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Lopez-Simon J, Vila-Nistal M, Rosenova A, De Corte D, Baltar F, Martinez-Garcia M. Viruses under the Antarctic Ice Shelf are active and potentially involved in global nutrient cycles. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8295. [PMID: 38097581 PMCID: PMC10721903 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44028-x] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Viruses play an important role in the marine ecosystem. However, our comprehension of viruses inhabiting the dark ocean, and in particular, under the Antarctic Ice Shelves, remains limited. Here, we mine single-cell genomic, transcriptomic, and metagenomic data to uncover the viral diversity, biogeography, activity, and their role as metabolic facilitators of microbes beneath the Ross Ice Shelf. This is the largest Antarctic ice shelf with a major impact on global carbon cycle. The viral community found in the cavity under the ice shelf mainly comprises endemic viruses adapted to polar and mesopelagic environments. The low abundance of genes related to lysogenic lifestyle (<3%) does not support a predominance of the Piggyback-the-Winner hypothesis, consistent with a low-productivity habitat. Our results indicate a viral community actively infecting key ammonium and sulfur-oxidizing chemolithoautotrophs (e.g. Nitrosopumilus spp, Thioglobus spp.), supporting a "kill-the-winner" dynamic. Based on genome analysis, these viruses carry specific auxiliary metabolic genes potentially involved in nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus acquisition. Altogether, the viruses under Antarctic ice shelves are putatively involved in programming the metabolism of ecologically relevant microbes that maintain primary production in these chemosynthetically-driven ecosystems, which have a major role in global nutrient cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Lopez-Simon
- Department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, 03690, Spain
| | - Marina Vila-Nistal
- Department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, 03690, Spain
| | - Aleksandra Rosenova
- Department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, 03690, Spain
| | - Daniele De Corte
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Ocean Technology and Engineering, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK
| | - Federico Baltar
- Department of Functional & Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Djerassi-Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Manuel Martinez-Garcia
- Department of Physiology, Genetics, and Microbiology, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, 03690, Spain.
- Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio Ramon Margalef, University of Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, 03690, Spain.
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2
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Kumari K, Rawat V, Shadan A, Sharma PK, Deb S, Singh RP. In-depth genome and pan-genome analysis of a metal-resistant bacterium Pseudomonas parafulva OS-1. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1140249. [PMID: 37408640 PMCID: PMC10318148 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1140249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A metal-resistant bacterium Pseudomonas parafulva OS-1 was isolated from waste-contaminated soil in Ranchi City, India. The isolated strain OS-1 showed its growth at 25-45°C, pH 5.0-9.0, and in the presence of ZnSO4 (upto 5 mM). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain OS-1 belonged to the genus Pseudomonas and was most closely related to parafulva species. To unravel the genomic features, we sequenced the complete genome of P. parafulva OS-1 using Illumina HiSeq 4,000 sequencing platform. The results of average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis indicated the closest similarity of OS-1 to P. parafulva PRS09-11288 and P. parafulva DTSP2. The metabolic potential of P. parafulva OS-1 based on Clusters of Othologous Genes (COG) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) indicated a high number of genes related to stress protection, metal resistance, and multiple drug-efflux, etc., which is relatively rare in P. parafulva strains. Compared with other parafulva strains, P. parafulva OS-1 was found to have the unique β-lactam resistance and type VI secretion system (T6SS) gene. Additionally, its genomes encode various CAZymes such as glycoside hydrolases and other genes associated with lignocellulose breakdown, suggesting that strain OS-1 have strong biomass degradation potential. The presence of genomic complexity in the OS-1 genome indicates that horizontal gene transfer (HGT) might happen during evolution. Therefore, genomic and comparative genome analysis of parafulva strains is valuable for further understanding the mechanism of resistance to metal stress and opens a perspective to exploit a newly isolated bacterium for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Kumari
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Vaishnavi Rawat
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Afreen Shadan
- Department of Microbiology, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukerjee University, Ranchi, India
| | - Parva Kumar Sharma
- Department of Plant Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Sushanta Deb
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University (WSU), Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Rajnish Prakash Singh
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
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3
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Sattley WM, Swingley WD, Burchell BM, Dewey ED, Hayward MK, Renbarger TL, Shaffer KN, Stokes LM, Gurbani SA, Kujawa CM, Nuccio DA, Schladweiler J, Touchman JW, Wang-Otomo ZY, Blankenship RE, Madigan MT. Complete genome of the thermophilic purple sulfur Bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum compared to Allochromatium vinosum and other Chromatiaceae. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 151:125-142. [PMID: 34669148 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00870-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The complete genome sequence of the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum strain MCT (DSM 3771T) is described and contrasted with that of its mesophilic relative Allochromatium vinosum strain D (DSM 180T) and other Chromatiaceae. The Tch. tepidum genome is a single circular chromosome of 2,958,290 base pairs with no plasmids and is substantially smaller than the genome of Alc. vinosum. The Tch. tepidum genome encodes two forms of RuBisCO and contains nifHDK and several other genes encoding a molybdenum nitrogenase but lacks a gene encoding a protein that assembles the Fe-S cluster required to form a functional nitrogenase molybdenum-iron cofactor, leaving the phototroph phenotypically Nif-. Tch. tepidum contains genes necessary for oxidizing sulfide to sulfate as photosynthetic electron donor but is genetically unequipped to either oxidize thiosulfate as an electron donor or carry out assimilative sulfate reduction, both of which are physiological hallmarks of Alc. vinosum. Also unlike Alc. vinosum, Tch. tepidum is obligately phototrophic and unable to grow chemotrophically in darkness by respiration. Several genes present in the Alc. vinosum genome that are absent from the genome of Tch. tepidum likely contribute to the major physiological differences observed between these related purple sulfur bacteria that inhabit distinct ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Matthew Sattley
- Division of Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, 46953, USA.
| | - Wesley D Swingley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, 60115, USA
| | - Brad M Burchell
- Division of Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, 46953, USA
| | - Emma D Dewey
- Division of Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, 46953, USA
| | - Mackenzie K Hayward
- Division of Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, 46953, USA
| | - Tara L Renbarger
- Division of Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, 46953, USA
| | - Kathryn N Shaffer
- Division of Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, 46953, USA
| | - Lynn M Stokes
- Division of Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN, 46953, USA
| | - Sonja A Gurbani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, 60115, USA
| | - Catrina M Kujawa
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, 60115, USA
| | - D Adam Nuccio
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, 60115, USA
| | - Jacob Schladweiler
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL, 60115, USA
| | - Jeffrey W Touchman
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AR, 85287, USA
| | | | - Robert E Blankenship
- Departments of Chemistry and Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Michael T Madigan
- Department of Microbiology, School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, USA
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Stockdreher Y, Sturm M, Josten M, Sahl HG, Dobler N, Zigann R, Dahl C. New proteins involved in sulfur trafficking in the cytoplasm of Allochromatium vinosum. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:12390-403. [PMID: 24648525 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.536425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation of periplasmic sulfur globules is an intermediate step during the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds in various sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms. The mechanism of how this sulfur is activated and crosses the cytoplasmic membrane for further oxidation to sulfite by the dissimilatory reductase DsrAB is incompletely understood, but it has been well documented that the pathway involves sulfur trafficking mediated by sulfur-carrying proteins. So far sulfur transfer from DsrEFH to DsrC has been established. Persulfurated DsrC very probably serves as a direct substrate for DsrAB. Here, we introduce further important players in oxidative sulfur metabolism; the proteins Rhd_2599, TusA, and DsrE2 are strictly conserved in the Chromatiaceae, Chlorobiaceae, and Acidithiobacillaceae families of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and are linked to genes encoding complexes involved in sulfur oxidation (Dsr or Hdr) in the latter two. Here we show via relative quantitative real-time PCR and microarray analysis an increase of mRNA levels under sulfur-oxidizing conditions for rhd_2599, tusA, and dsrE2 in Allochromatium vinosum. Transcriptomic patterns for the three genes match those of major genes for the sulfur-oxidizing machinery rather than those involved in biosynthesis of sulfur-containing biomolecules. TusA appears to be one of the major proteins in A. vinosum. A rhd_2599-tusA-dsrE2-deficient mutant strain, although not viable in liquid culture, was clearly sulfur oxidation negative upon growth on solid media containing sulfide. Rhd_2599, TusA, and DsrE2 bind sulfur atoms via conserved cysteine residues, and experimental evidence is provided for the transfer of sulfur between these proteins as well as to DsrEFH and DsrC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Stockdreher
- From the Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, D-53115 Bonn, Germany and
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Reprint of: Iron/sulfur proteins biogenesis in prokaryotes: formation, regulation and diversity. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2013; 1827:923-37. [PMID: 23660107 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2013.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Iron/sulfur centers are key cofactors of proteins intervening in multiple conserved cellular processes, such as gene expression, DNA repair, RNA modification, central metabolism and respiration. Mechanisms allowing Fe/S centers to be assembled, and inserted into polypeptides have attracted much attention in the last decade, both in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Basic principles and recent advances in our understanding of the prokaryotic Fe/S biogenesis ISC and SUF systems are reviewed in the present communication. Most studies covered stem from investigations in Escherichia coli and Azotobacter vinelandii. Remarkable insights were brought about by complementary structural, spectroscopic, biochemical and genetic studies. Highlights of the recent years include scaffold mediated assembly of Fe/S cluster, A-type carriers mediated delivery of clusters and regulatory control of Fe/S homeostasis via a set of interconnected genetic regulatory circuits. Also, the importance of Fe/S biosynthesis systems in mediating soft metal toxicity was documented. A brief account of the Fe/S biosynthesis systems diversity as present in current databases is given here. Moreover, Fe/S biosynthesis factors have themselves been the object of molecular tailoring during evolution and some examples are discussed here. An effort was made to provide, based on the E. coli system, a general classification associating a given domain with a given function such as to help next search and annotation of genomes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Metals in Bioenergetics and Biomimetics Systems.
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New sub-family of lysozyme-like proteins shows no catalytic activity: crystallographic and biochemical study of STM3605 protein from Salmonella Typhimurium. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 14:1-10. [PMID: 23572252 DOI: 10.1007/s10969-013-9151-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Phage viruses that infect prokaryotes integrate their genome into the host chromosome; thus, microbial genomes typically contain genetic remnants of both recent and ancient phage infections. Often phage genes occur in clusters of atypical G+C content that reflect integration of the foreign DNA. However, some phage genes occur in isolation without other phage gene neighbors, probably resulting from horizontal gene transfer. In these cases, the phage gene product is unlikely to function as a component of a mature phage particle, and instead may have been co-opted by the host for its own benefit. The product of one such gene from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, STM3605, encodes a protein with modest sequence similarity to phage-like lysozyme (N-acetylmuramidase) but appears to lack essential catalytic residues that are strictly conserved in all lysozymes. Close homologs in other bacteria share this characteristic. The structure of the STM3605 protein was characterized by X-ray crystallography, and functional assays showed that it is a stable, folded protein whose structure closely resembles lysozyme. However, this protein is unlikely to hydrolyze peptidoglycan. Instead, STM3605 is presumed to have evolved an alternative function because it shows some lytic activity and partitions to micelles.
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Roche B, Aussel L, Ezraty B, Mandin P, Py B, Barras F. Iron/sulfur proteins biogenesis in prokaryotes: formation, regulation and diversity. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2013; 1827:455-69. [PMID: 23298813 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2012.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Iron/sulfur centers are key cofactors of proteins intervening in multiple conserved cellular processes, such as gene expression, DNA repair, RNA modification, central metabolism and respiration. Mechanisms allowing Fe/S centers to be assembled, and inserted into polypeptides have attracted much attention in the last decade, both in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Basic principles and recent advances in our understanding of the prokaryotic Fe/S biogenesis ISC and SUF systems are reviewed in the present communication. Most studies covered stem from investigations in Escherichia coli and Azotobacter vinelandii. Remarkable insights were brought about by complementary structural, spectroscopic, biochemical and genetic studies. Highlights of the recent years include scaffold mediated assembly of Fe/S cluster, A-type carriers mediated delivery of clusters and regulatory control of Fe/S homeostasis via a set of interconnected genetic regulatory circuits. Also, the importance of Fe/S biosynthesis systems in mediating soft metal toxicity was documented. A brief account of the Fe/S biosynthesis systems diversity as present in current databases is given here. Moreover, Fe/S biosynthesis factors have themselves been the object of molecular tailoring during evolution and some examples are discussed here. An effort was made to provide, based on the E. coli system, a general classification associating a given domain with a given function such as to help next search and annotation of genomes. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Metals in Bioenergetics and Biomimetics Systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Béatrice Roche
- Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France
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Susanti D, Mukhopadhyay B. An intertwined evolutionary history of methanogenic archaea and sulfate reduction. PLoS One 2012; 7:e45313. [PMID: 23028926 PMCID: PMC3448663 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2011] [Accepted: 08/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis and dissimilatory sulfate reduction, two of the oldest energy conserving respiratory systems on Earth, apparently could not have evolved in the same host, as sulfite, an intermediate of sulfate reduction, inhibits methanogenesis. However, certain methanogenic archaea metabolize sulfite employing a deazaflavin cofactor (F(420))-dependent sulfite reductase (Fsr) where N- and C-terminal halves (Fsr-N and Fsr-C) are homologs of F(420)H(2) dehydrogenase and dissimilatory sulfite reductase (Dsr), respectively. From genome analysis we found that Fsr was likely assembled from freestanding Fsr-N homologs and Dsr-like proteins (Dsr-LP), both being abundant in methanogens. Dsr-LPs fell into two groups defined by following sequence features: Group I (simplest), carrying a coupled siroheme-[Fe(4)-S(4)] cluster and sulfite-binding Arg/Lys residues; Group III (most complex), with group I features, a Dsr-type peripheral [Fe(4)-S(4)] cluster and an additional [Fe(4)-S(4)] cluster. Group II Dsr-LPs with group I features and a Dsr-type peripheral [Fe(4)-S(4)] cluster were proposed as evolutionary intermediates. Group III is the precursor of Fsr-C. The freestanding Fsr-N homologs serve as F(420)H(2) dehydrogenase unit of a putative novel glutamate synthase, previously described membrane-bound electron transport system in methanogens and of assimilatory type sulfite reductases in certain haloarchaea. Among archaea, only methanogens carried Dsr-LPs. They also possessed homologs of sulfate activation and reduction enzymes. This suggested a shared evolutionary history for methanogenesis and sulfate reduction, and Dsr-LPs could have been the source of the oldest (3.47-Gyr ago) biologically produced sulfide deposit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dwi Susanti
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Genetics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Ph.D Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Biswarup Mukhopadhyay
- Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Departments of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Holkenbrink C, Barbas SO, Mellerup A, Otaki H, Frigaard NU. Sulfur globule oxidation in green sulfur bacteria is dependent on the dissimilatory sulfite reductase system. Microbiology (Reading) 2011; 157:1229-1239. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.044669-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Green sulfur bacteria (GSB) oxidize sulfide and thiosulfate to sulfate, with extracellular globules of elemental sulfur as an intermediate. Here we investigated which genes are involved in the formation and consumption of these sulfur globules in the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobaculum tepidum. We show that sulfur globule oxidation is strictly dependent on the dissimilatory sulfite reductase (DSR) system. Deletion of dsrM/CT2244 or dsrT/CT2245, or the two dsrCABL clusters (CT0851–CT0854, CT2247–2250), abolished sulfur globule oxidation and prevented formation of sulfate from sulfide, whereas deletion of dsrU/CT2246 had no effect. The DSR system also seems to be involved in the formation of thiosulfate, because thiosulfate was released from wild-type cells during sulfide oxidation, but not from the dsr mutants. The dsr mutants incapable of complete substrate oxidation oxidized sulfide and thiosulfate about twice as fast as the wild-type, while having only slightly lower growth rates (70–80 % of wild-type). The increased oxidation rates seem to compensate for the incomplete substrate oxidation to satisfy the requirement for reducing equivalents during growth. A mutant in which two sulfide : quinone oxidoreductases (sqrD/CT0117 and sqrF/CT1087) were deleted exhibited a decreased sulfide oxidation rate (∼50 % of wild-type), yet formation and consumption of sulfur globules were not affected. The observation that mutants lacking the DSR system maintain efficient growth suggests that the DSR system is dispensable in environments with sufficiently high sulfide concentrations. Thus, the DSR system in GSB may have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer as a response to a need for enhanced substrate utilization in sulfide-limiting habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Holkenbrink
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Santiago Ocón Barbas
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Anders Mellerup
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Hiroyo Otaki
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Niels-Ulrik Frigaard
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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Grimm F, Franz B, Dahl C. Regulation of dissimilatory sulfur oxidation in the purple sulfur bacterium allochromatium vinosum. Front Microbiol 2011; 2:51. [PMID: 21927612 PMCID: PMC3153027 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2011] [Accepted: 03/08/2011] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum, thiosulfate oxidation is strictly dependent on the presence of three periplasmic Sox proteins encoded by the soxBXAK and soxYZ genes. It is also well documented that proteins encoded in the dissimilatory sulfite reductase (dsr) operon, dsrABEFHCMKLJOPNRS, are essential for the oxidation of sulfur that is stored intracellularly as an obligatory intermediate during the oxidation of thiosulfate and sulfide. Until recently, detailed knowledge about the regulation of the sox genes was not available. We started to fill this gap and show that these genes are expressed on a low constitutive level in A. vinosum in the absence of reduced sulfur compounds. Thiosulfate and possibly sulfide lead to an induction of sox gene transcription. Additional translational regulation was not apparent. Regulation of soxXAK is probably performed by a two-component system consisting of a multi-sensor histidine kinase and a regulator with proposed di-guanylate cyclase activity. Previous work already provided some information about regulation of the dsr genes encoding the second important sulfur-oxidizing enzyme system in the purple sulfur bacterium. The expression of most dsr genes was found to be at a low basal level in the absence of reduced sulfur compounds and enhanced in the presence of sulfide. In the present work, we focused on the role of DsrS, a protein encoded by the last gene of the dsr locus in A. vinosum. Transcriptional and translational gene fusion experiments suggest a participation of DsrS in the post-transcriptional control of the dsr operon. Characterization of an A. vinosum ΔdsrS mutant showed that the monomeric cytoplasmic 41.1-kDa protein DsrS is important though not essential for the oxidation of sulfur stored in the intracellular sulfur globules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frauke Grimm
- Institut für Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn Bonn, Germany
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