Y, Xu D, Li W, Pan C, Li Y, Kang D, Zhang M, Zeng Z, Shan S, Zheng P. Underlying function regulators of anaerobic granular sludge: Starvation and dormancy. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 807:151024. [PMID: 34662610 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) is the core of anaerobic granular sludge bed system. In this study, the effect and its mechanism of stopping substrate supply on function of AnGS were investigated. The cutoff of exogenous substrate supply triggered AnGS to enter the dormant state. Some methanization microorganisms sporulated. The number and activity of methanization microorganisms based on 16S rDNA and 16S rRNA/16S rDNA ratio declined and stayed at 45.5% and 0.06% (bacteria), 48.7% and 0.39% (archaea) of the initial vegetative value, respectively. The resuming of exogenous substrate supply promoted AnGS to restore the vegetative state. The spores disappeared. The specific methanization activity of AnGS returned to the original level of 35.82 mL-CH4/g-VSS·d, but the delay time for gas production (DTGS) was prolonged from 9.54 to 18.04 h (0-132 d). The dormancy of methanization microorganisms was the main cause for the fluctuation of apparent function and the stability of intrinsic function of AnGS under starvation stress. The dormancy stabilized the structure and sustained the methanization community of AnGS via the reduction of EPS (structure binder/energy reserve) consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenda Chen
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yihao Jin
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dongdong Xu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenji Li
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chao Pan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yiyu Li
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Da Kang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Zhuo Zeng
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Sichuan, China
| | - Shengdao Shan
- Key Lab Recycling & Ecotreatment Waste Biomass Zh, Zhejiang University of Science & Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Ping Zheng
- Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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25
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Abstract
Methanocaldococcus sp. strain FS406-22, a hyperthermophilic methanogen, fixes nitrogen with a minimal set of known nif genes. Only four structural nif genes, nifH, nifD, nifK, and nifE, are present in a cluster, and a nifB homolog is present elsewhere in the genome. nifN, essential for the final synthesis of the iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase in well-characterized diazotrophs, is absent from FS406-22. In addition, FS406-22 encodes four novel hypothetical proteins, and a ferredoxin, in the nif cluster. Here, we develop a set of genetic tools for FS406-22 and test the functionality of genes in the nif cluster by making markerless in-frame deletion mutations. Deletion of the gene for one hypothetical protein, designated Hp4, delayed the initiation of diazotrophic growth and decreased the growth rate, an effect we confirmed by genetic complementation. NifE also appeared to play a role in diazotrophic growth, and the encoding of Hp4 and NifE in a single operon suggested they may work together in some way in the synthesis of the nitrogenase cofactor. No role could be discerned for any of the other hypothetical proteins, nor for the ferredoxin, despite the presence of these genes in a variety of related organisms. Possible pathways and evolutionary scenarios for the synthesis of the nitrogenase cofactor in an organism that lacks nifN are discussed. IMPORTANCEMethanocaldococcus has been considered a model genus, but genetic tools have not been forthcoming until recently. Here, we develop and illustrate the utility of positive selection with either of two selective agents (simvastatin and neomycin), negative selection, generation of markerless in-frame deletion mutations, and genetic complementation. These genetic tools should be useful for a variety of related species. We address the question of the minimal set of nif genes, which has implications for how nitrogen fixation evolved.
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26
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van Wolferen M, Albers SV. Progress and Challenges in Archaeal Cell Biology. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:365-371. [PMID: 36125763 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decades there has been a growing interest in the domain of archaea. In this chapter we highlight the recent advances that have been made in studying the cell biology of archaea. We particularly focus on methods for genetic manipulation and imaging of different archaeal species and discuss the technical limitations at the often-extreme growth conditions. Several ongoing developments will help us overcoming these limitations, thereby facilitating future studies in the existing field of archaeal cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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Adam PS, Bornemann TLV, Probst AJ. Progress and Challenges in Studying the Ecophysiology of Archaea. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:469-486. [PMID: 36125771 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
It has been less than two decades since the study of archaeal ecophysiology has become unshackled from the limitations of cultivation and amplicon sequencing through the advent of metagenomics. As a primer to the guide on producing archaeal genomes from metagenomes, we briefly summarize here how different meta'omics, imaging, and wet lab methods have contributed to progress in understanding the ecophysiology of Archaea. We then peer into the history of how our knowledge on two particularly important lineages was assembled: the anaerobic methane and alkane oxidizers, encountered primarily among Euryarchaeota, and the nanosized, mainly parasitic, members of the DPANN superphylum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis S Adam
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, UniversitätsstraÔe, Essen, Germany.
| | - Till L V Bornemann
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, UniversitätsstraÔe, Essen, Germany
| | - Alexander J Probst
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, UniversitätsstraÔe, Essen, Germany.
- Centre of Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, UniversitätsstraÔe, Essen, Germany.
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Quantitative Mass Spectrometry by SILAC in Haloferax volcanii. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:255-266. [PMID: 36125755 PMCID: PMC9926160 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_16] [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: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The development of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics methods has been critical in providing new insight about cellular processes and adaptations in all domains of life. While traditional MS-based methods are not inherently quantitative, technologies are now available to overcome this limitation. Of note, stable isotope labeling of amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) is reported as a reliable tool to label proteomes for quantitative MS-based proteomics that is accurate and flexible for multiplexing. The isotopically labeled lysine and arginine are easily incorporated into the proteome of cells auxotrophic for these amino acids. Microorganisms of the domain Archaea provide a fascinating alternative to understanding cellular adaptations and responses to environmental stresses. However, the availability of preferred SILAC-based quantitative analyses is limited. This protocol describes the use of SILAC to quantitatively analyze the proteome of Haloferax volcanii, a mesophilic halophilic archaeon that is easy to grow and requires no special equipment to maintain.
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Abstract
In this chapter, we describe the reverse genetics methodology behind generating a targeted gene deletion or replacement in archaeal species of the genus Haloferax, which are renowned for their ease of manipulation. Individual steps in the method include the design of a gene-targeting vector, its use in transforming Haloferax to yield "pop-in" and "pop-out" clones, and techniques for validating the genetically manipulated strain. The vector carries DNA fragments of 500-1000 bp that flank the gene of interest (or a mutant allele), in addition to the pyrE2 gene for uracil biosynthesis (Bitan-Banin et al. J Bacteriol 185:772-778, 2003). The latter is used as a selectable marker for the transformation of Haloferax, wherein the vector integrates by homologous recombination at the genomic locus to generate the "pop-in" strain; this is also known as allele-coupled exchange. Culturing of these transformants in nonselective broth and subsequent plating on 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA)-containing media selects for excision of the vector, yielding either wild type or mutant "pop-out" clones. These 5-FOA-resistant clones are screened to confirm the desired mutation, using a combination of phenotypic assays, colony hybridization and Southern blotting. The pop-in/pop-out method allows for the recycling of the pyrE2 marker to enable multiple gene deletions to be carried out in a single strain, thereby providing insights into the function of multiple proteins and how they interact in their respective cellular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambika Dattani
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
| | - Catherine Harrison
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
| | - Thorsten Allers
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.
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Kern M, Ferreira-Cerca S. Differential Translation Activity Analysis Using Bioorthogonal Noncanonical Amino Acid Tagging (BONCAT) in Archaea. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2533:229-246. [PMID: 35796992 PMCID: PMC9761519 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2501-9_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The study of protein production and degradation in a quantitative and time-dependent manner is a major challenge to better understand cellular physiological response. Among available technologies bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) is an efficient approach allowing for time-dependent labeling of proteins through the incorporation of chemically reactive noncanonical amino acids like L-azidohomoalanine (L-AHA). The azide-containing amino-acid derivative enables a highly efficient and specific reaction termed click chemistry, whereby the azide group of the L-AHA reacts with a reactive alkyne derivate, like dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO) derivatives, using strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition (SPAAC). Moreover, available DBCO containing reagents are versatile and can be coupled to fluorophore (e.g., Cy7) or affinity tag (e.g., biotin) derivatives, for easy visualization and affinity purification, respectively.Here, we describe a step-by-step BONCAT protocol optimized for the model archaeon Haloferax volcanii , but which is also suitable to harness other biological systems. Finally, we also describe examples of downstream visualization, affinity purification of L-AHA-labeled proteins and differential expression analysis.In conclusion, the following BONCAT protocol expands the available toolkit to explore proteostasis using time-resolved semiquantitative proteomic analysis in archaea .
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kern
- Biochemistry III-Regensburg Center for Biochemistry-Institute for Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sébastien Ferreira-Cerca
- Biochemistry III-Regensburg Center for Biochemistry-Institute for Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
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31
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Schiller H, Young C, Schulze S, Pohlschroder M. Accessible and Insightful Scientific Learning Experiences Using the Microorganism Haloferax volcanii. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:531-545. [PMID: 36125773 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Early exposure to science is critical to incite interest in scientific careers, promote equity and retention in STEM fields, and increase the general understanding of the scientific method. For many educators, however, the myriad resources that many scientific experiments require are not readily available. Microbiology experiments in particular can often be inaccessible for a lot of classrooms. In addition, microbiological studies often involve eukaryotic microbes and bacteria while excluding an entire domain of life: archaea. Archaea are more closely related to eukaryotes than are bacteria, and although all prokaryotic cells lack a nucleus, various key aspects of the cell biology of archaea and bacteria are fundamentally different. In addition to being useful for teaching about the diversity and evolution of living organisms, these differences between archaea and bacteria can also be harnessed to teach and emphasize other important biological topics. Haloferax volcanii is a non-pathogenic model haloarchaeon that allows for safe, affordable, and accessible microbiological experiments, as the requirement of high-salt media to grow H. volcanii presents a low risk of contamination. Here, we describe how H. volcanii can be used in the classroom and outline a protocol demonstrating their resistance to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, underscoring the distinct cell biology of bacteria and archaea. Finally, we introduce strategies and protocols to perform this and other H. volcanii experiments such that they can be performed based on the resources available in a high school or undergraduate classroom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Schiller
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Criston Young
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stefan Schulze
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Abstract
Archaea inhabit a wide variety of habitats and are well-placed to provide insights into the origins of eukaryotes. In this primer, we examine the available model archaeal genetic systems. We consider the limitations and barriers involved in genetically modifying different archaeal species, the techniques and breakthroughs that have contributed to their tractability, and potential areas for future development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Harrison
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
| | - Thorsten Allers
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK.
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Ferreira-Cerca S. The dark side of the ribosome life cycle. RNA Biol 2022; 19:1045-1049. [PMID: 36082947 PMCID: PMC9467602 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2022.2121421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Thanks to genetics, biochemistry, and structural biology many features of the ribosome´s life cycles in models of bacteria, eukaryotes, and some organelles have been revealed to near-atomic details. Collectively, these studies have provided a very detailed understanding of what are now well-established prototypes for ribosome biogenesis and function as viewed from a 'classical' model organisms perspective. However, very important challenges remain ahead to explore the functional and structural diversity of both ribosome biogenesis and function across the biological diversity on earth. Particularly, the 'third domain of life', the archaea, and also many non-model bacterial and eukaryotic organisms have been comparatively neglected. Importantly, characterizing these additional biological systems will not only offer a yet untapped window to enlighten the evolution of ribosome biogenesis and function but will also help to unravel fundamental principles of molecular adaptation of these central cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Ferreira-Cerca
- Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, Biochemistry III - Institute for Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Thomsen J, Weidenbach K, Metcalf WW, Schmitz RA. Genetic Methods and Construction of Chromosomal Mutations in Methanogenic Archaea. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:105-117. [PMID: 36125745 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_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] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Genetic manipulation through markerless exchange enables the modification of several genomic regions without leaving a selection marker in the genome. Here, a method using hpt coding for hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase as a counter selectable marker is described. For Methanosarcina species a chromosomal deletion of the hpt gene is firstly generated, which confers resistance to the purine analogue 8-aza-2,6-diaminopurine (8-ADP). In a second step, the reintroduction of the hpt gene on a plasmid leads to a selectable loss of 8-ADP resistance after a homologous recombination event (pop-in). A subsequent pop-out event restores the 8-ADP resistance and can generate chromosomal mutants with frequencies of about 50%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Thomsen
- Institute For General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Katrin Weidenbach
- Institute For General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | | | - Ruth A Schmitz
- Institute For General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany.
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35
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Klein T, Poghosyan L, Barclay JE, Murrell JC, Hutchings MI, Lehtovirta-Morley LE. OUP accepted manuscript. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2022; 369:6551892. [PMID: 35323924 PMCID: PMC9072212 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) are environmentally important microorganisms involved in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen. Routine cultivation of AOA is exclusively performed in liquid cultures and reports on their growth on solid medium are scarce. The ability to grow AOA on solid medium would be beneficial for not only the purification of enrichment cultures but also for developing genetic tools. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable method for growing individual colonies from AOA cultures on solid medium. Three phylogenetically distinct AOA strains were tested: ‘Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus franklandus C13’, Nitrososphaera viennensis EN76 and ‘Candidatus Nitrosotalea sinensis Nd2’. Of the gelling agents tested, agar and Bacto-agar severely inhibited growth of all three strains. In contrast, both ‘Ca. N. franklandus C13’ and N. viennensis EN76 tolerated Phytagel™ while the acidophilic ‘Ca. N. sinensis Nd2’ was completely inhibited. Based on these observations, we developed a Liquid-Solid (LS) method that involves immobilising cells in Phytagel™ and overlaying with liquid medium. This approach resulted in the development of visible distinct colonies from ‘Ca. N. franklandus C13’ and N. viennensis EN76 cultures and lays the groundwork for the genetic manipulation of this group of microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Klein
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Lianna Poghosyan
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - J Elaine Barclay
- Bioimaging Facility, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - J Colin Murrell
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Matthew I Hutchings
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Laura E Lehtovirta-Morley
- Corresponding author: School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK. Tel: +01603 592192; E-mail:
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36
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Satari L, Guillén A, Latorre-Pérez A, Porcar M. Beyond Archaea: The Table Salt Bacteriome. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:714110. [PMID: 34777272 PMCID: PMC8586464 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.714110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Commercial table salt is a condiment with food preservative properties by decreasing water activity and increasing osmotic pressure. Salt is also a source of halophilic bacteria and archaea. In the present research, the diversity of halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms was studied in six commercial table salts by culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. Three table salts were obtained from marine origins: Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean (Ibiza Island), and Odiel marshes (supermarket marine salt). Other salts supplemented with mineral and nutritional ingredients were also used: Himalayan pink, Hawaiian black, and one with dried vegetables known as Viking salt. The results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing reveal that the salts from marine origins display a similar archaeal taxonomy, but with significant variations among genera. Archaeal taxa Halorubrum, Halobacterium, Hallobellus, Natronomonas, Haloplanus, Halonotius, Halomarina, and Haloarcula were prevalent in those three marine salts. Furthermore, the most abundant archaeal genera present in all salts were Natronomonas, Halolamina, Halonotius, Halapricum, Halobacterium, Haloarcula, and uncultured Halobacterales. Sulfitobacter sp. was the most frequent bacteria, represented almost in all salts. Other genera such as Bacillus, Enterococcus, and Flavobacterium were the most frequent taxa in the Viking, Himalayan pink, and black salts, respectively. Interestingly, the genus Salinibacter was detected only in marine-originated salts. A collection of 76 halotolerant and halophilic bacterial and haloarchaeal species was set by culturing on different media with a broad range of salinity and nutrient composition. Comparing the results of 16S rRNA gene metataxonomic and culturomics revealed that culturable bacteria Acinetobacter, Aquibacillus, Bacillus, Brevundimonas, Fictibacillus, Gracilibacillus, Halobacillus, Micrococcus, Oceanobacillus, Salibacterium, Salinibacter, Terribacillus, Thalassobacillus, and also Archaea Haloarcula, Halobacterium, and Halorubrum were identified at least in one sample by both methods. Our results show that salts from marine origins are dominated by Archaea, whereas salts from other sources or salt supplemented with ingredients are dominated by bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Satari
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València-CSIC, Paterna, Spain
| | - Alba Guillén
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València-CSIC, Paterna, Spain
| | - Adriel Latorre-Pérez
- Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence S.L., Parc Científic Universitat de València, Paterna, Spain
| | - Manuel Porcar
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València-CSIC, Paterna, Spain.,Darwin Bioprospecting Excellence S.L., Parc Científic Universitat de València, Paterna, Spain
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Iltchenco J, Peruzzo V, Eva Magrini F, Marconatto L, Paula Torres A, Luiz Beal L, Paesi S. Microbiota profile in mesophilic biodigestion of sugarcane vinasse in batch reactors. WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : A JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON WATER POLLUTION RESEARCH 2021; 84:2028-2039. [PMID: 34695028 DOI: 10.2166/wst.2021.375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The vinasse is a residue of ethanol production with the potential for methane production, requiring an allochthonous inoculum. Several microorganisms act in the different phases of anaerobic digestion, and the identification of these microbial communities is essential to optimize the process. The characterization of the microbiota involved in the biodigestion of vinasse was observed in the initial stage (IS), at the peak of methane production (MS) and the end of the process (FS) of the best performance assay by high-throughput sequencing. The highest methane production was 0.78 mmolCH4.gVS.h-1 at 243.7 h in the substrate/inoculum ratio of 1.7, with consumption partial of acetic, propionic and isobutyric acids and an 82% reduction of chemical oxygen demand. High microbial diversity was found. The genera Clostridium, Acinetobacter, Candidatus Cloacamonas, Bacteroides, Syntrophomonas, Kosmotoga, the family Porphyromonadaceae and the class Bacteroidia were the most abundant in the maximum methane production. Methane production was driven by Methanobacterium and Methanosaeta, suggesting the metabolic pathways used were hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janaina Iltchenco
- University of Caxias do Sul, Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Caxias do Sul, Brazil E-mail:
| | - Vanessa Peruzzo
- University of Caxias do Sul, Environmental Technologies Laboratory, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
| | - Flaviane Eva Magrini
- University of Caxias do Sul, Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Caxias do Sul, Brazil E-mail:
| | - Letícia Marconatto
- Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Institute of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Torres
- PETROBRAS, Research and Development Center Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello - CENPES, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lademir Luiz Beal
- University of Caxias do Sul, Environmental Technologies Laboratory, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
| | - Suelen Paesi
- University of Caxias do Sul, Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Caxias do Sul, Brazil E-mail:
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Makarova KS, Wolf YI, Karamycheva S, Koonin EV. A Unique Gene Module in Thermococcales Archaea Centered on a Hypervariable Protein Containing Immunoglobulin Domains. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:721392. [PMID: 34489912 PMCID: PMC8416519 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.721392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular mechanisms involved in biological conflicts and self vs nonself recognition in archaea remain poorly characterized. We apply phylogenomic analysis to identify a hypervariable gene module that is widespread among Thermococcales. These loci consist of an upstream gene coding for a large protein containing several immunoglobulin (Ig) domains and unique combinations of downstream genes, some of which also contain Ig domains. In the large Ig domain containing protein, the C-terminal Ig domain sequence is hypervariable, apparently, as a result of recombination between genes from different Thermococcales. To reflect the hypervariability, we denote this gene module VARTIG (VARiable Thermococcales IG). The overall organization of the VARTIG modules is similar to the organization of Polymorphic Toxin Systems (PTS). Archaeal genomes outside Thermococcales encode a variety of Ig domain proteins, but no counterparts to VARTIG and no Ig domains with comparable levels of variability. The specific functions of VARTIG remain unknown but the identified features of this system imply three testable hypotheses: (i) involvement in inter-microbial conflicts analogous to PTS, (ii) role in innate immunity analogous to the vertebrate complement system, and (iii) function in self vs nonself discrimination analogous to the vertebrate Major Histocompatibility Complex. The latter two hypotheses seem to be of particular interest given the apparent analogy to the vertebrate immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Svetlana Karamycheva
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
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39
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Li XG, Tang HZ, Zhang WJ, Qi XQ, Qu ZG, Xu J, Wu LF. Thermococcus aciditolerans sp. nov., a piezotolerant, hyperthermophilic archaeon isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney in the Southwest Indian Ridge. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2021; 71. [PMID: 34343062 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.004934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A hyperthermophilic, strictly anaerobic archaeon, designated strain SY113T, was isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney on the Southwest Indian Ridge at a water depth of 2770 m. Enrichment and isolation of strain SY113T were performed at 85 °C at 0.1 MPa. Cells of strain SY113T were irregular motile cocci with peritrichous flagella and generally 0.8-2.4 µm in diameter. Growth was observed at temperatures between 50 and 90 °C (optimum at 85 °C) and under hydrostatic pressures of 0.1-60 MPa (optimum, 27 MPa). Cells of SY113T grew at pH 4.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 5.5) and a NaCl concentration of 0.5-5.5 % (w/v; optimum concentration, 3.0 % NaCl). Strain SY113T was an anaerobic chemoorganoheterotroph and grew on complex proteinaceous substrates such as yeast extract and tryptone, as well as on maltose and starch. Elemental sulphur stimulated growth, but not obligatory for its growth. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 55.0 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence of strain SY113T showed that the novel isolate belonged to the genus Thermococcus. On the basis of physiological characteristics, average nucleotide identity values and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization results, we propose a novel species, named Thermococcus aciditolerans sp. nov. The type strain is SY113T (=MCCC 1K04190T=JCM 39083T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Gong Li
- Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbial Cell Biology, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China.,International Associated Laboratory of Evolution and Development of Magnetotactic Multicellular Organisms, CNRS-Marseille/ CAS- Sanya, PR China.,CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China
| | - Hong-Zhi Tang
- Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbial Cell Biology, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China
| | - Wei-Jia Zhang
- Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbial Cell Biology, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China.,International Associated Laboratory of Evolution and Development of Magnetotactic Multicellular Organisms, CNRS-Marseille/ CAS- Sanya, PR China.,CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China
| | - Xiao-Qing Qi
- Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbial Cell Biology, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China.,International Associated Laboratory of Evolution and Development of Magnetotactic Multicellular Organisms, CNRS-Marseille/ CAS- Sanya, PR China.,CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China
| | - Zhi-Guo Qu
- Laboratory of Deep-sea Information Technology, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, PR China
| | - Jun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Long-Fei Wu
- International Associated Laboratory of Evolution and Development of Magnetotactic Multicellular Organisms, CNRS-Marseille/ CAS- Sanya, PR China.,Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LCB, IMM, IM2B, Marseille, France
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40
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Kasirajan L, Adams Z, Couto-Rodriguez RL, Gal D, Jia H, Mondragon P, Wassel PC, Yu D, Uthandi S, Maupin-Furlow JA. High-level synthesis and secretion of laccase, a metalloenzyme biocatalyst, by the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii. Methods Enzymol 2021; 659:297-313. [PMID: 34752290 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Haloarchaea and their enzymes have extremophilic properties desirable for use as platform organisms and biocatalysts in the bioindustry. These GRAS (generally regarded as safe) designated microbes thrive in hypersaline environments and use a salt-in strategy to maintain osmotic homeostasis. This unusual strategy has resulted in the evolution of most of the intracellular and extracellular enzymes of haloarchaea to be active and stable not only in high salt (2-5M) but also in low salt (0.2M). This salt tolerance is correlated with a resilience to low water activity, thus, rendering the haloarchaeal enzymes active and stable in organic solvent and temperatures of 50-60°C used in the enzymatic biodelignification and saccharification of lignocellulosic materials. High-level secretion of haloarchaeal enzymes to the extracellular milieu is useful for many applications, including enzymes that deconstruct biomass to allow for lignin depolymerization and simultaneous fermentation of sugars released from hemicellulose and cellulose fractions of lignocellulosics. Here we detail strategies and methods useful for high-level secretion of a laccase, HvLccA, that mediates oxidation of various phenolics by engineering a recombinant strain of the haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshmi Kasirajan
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, India; Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Zachary Adams
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Ricardo L Couto-Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Daniel Gal
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Huiyong Jia
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Paula Mondragon
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Paul C Wassel
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - David Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Sivakumar Uthandi
- Biocatalysts Laboratory, Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Julie A Maupin-Furlow
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
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Open Issues for Protein Function Assignment in Haloferax volcanii and Other Halophilic Archaea. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12070963. [PMID: 34202810 PMCID: PMC8305020 DOI: 10.3390/genes12070963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Annotation ambiguities and annotation errors are a general challenge in genomics. While a reliable protein function assignment can be obtained by experimental characterization, this is expensive and time-consuming, and the number of such Gold Standard Proteins (GSP) with experimental support remains very low compared to proteins annotated by sequence homology, usually through automated pipelines. Even a GSP may give a misleading assignment when used as a reference: the homolog may be close enough to support isofunctionality, but the substrate of the GSP is absent from the species being annotated. In such cases, the enzymes cannot be isofunctional. Here, we examined a variety of such issues in halophilic archaea (class Halobacteria), with a strong focus on the model haloarchaeon Haloferax volcanii. Results: Annotated proteins of Hfx. volcanii were identified for which public databases tend to assign a function that is probably incorrect. In some cases, an alternative, probably correct, function can be predicted or inferred from the available evidence, but this has not been adopted by public databases because experimental validation is lacking. In other cases, a probably invalid specific function is predicted by homology, and while there is evidence that this assigned function is unlikely, the true function remains elusive. We listed 50 of those cases, each with detailed background information, so that a conclusion about the most likely biological function can be drawn. For reasons of brevity and comprehension, only the key aspects are listed in the main text, with detailed information being provided in a corresponding section of the Supplementary Materials. Conclusions: Compiling, describing and summarizing these open annotation issues and functional predictions will benefit the scientific community in the general effort to improve the evaluation of protein function assignments and more thoroughly detail them. By highlighting the gaps and likely annotation errors currently in the databases, we hope this study will provide a framework for experimentalists to systematically confirm (or disprove) our function predictions or to uncover yet more unexpected functions.
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Knüppel R, Fenk M, Jüttner M, Ferreira-Cerca S. In Vivo RNA Chemical Footprinting Analysis in Archaea. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2106:193-208. [PMID: 31889259 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0231-7_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
RNA structural conformation and dynamics govern the functional properties of all RNA/RNP. Accordingly, defining changes of RNA structure and dynamics in various conditions may provide detailed insight into how RNA structural properties regulate the function of RNA/RNP. Traditional chemical footprinting analysis using chemical modifiers allows to sample the dynamics and conformation landscape of diverse RNA/RNP. However, many chemical modifiers are limited in their capacity to provide unbiased information reflecting the in vivo RNA/RNP structural landscape. In the recent years, the development of selective-2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) methodology that uses powerful new chemical modifiers has significantly improved in vitro and in vivo structural probing of secondary and tertiary interactions of diverse RNA species at the single nucleotide level.Although the original discovery of Archaea as an independent domain of life is intimately linked to the technological development of RNA analysis, our understanding of in vivo RNA structural conformation and dynamics in this domain of life remains scarce.This protocol describes the in vivo use of SHAPE chemistry in two evolutionary divergent model Archaea, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and Haloferax volcanii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Knüppel
- Department of Biochemistry III, Institute for Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fenk
- Department of Biochemistry III, Institute for Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Michael Jüttner
- Department of Biochemistry III, Institute for Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sébastien Ferreira-Cerca
- Department of Biochemistry III, Institute for Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
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43
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Gao K, Lu Y. Putative Extracellular Electron Transfer in Methanogenic Archaea. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:611739. [PMID: 33828536 PMCID: PMC8019784 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.611739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that a few methanogens are capable of extracellular electron transfers. For instance, Methanosarcina barkeri can directly capture electrons from the coexisting microbial cells of other species. Methanothrix harundinacea and Methanosarcina horonobensis retrieve electrons from Geobacter metallireducens via direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). Recently, Methanobacterium, designated strain YSL, has been found to grow via DIET in the co-culture with Geobacter metallireducens. Methanosarcina acetivorans can perform anaerobic methane oxidation and respiratory growth relying on Fe(III) reduction through the extracellular electron transfer. Methanosarcina mazei is capable of electromethanogenesis under the conditions where electron-transfer mediators like H2 or formate are limited. The membrane-bound multiheme c-type cytochromes (MHC) and electrically-conductive cellular appendages have been assumed to mediate the extracellular electron transfer in bacteria like Geobacter and Shewanella species. These molecules or structures are rare but have been recently identified in a few methanogens. Here, we review the current state of knowledge for the putative extracellular electron transfers in methanogens and highlight the opportunities and challenges for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailin Gao
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yahai Lu
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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44
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Bize A, Midoux C, Mariadassou M, Schbath S, Forterre P, Da Cunha V. Exploring short k-mer profiles in cells and mobile elements from Archaea highlights the major influence of both the ecological niche and evolutionary history. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:186. [PMID: 33726663 PMCID: PMC7962313 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07471-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND K-mer-based methods have greatly advanced in recent years, largely driven by the realization of their biological significance and by the advent of next-generation sequencing. Their speed and their independence from the annotation process are major advantages. Their utility in the study of the mobilome has recently emerged and they seem a priori adapted to the patchy gene distribution and the lack of universal marker genes of viruses and plasmids. To provide a framework for the interpretation of results from k-mer based methods applied to archaea or their mobilome, we analyzed the 5-mer DNA profiles of close to 600 archaeal cells, viruses and plasmids. Archaea is one of the three domains of life. Archaea seem enriched in extremophiles and are associated with a high diversity of viral and plasmid families, many of which are specific to this domain. We explored the dataset structure by multivariate and statistical analyses, seeking to identify the underlying factors. RESULTS For cells, the 5-mer profiles were inconsistent with the phylogeny of archaea. At a finer taxonomic level, the influence of the taxonomy and the environmental constraints on 5-mer profiles was very strong. These two factors were interdependent to a significant extent, and the respective weights of their contributions varied according to the clade. A convergent adaptation was observed for the class Halobacteria, for which a strong 5-mer signature was identified. For mobile elements, coevolution with the host had a clear influence on their 5-mer profile. This enabled us to identify one previously known and one new case of recent host transfer based on the atypical composition of the mobile elements involved. Beyond the effect of coevolution, extrachromosomal elements strikingly retain the specific imprint of their own viral or plasmid taxonomic family in their 5-mer profile. CONCLUSION This specific imprint confirms that the evolution of extrachromosomal elements is driven by multiple parameters and is not restricted to host adaptation. In addition, we detected only recent host transfer events, suggesting the fast evolution of short k-mer profiles. This calls for caution when using k-mers for host prediction, metagenomic binning or phylogenetic reconstruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Bize
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, PROSE, F-92761, Antony, France.
| | - Cédric Midoux
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, PROSE, F-92761, Antony, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, MaIAGE, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, BioinfOmics, MIGALE bioinformatics facility, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Mahendra Mariadassou
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, MaIAGE, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, BioinfOmics, MIGALE bioinformatics facility, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sophie Schbath
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, MaIAGE, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.,Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, BioinfOmics, MIGALE bioinformatics facility, F-78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Institut Pasteur, Unité de Virologie des Archées, Département de Microbiologie, 25 Rue du Docteur Roux, 75015, Paris, France. .,Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Violette Da Cunha
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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45
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Tittes C, Schwarzer S, Pfeiffer F, Dyall-Smith M, Rodriguez-Franco M, Oksanen HM, Quax TEF. Cellular and Genomic Properties of Haloferax gibbonsii LR2-5, the Host of Euryarchaeal Virus HFTV1. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:625599. [PMID: 33664716 PMCID: PMC7921747 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.625599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypersaline environments are the source of many viruses infecting different species of halophilic euryarchaea. Information on infection mechanisms of archaeal viruses is scarce, due to the lack of genetically accessible virus–host models. Recently, a new archaeal siphovirus, Haloferax tailed virus 1 (HFTV1), was isolated together with its host belonging to the genus Haloferax, but it is not infectious on the widely used model euryarcheon Haloferax volcanii. To gain more insight into the biology of HFTV1 host strain LR2-5, we studied characteristics that might play a role in its virus susceptibility: growth-dependent motility, surface layer, filamentous surface structures, and cell shape. Its genome sequence showed that LR2-5 is a new strain of Haloferax gibbonsii. LR2-5 lacks obvious viral defense systems, such as CRISPR-Cas, and the composition of its cell surface is different from Hfx. volcanii, which might explain the different viral host range. This work provides first deep insights into the relationship between the host of halovirus HFTV1 and other members of the genus Haloferax. Given the close relationship to the genetically accessible Hfx. volcanii, LR2-5 has high potential as a new model for virus–host studies in euryarchaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Tittes
- Archaeal Virus-Host Interactions, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Schwarzer
- Archaeal Virus-Host Interactions, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Friedhelm Pfeiffer
- Computational Biology Group, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Mike Dyall-Smith
- Computational Biology Group, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany.,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Hanna M Oksanen
- Molecular and Integrative Biosciences Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tessa E F Quax
- Archaeal Virus-Host Interactions, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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46
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Fujishiro T, Ogawa S. The nickel-sirohydrochlorin formation mechanism of the ancestral class II chelatase CfbA in coenzyme F430 biosynthesis. Chem Sci 2021; 12:2172-2180. [PMID: 34163982 PMCID: PMC8179277 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc05439a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The class II chelatase CfbA catalyzes Ni2+ insertion into sirohydrochlorin (SHC) to yield the product nickel-sirohydrochlorin (Ni-SHC) during coenzyme F430 biosynthesis. CfbA is an important ancestor of all the class II chelatase family of enzymes, including SirB and CbiK/CbiX, functioning not only as a nickel-chelatase, but also as a cobalt-chelatase in vitro. Thus, CfbA is a key enzyme in terms of diversity and evolution of the chelatases catalyzing formation of metal-SHC-type of cofactors. However, the reaction mechanism of CfbA with Ni2+ and Co2+ remains elusive. To understand the structural basis of the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary aspects of the class II chelatases, X-ray crystal structures of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii wild-type CfbA with various ligands, including SHC, Ni2+, Ni-SHC, and Co2+ were determined. Further, X-ray crystallographic snapshot analysis captured a unique Ni2+-SHC-His intermediate complex and Co-SHC-bound CfbA, which resulted from a more rapid chelatase reaction for Co2+ than Ni2+. Meanwhile, an in vitro activity assay confirmed the different reaction rates for Ni2+ and Co2+ by CfbA. Based on these structural and functional analyses, the following substrate-SHC-assisted Ni2+ insertion catalytic mechanism was proposed: Ni2+ insertion to SHC is promoted by the support of an acetate side chain of SHC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Fujishiro
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University Shimo-Okubo 255 Sakura Saitama 338-8570 Japan +81-48-858-9293
| | - Shoko Ogawa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University Shimo-Okubo 255 Sakura Saitama 338-8570 Japan +81-48-858-9293
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47
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Pfeifer K, Ergal İ, Koller M, Basen M, Schuster B, Rittmann SKMR. Archaea Biotechnology. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 47:107668. [PMID: 33271237 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Archaea are a domain of prokaryotic organisms with intriguing physiological characteristics and ecological importance. In Microbial Biotechnology, archaea are historically overshadowed by bacteria and eukaryotes in terms of public awareness, industrial application, and scientific studies, although their biochemical and physiological properties show a vast potential for a wide range of biotechnological applications. Today, the majority of microbial cell factories utilized for the production of value-added and high value compounds on an industrial scale are bacterial, fungal or algae based. Nevertheless, archaea are becoming ever more relevant for biotechnology as their cultivation and genetic systems improve. Some of the main advantages of archaeal cell factories are the ability to cultivate many of these often extremophilic organisms under non-sterile conditions, and to utilize inexpensive feedstocks often toxic to other microorganisms, thus drastically reducing cultivation costs. Currently, the only commercially available products of archaeal cell factories are bacterioruberin, squalene, bacteriorhodopsin and diether-/tetraether-lipids, all of which are produced utilizing halophiles. Other archaeal products, such as carotenoids and biohydrogen, as well as polyhydroxyalkanoates and methane are in early to advanced development stages, respectively. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current state of Archaea Biotechnology by describing the actual state of research and development as well as the industrial utilization of archaeal cell factories, their role and their potential in the future of sustainable bioprocessing, and to illustrate their physiological and biotechnological potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Pfeifer
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria; Institute of Synthetic Bioarchitectures, Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Wien, Austria
| | - İpek Ergal
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria
| | - Martin Koller
- Office of Research Management and Service, c/o Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Mirko Basen
- Microbial Physiology Group, Division of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Bernhard Schuster
- Institute of Synthetic Bioarchitectures, Department of Nanobiotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Wien, Austria
| | - Simon K-M R Rittmann
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria.
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48
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Turkowyd B, Schreiber S, Wörtz J, Segal ES, Mevarech M, Duggin IG, Marchfelder A, Endesfelder U. Establishing Live-Cell Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy Imaging and Single-Particle Tracking in the Archaeon Haloferax volcanii. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:583010. [PMID: 33329447 PMCID: PMC7714787 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.583010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, fluorescence microscopy techniques for the localization and tracking of single molecules in living cells have become well-established and are indispensable tools for the investigation of cellular biology and in vivo biochemistry of many bacterial and eukaryotic organisms. Nevertheless, these techniques are still not established for imaging archaea. Their establishment as a standard tool for the study of archaea will be a decisive milestone for the exploration of this branch of life and its unique biology. Here, we have developed a reliable protocol for the study of the archaeon Haloferax volcanii. We have generated an autofluorescence-free H. volcanii strain, evaluated several fluorescent proteins for their suitability to serve as single-molecule fluorescence markers and codon-optimized them to work under optimal H. volcanii cultivation conditions. We found that two of them, Dendra2Hfx and PAmCherry1Hfx, provide state-of-the-art single-molecule imaging. Our strategy is quantitative and allows dual-color imaging of two targets in the same field of view (FOV) as well as DNA co-staining. We present the first single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) images of the subcellular organization and dynamics of two crucial intracellular proteins in living H. volcanii cells, FtsZ1, which shows complex structures in the cell division ring, and RNA polymerase, which localizes around the periphery of the cellular DNA. This work should provide incentive to develop SMLM strategies for other archaeal organisms in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Turkowyd
- Department of Systems and Synthetic Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Julia Wörtz
- Department of Biology II, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ella Shtifman Segal
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Moshe Mevarech
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Iain G. Duggin
- The ithree Institute, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Ulrike Endesfelder
- Department of Systems and Synthetic Microbiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Mellon College of Science, Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
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49
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Fongaro G, Maia GA, Rogovski P, Cadamuro RD, Lopes JC, Moreira RS, Camargo AF, Scapini T, Stefanski FS, Bonatto C, Marques Souza DS, Stoco PH, Duarte RTD, Cabral da Cruz AC, Wagner G, Treichel H. Extremophile Microbial Communities and Enzymes for Bioenergetic Application Based on Multi-Omics Tools. Curr Genomics 2020; 21:240-252. [PMID: 33071618 PMCID: PMC7521039 DOI: 10.2174/1389202921999200601144137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract: Genomic and proteomic advances in extremophile microorganism studies are increasingly demonstrating their ability to produce a variety of enzymes capable of converting biomass into bioenergy. Such microorganisms are found in environments with nutritional restrictions, anaerobic environments, high salinity, varying pH conditions and extreme natural environments such as hydrothermal vents, soda lakes, and Antarctic sediments. As extremophile microorganisms and their enzymes are found in widely disparate locations, they generate new possibilities and opportunities to explore biotechnological prospecting, including biofuels (biogas, hydrogen and ethanol) with an aim toward using multi-omics tools that shed light on biotechnological breakthroughs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gislaine Fongaro
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Augusto Maia
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Paula Rogovski
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Rafael Dorighello Cadamuro
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Joana Camila Lopes
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Renato Simões Moreira
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Aline Frumi Camargo
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Thamarys Scapini
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Fábio Spitza Stefanski
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Charline Bonatto
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Doris Sobral Marques Souza
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Hermes Stoco
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Rubens Tadeu Delgado Duarte
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Ariadne Cristiane Cabral da Cruz
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Glauber Wagner
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - Helen Treichel
- 1Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 2Laboratory of Microbiology and Bioprocess, Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Erechim, RS, Brazil; 3Department of Chemical and Food Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil; 4Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
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Microbial Communities and Sulfate-Reducing Microorganisms Abundance and Diversity in Municipal Anaerobic Sewage Sludge Digesters from a Wastewater Treatment Plant (Marrakech, Morocco). Processes (Basel) 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/pr8101284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Both molecular analyses and culture-dependent isolation were combined to investigate the diversity of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes and explore their role in sulfides production in full-scale anaerobic digesters (Marrakech, Morocco). At global scale, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Synergistetes, and Euryarchaeota were the most dominant phyla. The abundance of Archaea (3.1–5.7%) was linked with temperature. The mcrA gene ranged from 2.18 × 105 to 1.47 × 107 gene copies.g−1 of sludge. The sulfate-reducing prokaryotes, representing 5% of total sequences, involved in sulfides production were Peptococcaceae, Syntrophaceae, Desulfobulbaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, Syntrophobacteraceae, Desulfurellaceae, and Desulfobacteraceae. Furthermore, dsrB gene ranged from 2.18 × 105 to 1.92 × 107 gene copies.g−1 of sludge. The results revealed that exploration of diversity and function of sulfate-reducing bacteria may play a key role in decreasing sulfide production, an undesirable by-product, during anaerobic digestion.
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