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He Z, Naganuma T, Nakai R, Uetake J, Hahn MW. Microbiomic Analysis of Bacteria Associated with Rock Tripe Lichens from Alpine Areas in Eastern Alps and Equatorial Africa. Curr Microbiol 2024; 81:115. [PMID: 38483599 PMCID: PMC10940493 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-024-03626-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
The diversity of bacteria associated with alpine lichens was profiled. Lichen samples belonging to the Umbilicariaceae family, commonly known as rock tripe lichens, were gathered from two distinct alpine fellfields: one situated on Mt. Brennkogel located in the Eastern European Alps (Austria), and the other on Mt. Stanley located in the Rwenzori mountains of equatorial Africa (Uganda). The primary aim of this research was to undertake a comparative investigation into the bacterial compositions, and diversities, identifying potential indicators and exploring their potential metabolisms, of these lichen samples. Bulk genomic DNA was extracted from the lichen samples, which was used to amplify the 18S rRNA gene by Sanger sequencing and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene by Illumina Miseq sequencing. Examination of the fungal partner was carried out through the analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequences, belonging to the genus Umbilicaria (Ascomycota), and the algal partner affiliated with the lineage Trebouxia (Chlorophyta), constituted the symbiotic components. Analyzing the MiSeq datasets by using bioinformatics methods, operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were established based on a predetermined similarity threshold for the V3-V4 sequences, which were assigned to a total of 26 bacterial phyla that were found in both areas. Eight of the 26 phyla, i.e. Acidobacteriota, Actinomycota, Armatimonadota, Bacteroidota, Chloroflexota, Deinococcota, Planctomycetota, and Pseudomonadota, were consistently present in all samples, each accounting for more than 1% of the total read count. Distinct differences in bacterial composition emerged between lichen samples from Austria and Uganda, with the OTU frequency-based regional indicator phyla, Pseudomonadota and Armatimonadota, respectively. Despite the considerable geographic separation of approximately 5430 km between the two regions, the prediction of potential metabolic pathways based on OTU analysis revealed similar relative abundances. This similarity is possibly influenced by comparable alpine climatic conditions prevailing in both areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zichen He
- Graduate School of Integrated Science for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan
| | - Takeshi Naganuma
- Graduate School of Integrated Science for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan.
| | - Ryosuke Nakai
- Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Sapporo, 062-8517, Japan
| | - Jun Uetake
- Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0811, Japan
| | - Martin W Hahn
- Research Department for Limnology, Universität Innsbruck, 5310, Mondsee, Austria
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Valim HF, Grande FD, Wong ELY, Schmitt I. Circadian clock- and temperature-associated genes contribute to overall genomic differentiation along elevation in lichenized fungi. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17252. [PMID: 38146927 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17252] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Circadian regulation is linked to local environmental adaptation, and many species with broad climatic niches display variation in circadian genes. Here, we hypothesize that lichenizing fungi occupying different climate zones tune their metabolism to local environmental conditions with the help of their circadian systems. We study two species of the genus Umbilicaria occupying similar climatic niches (Mediterranean and the cold temperate) in different continents. Using homology to Neurospora crassa genes, we identify gene sets associated with circadian rhythms (11 core, 39 peripheral genes) as well as temperature response (37 genes). Nucleotide diversity of these genes is significantly correlated with mean annual temperature, minimum temperature of the coldest month and mean temperature of the coldest quarter. Furthermore, we identify altitudinal clines in allele frequencies in several non-synonymous substitutions in core clock components, for example, white collar-like, frh-like and various ccg-like genes. A dN/dS approach revealed a few significant peripheral clock- and temperature-associated genes (e.g. ras-1-like, gna-1-like) that may play a role in fine-tuning the circadian clock and temperature-response machinery. An analysis of allele frequency changes demonstrated the strongest evidence for differentiation above the genomic background in the clock-associated genes in U. pustulata. These results highlight the likely relevance of the circadian clock in environmental adaptation, particularly frost tolerance, of lichens. Whether or not the fungal clock modulates the symbiotic interaction within the lichen consortium remains to be investigated. We corroborate the finding of genetic variation in clock components along altitude-not only latitude-as has been reported in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrique F Valim
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Francesco Dal Grande
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Edgar L Y Wong
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Imke Schmitt
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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He Z, Naganuma T, Melville HIAS. Bacteriomic Profiles of Rock-Dwelling Lichens from the Venezuelan Guiana Shield and the South African Highveld Plateau. Microorganisms 2024; 12:290. [PMID: 38399694 PMCID: PMC10892498 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12020290] [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: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Lichens are not only fungal-algal symbiotic associations but also matrices for association with bacteria, and the bacterial diversity linked to lichens has been receiving more attention in studies. This study compares the diversity and possible metabolism of lichen-associated bacteria from saxicolous foliose and fruticose taxa Alectoria, Canoparmelia, Crocodia, Menegazzia, Usnea, and Xanthoparmelia from the Venezuelan Guiana Shield and the South African Highveld Plateau. We used DNA extractions from the lichen thalli to amplify the eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene (rDNA) and the V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rDNA, of which amplicons were then Sanger- and MiSeq-sequenced, respectively. The V3-V4 sequences of the associated bacteria were grouped into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) ascribed to twelve bacterial phyla previously found in the rock tripe Umbilicaria lichens. The bacterial OTUs emphasized the uniqueness of each region, while, at the species and higher ranks, the regional microbiomes were shown to be somewhat similar. Nevertheless, regional biomarker OTUs were screened to predict relevant metabolic pathways, which implicated different regional metabolic features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zichen He
- Graduate School of Integrated Science for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
| | - Takeshi Naganuma
- Graduate School of Integrated Science for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
| | - Haemish I. A. S. Melville
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida, 0-41 Calabash Building, Unisa Science Campus, cnr Pioneer Avenue and Christiaan de Wet Road, Florida 1710, Gauteng, South Africa;
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Rieseberg L, Warschefsky E, Burton J, Huang K, Sibbett B. Editorial 2024. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17239. [PMID: 38146175 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Loren Rieseberg
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Emily Warschefsky
- William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jade Burton
- John Wiley & Sons, Atrium Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, UK
| | - Kaichi Huang
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Benjamin Sibbett
- John Wiley & Sons, Atrium Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, UK
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Gillespie RG, Bik HM, Hickerson MJ, Krehenwinkel H, Overcast I, Rominger AJ. Insights into Ecological & Evolutionary Processes via community metabarcoding. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6083-6092. [PMID: 37999451 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rosemary G Gillespie
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Holly M Bik
- Department of Marine Sciences and Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael J Hickerson
- Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York City, New York, USA
- Biology Department, City College of New York, New York City, New York, USA
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, USA
| | | | - Isaac Overcast
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, USA
- California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Andrew J Rominger
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Ahmad N, Ritz M, Calchera A, Otte J, Schmitt I, Brueck T, Mehlmer N. Biosynthetic gene cluster synteny: Orthologous polyketide synthases in Hypogymnia physodes, Hypogymnia tubulosa, and Parmelia sulcata. Microbiologyopen 2023; 12:e1386. [PMID: 37877655 PMCID: PMC10582450 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1386] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Lichens are symbiotic associations consisting of a photobiont (algae or cyanobacteria) and a mycobiont (fungus), which together generate a variety of unique secondary metabolites. To access this biosynthetic potential for biotechnological applications, deeper insights into the biosynthetic pathways and corresponding gene clusters are necessary. Here, we provide a comparative view of the biosynthetic gene clusters of three lichen mycobionts derived from Hypogymnia physodes, Hypogymnia tubulosa, and Parmelia sulcata. In addition, we present a high-quality PacBio metagenome of Parmelia sulcata, from which we extracted the mycobiont bin containing 214 biosynthetic gene clusters. Most biosynthetic gene clusters in these genomes were associated with T1PKSs, followed by NRPSs and terpenes. This study focused on biosynthetic gene clusters related to polyketide synthesis. Based on ketosynthase homology, we identified nine highly syntenic clusters present in all three species. Among the four clusters belonging to nonreducing PKSs, two are putatively linked to lichen substances derived from orsellinic acid (orcinol depsides and depsidones, e.g., lecanoric acid, physodic acid, lobaric acid), one to compounds derived from methylated forms of orsellinic acid (beta orcinol depsides, e.g., atranorin), and one to melanins. Five clusters with orthologs in all three species are linked to reducing PKSs. Our study contributes to sorting and dereplicating the vast PKS diversity found in lichenized fungi. High-quality sequences of biosynthetic gene clusters of these three common species provide a foundation for further exploration into biotechnological applications and the molecular evolution of lichen substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadim Ahmad
- Department of Chemistry, Werner Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology, TUM School of Natural SciencesTechnical University of Munich (TUM)GarchingGermany
| | - Manfred Ritz
- Department of Chemistry, Werner Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology, TUM School of Natural SciencesTechnical University of Munich (TUM)GarchingGermany
| | - Anjuli Calchera
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK‐F)Frankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Jürgen Otte
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK‐F)Frankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Imke Schmitt
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK‐F)Frankfurt am MainGermany
- Institute of Ecology, Evolution and DiversityGoethe University FrankfurtFrankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Thomas Brueck
- Department of Chemistry, Werner Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology, TUM School of Natural SciencesTechnical University of Munich (TUM)GarchingGermany
| | - Norbert Mehlmer
- Department of Chemistry, Werner Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology, TUM School of Natural SciencesTechnical University of Munich (TUM)GarchingGermany
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Beck A, Casanova-Katny A, Gerasimova J. Metabarcoding of Antarctic Lichens from Areas with Different Deglaciation Times Reveals a High Diversity of Lichen-Associated Communities. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14051019. [PMID: 37239380 DOI: 10.3390/genes14051019] [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: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Lichens have developed numerous adaptations to optimise their survival under harsh abiotic stress, colonise different substrates, and reach substantial population sizes and high coverage in ice-free Antarctic areas, benefiting from a symbiotic lifestyle. As lichen thalli represent consortia with an unknown number of participants, it is important to know about the accessory organisms and their relationships with various environmental conditions. To this end, we analysed lichen-associated communities from Himantormia lugubris, Placopsis antarctica, P. contortuplicata, and Ramalina terebrata, collected from soils with differing deglaciation times, using a metabarcoding approach. In general, many more Ascomycete taxa are associated with the investigated lichens compared to Basidiomycota. Given our sampling, a consistently higher number of lichen-associated eukaryotes are estimated to be present in areas with deglaciation times of longer than 5000 years compared to more recently deglaciated areas. Thus far, members of Dothideomycetes, Leotiomycetes, and Arthoniomycetes have been restricted to the Placopsis specimens from areas with deglaciation times longer than 5000 years. Striking differences between the associated organisms of R. terebrata and H. lugubris have also been discovered. Thus, a species-specific basidiomycete, Tremella, was revealed for R. terebrata, as was a member of Capnodiales for H. lugubris. Our study provides further understanding of the complex terricolous lichen-associated mycobiome using the metabarcoding approach. It also illustrates the necessity to extend our knowledge of complex lichen symbiosis and further improve the coverage of microbial eukaryotes in DNA barcode libraries, including more extended sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Beck
- SNSB-Botanische Staatssammlung München, 80638 Munich, Germany
- GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany
| | - Angélica Casanova-Katny
- Laboratorio de Ecofisiología Vegetal y Cambio Climático, Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco 4780000, Chile
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Merges D, Dal Grande F, Valim H, Singh G, Schmitt I. Gene abundance linked to climate zone: Parallel evolution of gene content along elevation gradients in lichenized fungi. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1097787. [PMID: 37032854 PMCID: PMC10073550 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1097787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Intraspecific genomic variability affects a species' adaptive potential toward climatic conditions. Variation in gene content across populations and environments may point at genomic adaptations to specific environments. The lichen symbiosis, a stable association of fungal and photobiont partners, offers an excellent system to study environmentally driven gene content variation. Many of these species have remarkable environmental tolerances, and often form populations across different climate zones. Here, we combine comparative and population genomics to assess the presence and absence of genes in high and low elevation genomes of two lichenized fungi of the genus Umbilicaria. Methods The two species have non-overlapping ranges, but occupy similar climatic niches in North America (U. phaea) and Europe (U. pustulata): high elevation populations are located in the cold temperate zone and low elevation populations in the Mediterranean zone. We assessed gene content variation along replicated elevation gradients in each of the two species, based on a total of 2050 individuals across 26 populations. Specifically, we assessed shared orthologs across species within the same climate zone, and tracked, which genes increase or decrease in abundance within populations along elevation. Results In total, we found 16 orthogroups with shared orthologous genes in genomes at low elevation and 13 at high elevation. Coverage analysis revealed one ortholog that is exclusive to genomes at low elevation. Conserved domain search revealed domains common to the protein kinase superfamily. We traced the discovered ortholog in populations along five replicated elevation gradients on both continents and found that the number of this protein kinase gene linearly declined in abundance with increasing elevation, and was absent in the highest populations. Discussion We consider the parallel loss of an ortholog in two species and in two geographic settings a rare find, and a step forward in understanding the genomic underpinnings of climatic tolerances in lichenized fungi. In addition, the tracking of gene content variation provides a widely applicable framework for retrieving biogeographical determinants of gene presence/absence patterns. Our work provides insights into gene content variation of lichenized fungi in relation to climatic gradients, suggesting a new research direction with implications for understanding evolutionary trajectories of complex symbioses in relation to climatic change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Merges
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Dominik Merges,
| | - Francesco Dal Grande
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Henrique Valim
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Garima Singh
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Imke Schmitt
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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He Z, Naganuma T. Chronicle of Research into Lichen-Associated Bacteria. Microorganisms 2022; 10:2111. [PMID: 36363703 PMCID: PMC9698887 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10112111] [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: 07/31/2022] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Lichens are mutually symbiotic systems consisting of fungal and algal symbionts. While diverse lichen-forming fungal species are known, limited species of algae form lichens. Plasticity in the combination of fungal and algal species with different eco-physiological properties may contribute to the worldwide distribution of lichens, even in extreme habitats. Lichens have been studied systematically for more than 200 years; however, plasticity in fungal-algal/cyanobacterial symbiotic combinations is still unclear. In addition, the association between non-cyanobacterial bacteria and lichens has attracted attention in recent years. The types, diversity, and functions of lichen-associated bacteria have been studied using both culture-based and culture-independent methods. This review summarizes the history of systematic research on lichens and lichen-associated bacteria and provides insights into the current status of research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Takeshi Naganuma
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8528, Japan
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