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Lopes JC, Veiga VP, Seminiuk B, Santos LOF, Luiz AMC, Fernandes CA, Kinasz CT, Pellizari VH, Duarte RTD. Freezing and thawing in Antarctica: characterization of antifreeze protein (AFP) producing microorganisms isolated from King George Island, Antarctica. Braz J Microbiol 2024; 55:1451-1463. [PMID: 38656427 PMCID: PMC11153389 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-024-01345-7] [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: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Antarctic temperature variations and long periods of freezing shaped the evolution of microorganisms with unique survival mechanisms. These resilient organisms exhibit several adaptations for life in extreme cold. In such ecosystems, microorganisms endure the absence of liquid water and exhibit resistance to freezing by producing water-binding molecules such as antifreeze proteins (AFP). AFPs modify the ice structure, lower the freezing point, and inhibit recrystallization. The objective of this study was to select and identify microorganisms isolated from different Antarctic ecosystems based on their resistance to temperatures below 0 °C. Furthermore, the study sought to characterize these microorganisms regarding their potential antifreeze adaptive mechanisms. Samples of soil, moss, permafrost, and marine sediment were collected on King George Island, located in the South Shetland archipelago, Antarctica. Bacteria and yeasts were isolated and subjected to freezing-resistance and ice recrystallization inhibition (IR) tests. A total of 215 microorganisms were isolated, out of which 118 were molecularly identified through molecular analysis using the 16S rRNA and ITS regions. Furthermore, our study identified 24 freezing-resistant isolates, including two yeasts and 22 bacteria. A total of 131 protein extracts were subjected to the IR test, revealing 14 isolates positive for AFP production. Finally, four isolates showed both freeze-resistance and IR activity (Arthrobacter sp. BGS04, Pseudomonas sp. BGS05, Cryobacterium sp. P64, and Acinetobacter sp. M1_25C). This study emphasizes the diversity of Antarctic microorganisms with the ability to tolerate freezing conditions. These microorganisms warrant further investigation to conduct a comprehensive analysis of their antifreeze capabilities, with the goal of exploring their potential for future biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Lopes
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology and Biosciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - V P Veiga
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - B Seminiuk
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - L O F Santos
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - A M C Luiz
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology and Biosciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - C A Fernandes
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
| | - C T Kinasz
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology and Biosciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - V H Pellizari
- Oceanographic Institute, Department of Biological Oceanography, University of São Paulo, 05508-120, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - R T D Duarte
- Laboratory of Molecular Ecology and Extremophiles, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Reitor João David Ferreira Lima, s/n Trindade, 88040-900, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
- Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology and Biosciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.
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Procházková L, Remias D, Nedbalová L, Raymond JA. A DUF3494 ice-binding protein with a root cap domain in a streptophyte glacier ice alga. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1306511. [PMID: 38250448 PMCID: PMC10796529 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1306511] [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: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) of the DUF3494 type have been found in many ice-associated unicellular photoautotrophs, including chlorophytes, haptophytes, diatoms and a cyanobacterium. Unrelated IBPs have been found in many land plants (streptophytes). Here we looked for IBPs in two streptophyte algae that grow only on glaciers, a group in which IBPs have not previously been examined. The two species, Ancylonema nordenskioeldii and Ancylonema. alaskanum, belong to the class Zygnematophyceae, whose members are the closest relatives to all land plants. We found that one of them, A. nordenskioeldii, expresses a DUF3494-type IBP that is similar to those of their chlorophyte ancestors and that has not previously been found in any streptophytes. The protein is unusual in having what appears to be a perfect array of TXT motifs that have been implicated in water or ice binding. The IBP strongly binds to ice and almost certainly has a role in mitigating the daily freeze-thaw cycles that the alga is exposed to during late summer. No IBP was found in the second species, A. alaskanum, which may rely more on glycerol production for its freeze-thaw tolerance. The IBP is also unusual in having a 280-residue domain with a β sandwich structure (which we designate as the DPH domain) that is characteristic of root cap proteins of land plants, and that may have a role in forming IBP oligomers. We also examined existing transcriptome data obtained from land plants to better understand the tissue and temperature dependence of expression of this domain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Remias
- Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | | | - James A. Raymond
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States
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Scholl CL, Holmstrup M, Graham LA, Davies PL. Polyproline type II helical antifreeze proteins are widespread in Collembola and likely originated over 400 million years ago in the Ordovician Period. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8880. [PMID: 37264058 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35983-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) bind to ice crystals to prevent organisms from freezing. A diversity of AFP folds has been found in fish and insects, including alpha helices, globular proteins, and several different beta solenoids. But the variety of AFPs in flightless arthropods, like Collembola, has not yet been adequately assessed. Here, antifreeze activity was shown to be present in 18 of the 22 species of Collembola from cold or temperate zones. Several methods were used to characterize these AFPs, including isolation by ice affinity purification, MALDI mass spectrometry, amino acid composition analysis, tandem mass spectrometry sequencing, transcriptome sequencing, and bioinformatic investigations of sequence databases. All of these AFPs had a high glycine content and were predicted to have the same polyproline type II helical bundle fold, a fold unique to Collembola. These Hexapods arose in the Ordovician Period with the two orders known to produce AFPs diverging around 400 million years ago during the Andean-Saharan Ice Age. Therefore, it is likely that the AFP arose then and persisted in many lineages through the following two ice ages and intervening warm periods, unlike the AFPs of fish which arose independently during the Cenozoic Ice Age beginning ~ 30 million years ago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connor L Scholl
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L3N6, Canada
| | - Martin Holmstrup
- Section of Terrestrial Ecology, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 4, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Arctic Research Center, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Laurie A Graham
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L3N6, Canada
| | - Peter L Davies
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 18 Stuart Street, Kingston, ON, K7L3N6, Canada.
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Genetic and Structural Diversity of Prokaryotic Ice-Binding Proteins from the Central Arctic Ocean. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14020363. [PMID: 36833289 PMCID: PMC9957290 DOI: 10.3390/genes14020363] [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: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are a group of ecologically and biotechnologically relevant enzymes produced by psychrophilic organisms. Although putative IBPs containing the domain of unknown function (DUF) 3494 have been identified in many taxa of polar microbes, our knowledge of their genetic and structural diversity in natural microbial communities is limited. Here, we used samples from sea ice and sea water collected in the central Arctic Ocean as part of the MOSAiC expedition for metagenome sequencing and the subsequent analyses of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). By linking structurally diverse IBPs to particular environments and potential functions, we reveal that IBP sequences are enriched in interior ice, have diverse genomic contexts and cluster taxonomically. Their diverse protein structures may be a consequence of domain shuffling, leading to variable combinations of protein domains in IBPs and probably reflecting the functional versatility required to thrive in the extreme and variable environment of the central Arctic Ocean.
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Gilbertson R, Langan E, Mock T. Diatoms and Their Microbiomes in Complex and Changing Polar Oceans. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:786764. [PMID: 35401494 PMCID: PMC8991070 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.786764] [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: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Diatoms, a key group of polar marine microbes, support highly productive ocean ecosystems. Like all life on earth, diatoms do not live in isolation, and they are therefore under constant biotic and abiotic pressures which directly influence their evolution through natural selection. Despite their importance in polar ecosystems, polar diatoms are understudied compared to temperate species. The observed rapid change in the polar climate, especially warming, has created increased research interest to discover the underlying causes and potential consequences on single species to entire ecosystems. Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies have greatly expanded our knowledge by revealing the molecular underpinnings of physiological adaptations to polar environmental conditions. Their genomes, transcriptomes, and proteomes together with the first eukaryotic meta-omics data of surface ocean polar microbiomes reflect the environmental pressures through adaptive responses such as the expansion of protein families over time as a consequence of selection. Polar regions and their microbiomes are inherently connected to climate cycles and their feedback loops. An integrated understanding built on “omics” resources centered around diatoms as key primary producers will enable us to reveal unifying concepts of microbial co-evolution and adaptation in polar oceans. This knowledge, which aims to relate past environmental changes to specific adaptations, will be required to improve climate prediction models for polar ecosystems because it provides a unifying framework of how interacting and co-evolving biological communities might respond to future environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reuben Gilbertson
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Langan
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom.,The Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Mock
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, United Kingdom
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