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Bolhuis H, Grego M. Cryopreservation and recovery of a complex hypersaline microbial mat community. Cryobiology 2024; 114:104859. [PMID: 38336089 DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2024.104859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Cryopreservation of microorganisms is an essential tool in industrial- and food applications where conservation of microbial activity and critical beneficial traits need to be guaranteed to provide a consistent product or production process. This often refers to simple, single species or low diversity assemblages in liquid cultures that can easily be revived and regrown to perform the desired process. Cryopreservation is also of essence for scientific experimentation where many environmental samples are taken in remote sampling sites and at high costs. Biobanking, or the long term preservation and potential revival of complex, structured samples come with an additional challenge related to maintaining the structure upon revival. Here we look at cryopreserving and reviving a complex photosynthesis driven microbial mat from a hypersaline ecosystem. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S and 18S ribosomal RNA gene was used to determine the community composition of bacteria and eukaryotes respectively. The tests included the use of different cryopreservative agents and different times of cryopreservation at -150 °C. Upon revival, the cryopreservatives cannot be separated from the preserved samples without disturbing the community structure, while carryover of these compounds may influence reconstitution of the communities. Indeed, although both glycerol and Me2SO are good cryopreservatives of microbial assemblages, carryover of these compounds had a profound negative effect on the reestablishment of a functional microbial mat. Best cryopreservation and reconstitution results were obtained in the absence of a cryopreservative agent or when methanol was used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk Bolhuis
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Den Hoorn, the Netherlands.
| | - Michele Grego
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Den Hoorn, the Netherlands.
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Farhat TM, Al Disi ZA, Ashfaq MY, Zouari N. Study of diversity of mineral-forming bacteria in sabkha mats and sediments of mangrove forest in Qatar. BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2023; 39:e00811. [PMID: 37663542 PMCID: PMC10470404 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
The involvement of microorganisms in carbonate minerals and modern dolomite formation in evaporitic environments occupied with microbial mats (i.e., sabkha) and in mangrove forests is evidenced, while its potential diversity requires further elucidation. Microorganisms can create supersaturated microenvironments facilitating the formation of various carbonate minerals through specific metabolic pathways. This is particularly important in arid environments, where deposition and sedimentary structures can occur. This study investigated the biodiversity of halophilic, heterotrophic, and aerobic mineral-forming bacteria in mangrove forests and living and decaying mats of Qatari sabkha. The diversity study was performed at the protein level using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry protein profiles combined with principal component analysis (PCA), which revealed a high diversity of isolated strains at the taxonomy and protein profile levels. The diversity of the minerals formed in pure cultures was evidenced by SEM/EDS and XRD analysis. Different types of carbonate minerals (calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonates, and high-magnesium calcites) were formed in pure cultures of the studied strains, which might explain their occurrence in the bulk composition of the sediments from where the strains were isolated. These results illuminate the diversity of biological mineral-formation processes in the extreme environments of Qatari sabkhas and mangroves, explaining the high diversity of minerals in these environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toka Mahmoud Farhat
- Environmental Sciences Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O.B 2713, Doha Qatar
| | - Zulfa Ali Al Disi
- Environmental Sciences Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O.B 2713, Doha Qatar
- Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq
- Environmental Sciences Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O.B 2713, Doha Qatar
| | - Nabil Zouari
- Environmental Sciences Program, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, P.O.B 2713, Doha Qatar
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Sim MS, Woo DK, Kim B, Jeong H, Joo YJ, Hong YW, Choi JY. What Controls the Sulfur Isotope Fractionation during Dissimilatory Sulfate Reduction? ACS ENVIRONMENTAL AU 2023; 3:76-86. [PMID: 37102088 PMCID: PMC10125365 DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.2c00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Sulfate often behaves conservatively in the oxygenated environments but serves as an electron acceptor for microbial respiration in a wide range of natural and engineered systems where oxygen is depleted. As a ubiquitous anaerobic dissimilatory pathway, therefore, microbial reduction of sulfate to sulfide has been of continuing interest in the field of microbiology, ecology, biochemistry, and geochemistry. Stable isotopes of sulfur are an effective tool for tracking this catabolic process as microorganisms discriminate strongly against heavy isotopes when cleaving the sulfur-oxygen bond. Along with its high preservation potential in environmental archives, a wide variation in the sulfur isotope effects can provide insights into the physiology of sulfate reducing microorganisms across temporal and spatial barriers. A vast array of parameters, including phylogeny, temperature, respiration rate, and availability of sulfate, electron donor, and other essential nutrients, has been explored as a possible determinant of the magnitude of isotope fractionation, and there is now a broad consensus that the relative availability of sulfate and electron donors primarily controls the magnitude of fractionation. As the ratio shifts toward sulfate, the sulfur isotope fractionation increases. The results of conceptual models, centered on the reversibility of each enzymatic step in the dissimilatory sulfate reduction pathway, are in qualitative agreement with the observations, although the underlying intracellular mechanisms that translate the external stimuli into the isotopic phenotype remain largely unexplored experimentally. This minireview offers a snapshot of our current understanding of the sulfur isotope effects during dissimilatory sulfate reduction as well as their potential quantitative applications. It emphasizes the importance of sulfate respiration as a model system for the isotopic investigation of other respiratory pathways that utilize oxyanions as terminal electron acceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Sub Sim
- School
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul
National University, Seoul08826, Korea
- . Tel: +82 2 880 6632
| | - Dong Kyun Woo
- School
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul
National University, Seoul08826, Korea
| | - Bokyung Kim
- School
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul
National University, Seoul08826, Korea
| | - Hyeonjeong Jeong
- School
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul
National University, Seoul08826, Korea
| | - Young Ji Joo
- Department
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Pukyong
National University, Busan48513, Korea
| | - Yeon Woo Hong
- School
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul
National University, Seoul08826, Korea
| | - Jy Young Choi
- School
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul
National University, Seoul08826, Korea
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Pavloudi C, Zafeiropoulos H. Deciphering the community structure and the functional potential of a hypersaline marsh microbial mat community. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6843573. [PMID: 36416806 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac141] [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: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial mats are vertically stratified communities of microorganisms characterized by pronounced physiochemical gradients allowing for high species diversity and a wide range of metabolic capabilities. High Throughput Sequencing has the potential to reveal the biodiversity and function of such ecosystems in the cycling of elements. The present study combines 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics on a hypersaline marsh in Tristomo bay (Karpathos, Greece). Samples were collected in July 2018 and November 2019 from microbial mats, deeper sediment, aggregates observed in the water overlying the sediment, as well as sediment samples with no apparent layering. Metagenomic samples' coassembly and binning revealed 250 bacterial and 39 archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes, with completeness estimates higher than 70% and contamination less than 5%. All MAGs had KEGG Orthology terms related to osmoadaptation, with the 'salt in' strategy ones being prominent. Halobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant taxa in the mats. Photosynthesis was most likely performed by purple sulphur and nonsulphur bacteria. All samples had the capacity for sulphate reduction, dissimilatory arsenic reduction, and conversion of pyruvate to oxaloacetate. Overall, both sequencing methodologies resulted in similar taxonomic compositions and revealed that the formation of the microbial mat in this marsh exhibits seasonal variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Pavloudi
- Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC), Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), P.O. Box 2214, 71003, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.,Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2029 G St NW, Bell Hall 302, Washington DC 20052, United States
| | - Haris Zafeiropoulos
- Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture (IMBBC), Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), P.O. Box 2214, 71003, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.,Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes University Campus, P.O. Box 2208, 70013, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.,Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, box 1028, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Nanoformulation of Tetrapyrroles Derivatives in Photodynamic Therapy: A Focus on Bacteriochlorin. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:3011918. [PMID: 36212948 PMCID: PMC9546677 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3011918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a well-known remedial treatment for cancer, infections, and various other diseases. PDT uses nontoxic dyes called photosensitizers (PS) that are activated in visible light at the proper wavelength to generate ROS (reactive oxygen species) that aid in killing tumor cells and destroying pathogenic microbes. Deciding a suitable photosensitizer is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy. It is challenging to choose the photosensitizer that is appropriate for specific pathological circumstances, such as different cancer species. Porphyrin, chlorin, and bacteriochlorin are tetrapyrroles used with proper functionalization in PDT, among which some compound has been clinically approved. Most photosensitizers are hydrophobic, have minimum solubility, and exhibit cytotoxicity due to the dispersion in biological fluid. This paper reviewed some nanotechnology-based strategies to overcome these drawbacks. In PDT, metal nanoparticles are widely used due to their enhanced surface plasmon resonance. The self-assembled nano-drug carriers like polymeric micelles, liposomes, and metal-based nanoparticles play a significant role in solubilizing the photosensitizer to make them biocompatible.
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Berlanga M, Palau M, Guerrero R. Community homeostasis of coastal microbial mats from the Camargue during winter (cold) and summer (hot) seasons. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Berlanga
- Department of Biology, Environment and Health, Section Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Montserrat Palau
- Department of Biology, Environment and Health, Section Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Ricardo Guerrero
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Antimicrobials, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
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Tirumalai MR, Anane-Bediakoh D, Rajesh S, Fox GE. Net Charges of the Ribosomal Proteins of the S10 and spc Clusters of Halophiles Are Inversely Related to the Degree of Halotolerance. Microbiol Spectr 2021; 9:e0178221. [PMID: 34908470 PMCID: PMC8672879 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01782-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Net positive charge(s) on ribosomal proteins (r-proteins) have been reported to influence the assembly and folding of ribosomes. A high percentage of r-proteins from extremely halophilic archaea are known to be acidic or even negatively charged. Those proteins that remain positively charged are typically far less positively charged. Here, the analysis is extended to non-archaeal halophilic bacteria, eukaryotes, and halotolerant archaea. The net charges (pH 7.4) of the r-proteins that comprise the S10-spc operon/cluster from individual microbial and eukaryotic genomes were estimated and intercompared. It was observed that, as a general rule, the net charges of individual proteins remained mostly basic as the salt tolerance of the bacterial strains increased from 5 to 15%. The most striking exceptions were the extremely halophilic bacterial strains, Salinibacter ruber SD01, Acetohalobium arabaticum DSM 5501 and Selenihalanaerobacter shriftii ATCC BAA-73, which are reported to require a minimum of 18% to 21% salt for their growth. All three strains have higher numbers of acidic S10-spc cluster r-proteins than what is seen in the moderate halophiles or the halotolerant strains. Of the individual proteins, only uL2 never became acidic. uS14 and uL16 also seldom became acidic. The net negative charges on several of the S10-spc cluster r-proteins are a feature generally shared by all extremely halophilic archaea and bacteria. The S10-spc cluster r-proteins of halophilic fungi and algae (eukaryotes) were exceptions: these were positively charged despite the halophilicity of the organisms. IMPORTANCE The net charges (at pH 7.4) of the ribosomal proteins (r-proteins) that comprise the S10-spc cluster show an inverse relationship with the halophilicity/halotolerance levels in both bacteria and archaea. In non-halophilic bacteria, the S10-spc cluster r-proteins are generally basic (positively charged), while the rest of the proteomes in these strains are generally acidic. On the other hand, the whole proteomes of the extremely halophilic strains are overall negatively charged, including the S10-spc cluster r-proteins. Given that the distribution of charged residues in the ribosome exit tunnel influences cotranslational folding, the contrasting charges observed in the S10-spc cluster r-proteins have potential implications for the rate of passage of these proteins through the ribosomal exit tunnel. Furthermore, the universal protein uL2, which lies in the oldest part of the ribosome, is always positively charged irrespective of the strain/organism it belongs to. This has implications for its role in the prebiotic context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhan R. Tirumalai
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Sidharth Rajesh
- Clements High School (Class of 2023), Fort Bend Independent School District, Sugar Land, Texas, USA
| | - George E. Fox
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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