Thermotoga lettingae can salvage cobinamide to synthesize vitamin B12

Ligand cross-feeding resolves bacterial vitamin B12 auxotrophies

Cobalamin (vitamin B12, herein referred to as B12) is an essential cofactor for most marine prokaryotes and eukaryotes1,2. Synthesized by a limited number of prokaryotes, its scarcity affects microbial interactions and community dynamics2-4. Here we show that two bacterial B12 auxotrophs can salvage different B12 building blocks and cooperate to synthesize B12. A Colwellia sp. synthesizes and releases the activated lower ligand α-ribazole, which is used by another B12 auxotroph, a Roseovarius sp., to produce the corrin ring and synthesize B12. Release of B12 by Roseovarius sp. happens only in co-culture with Colwellia sp. and only coincidently with the induction of a prophage encoded in Roseovarius sp. Subsequent growth of Colwellia sp. in these conditions may be due to the provision of B12 by lysed cells of Roseovarius sp. Further evidence is required to support a causative role for prophage induction in the release of B12. These complex microbial interactions of ligand cross-feeding and joint B12 biosynthesis seem to be widespread in marine pelagic ecosystems. In the western and northern tropical Atlantic Ocean, bacteria predicted to be capable of salvaging cobinamide and synthesizing only the activated lower ligand outnumber B12 producers. These findings add new players to our understanding of B12 supply to auxotrophic microorganisms in the ocean and possibly in other ecosystems.

Phylogenomic analysis of metagenome-assembled genomes indicates new taxa in the order Spirochaetales and proposal of Thalassospirochaeta sargassi gen. nov. sp. nov. from seaweeds

Six metagenome-assembled genomes (JB008Ts, JB007, JB015, JB003, JB004, and JB002) belonging to the order Spirochaetales were generated from seaweed samples collected from the Gulf of Mannar, India. The binned genomes JB008Ts and JB007 shared highest 16S rRNA gene identity of 94.9 % and 92.2-93.4 %, respectively with uncultivated Spirochaetaceae family members, and < 90 % identity with Marispirochaeta aestuari JC444T. While, the bin JB015 showed 99.1 % identity with Pleomorphochaeta naphthae SEBR 4209T. The phylogenomic and 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis of the binned genomes JB007 and JB008Ts confirmed that these members belong to the family Spirochaetaceae and bins JB015, JB002, JB003, and JB004 belong to the genus Pleomorphochaeta within the family Sphaerochaetaceae. The AAI values of the binned genomes JB007 and JB008Ts compared to other members of the Spirochaetaceae family were between 53.9- 56.8 % and 53.8-57.1 %, respectively. Furthermore, the comparison of ANI, dDDH, and POCP metrics of the binned genomes JB007 and JB008Ts, both among themselves and with the members of Spirochaetaceae, was also below the suggested thresholds for genera delineation. Consequently, the binned genome JB008Ts is proposed as a new genus according to the guidelines of code of nomenclature of prokaryotes described from sequence data (SeqCode) with the name Thalassospirochaeta sargassi gen. nov. sp. nov., in the family Spirochaetaceae while the bin JB007 could not be proposed as novel taxa due to low-quality estimates. The bin JB015 and its additional genomes form a distinct clade, but their taxonomic status remains ambiguous due to the absence of genomic evidence from other Pleomorphochaeta members.

Phylogenetic distribution and experimental characterization of corrinoid production and dependence in soil bacterial isolates

Soil microbial communities impact carbon sequestration and release, biogeochemical cycling, and agricultural yields. These global effects rely on metabolic interactions that modulate community composition and function. However, the physicochemical and taxonomic complexity of soil and the scarcity of available isolates for phenotypic testing are significant barriers to studying soil microbial interactions. Corrinoids-the vitamin B12 family of cofactors-are critical for microbial metabolism, yet they are synthesized by only a subset of microbiome members. Here, we evaluated corrinoid production and dependence in soil bacteria as a model to investigate the ecological roles of microorganisms involved in metabolic interactions. We isolated and characterized a taxonomically diverse collection of 161 soil bacteria from a single study site. Most corrinoid-dependent bacteria in the collection prefer B12 over other corrinoids, while all tested producers synthesize B12, indicating metabolic compatibility between producers and dependents in the collection. Furthermore, a subset of producers release B12 at levels sufficient to support dependent isolates in laboratory culture at estimated ratios of up to 1000 dependents per producer. Within our isolate collection, we did not find strong phylogenetic patterns in corrinoid production or dependence. Upon investigating trends in the phylogenetic dispersion of corrinoid metabolism categories across sequenced bacteria from various environments, we found that these traits are conserved in 47 out of 85 genera. Together, these phenotypic and genomic results provide evidence for corrinoid-based metabolic interactions among bacteria and provide a framework for the study of nutrient-sharing ecological interactions in microbial communities.

Micronutrient Requirements and Sharing Capabilities of the Human Gut Microbiome

The human gut microbiome harbors a diverse array of metabolic pathways contributing to its development and homeostasis via a complex web of diet-dependent metabolic interactions within the microbial community and host. Genomics-based reconstruction and predictive modeling of these interactions would provide a framework for diagnostics and treatment of dysbiosis-related syndromes via rational selection of therapeutic prebiotics and dietary nutrients. Of particular interest are micronutrients, such as B-group vitamins, precursors of indispensable metabolic cofactors, that are produced de novo by some gut bacteria (prototrophs) but must be provided exogenously in the diet for many other bacterial species (auxotrophs) as well as for the mammalian host. Cross-feeding of B vitamins between prototrophic and auxotrophic species is expected to strongly contribute to the homeostasis of microbial communities in the distal gut given the efficient absorption of dietary vitamins in the upper gastrointestinal tract. To confidently estimate the balance of microbiome micronutrient biosynthetic capabilities and requirements using available genomic data, we have performed a subsystems-based reconstruction of biogenesis, salvage and uptake for eight B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12) and queuosine (essential factor in tRNA modification) over a reference set of 2,228 bacterial genomes representing 690 cultured species of the human gastrointestinal microbiota. This allowed us to classify the studied organisms with respect to their pathway variants and infer their prototrophic vs. auxotrophic phenotypes. In addition to canonical vitamin pathways, several conserved partial pathways were identified pointing to alternative routes of syntrophic metabolism and expanding a microbial vitamin "menu" by several pathway intermediates (vitamers) such as thiazole, quinolinate, dethiobiotin, pantoate. A cross-species comparison was applied to assess the extent of conservation of vitamin phenotypes at distinct taxonomic levels (from strains to families). The obtained reference collection combined with 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic profiles was used to deduce phenotype profiles of the human gut microbiota across in two large cohorts. This analysis provided the first estimate of B-vitamin requirements, production and sharing capabilities in the human gut microbiome establishing predictive phenotype profiling as a new approach to classification of microbiome samples. Future expansion of our reference genomic collection of metabolic phenotypes will allow further improvement in coverage and accuracy of predictive phenotype profiling of the human microbiome.

Uneven distribution of cobamide biosynthesis and dependence in bacteria predicted by comparative genomics

The vitamin B₁₂ family of cofactors known as cobamides are essential for a variety of microbial metabolisms. We used comparative genomics of 11,000 bacterial species to analyze the extent and distribution of cobamide production and use across bacteria. We find that 86% of bacteria in this data set have at least one of 15 cobamide-dependent enzyme families, but only 37% are predicted to synthesize cobamides de novo. The distribution of cobamide biosynthesis and use vary at the phylum level. While 57% of Actinobacteria are predicted to biosynthesize cobamides, only 0.6% of Bacteroidetes have the complete pathway, yet 96% of species in this phylum have cobamide-dependent enzymes. The form of cobamide produced by the bacteria could be predicted for 58% of cobamide-producing species, based on the presence of signature lower ligand biosynthesis and attachment genes. Our predictions also revealed that 17% of bacteria have partial biosynthetic pathways, yet have the potential to salvage cobamide precursors. Bacteria with a partial cobamide biosynthesis pathway include those in a newly defined, experimentally verified category of bacteria lacking the first step in the biosynthesis pathway. These predictions highlight the importance of cobamide and cobamide precursor salvaging as examples of nutritional dependencies in bacteria.

Conformational Change of a Tryptophan Residue in BtuF Facilitates Binding and Transport of Cobinamide by the Vitamin B12 Transporter BtuCD-F

BtuCD-F is an ABC transporter that mediates cobalamin uptake into Escherichia coli. Early in vivo data suggested that BtuCD-F might also be involved in the uptake of cobinamide, a cobalamin precursor. However, neither was it demonstrated that BtuCD-F indeed transports cobinamide, nor was the structural basis of its recognition known. We synthesized radiolabeled cyano-cobinamide and demonstrated BtuCD-catalyzed in vitro transport, which was ATP- and BtuF-dependent. The crystal structure of cobinamide-bound BtuF revealed a conformational change of a tryptophan residue (W66) in the substrate binding cleft compared to the structure of cobalamin-bound BtuF. High-affinity binding of cobinamide was dependent on W66, because mutation to most other amino acids substantially reduced binding. The structures of three BtuF W66 mutants revealed that tight packing against bound cobinamide was only provided by tryptophan and phenylalanine, in line with the observed binding affinities. In vitro transport rates of cobinamide and cobalamin were not influenced by the substitutions of BtuF W66 under the experimental conditions, indicating that W66 has no critical role in the transport reaction. Our data present the molecular basis of the cobinamide versus cobalamin specificity of BtuCD-F and provide tools for in vitro cobinamide transport and binding assays.

Genome and metabolic network of "Candidatus Phaeomarinobacter ectocarpi" Ec32, a new candidate genus of Alphaproteobacteria frequently associated with brown algae

Rhizobiales and related orders of Alphaproteobacteria comprise several genera of nodule-inducing symbiotic bacteria associated with plant roots. Here we describe the genome and the metabolic network of “Candidatus Phaeomarinobacter ectocarpi” Ec32, a member of a new candidate genus closely related to Rhizobiales and found in association with cultures of the filamentous brown algal model Ectocarpus. The “Ca. P. ectocarpi” genome encodes numerous metabolic pathways that may be relevant for this bacterium to interact with algae. Notably, it possesses a large set of glycoside hydrolases and transporters, which may serve to process and assimilate algal metabolites. It also harbors several proteins likely to be involved in the synthesis of algal hormones such as auxins and cytokinins, as well as the vitamins pyridoxine, biotin, and thiamine. As of today, “Ca. P. ectocarpi” has not been successfully cultured, and identical 16S rDNA sequences have been found exclusively associated with Ectocarpus. However, related sequences (≥97% identity) have also been detected free-living and in a Fucus vesiculosus microbiome barcoding project, indicating that the candidate genus “Phaeomarinobacter” may comprise several species, which may colonize different niches.