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Mallawaarachchi V, Wickramarachchi A, Xue H, Papudeshi B, Grigson SR, Bouras G, Prahl RE, Kaphle A, Verich A, Talamantes-Becerra B, Dinsdale EA, Edwards RA. Solving genomic puzzles: computational methods for metagenomic binning. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae372. [PMID: 39082646 PMCID: PMC11289683 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Metagenomics involves the study of genetic material obtained directly from communities of microorganisms living in natural environments. The field of metagenomics has provided valuable insights into the structure, diversity and ecology of microbial communities. Once an environmental sample is sequenced and processed, metagenomic binning clusters the sequences into bins representing different taxonomic groups such as species, genera, or higher levels. Several computational tools have been developed to automate the process of metagenomic binning. These tools have enabled the recovery of novel draft genomes of microorganisms allowing us to study their behaviors and functions within microbial communities. This review classifies and analyzes different approaches of metagenomic binning and different refinement, visualization, and evaluation techniques used by these methods. Furthermore, the review highlights the current challenges and areas of improvement present within the field of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijini Mallawaarachchi
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Anuradha Wickramarachchi
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Hansheng Xue
- School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore
| | - Bhavya Papudeshi
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Susanna R Grigson
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
| | - George Bouras
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
- The Department of Surgery—Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, University of Adelaide and the Basil Hetzel Institute for Translational Health Research, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA 5011, Australia
| | - Rosa E Prahl
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Anubhav Kaphle
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Andrey Verich
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
- The Kirby Institute, The University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Berenice Talamantes-Becerra
- Australian e-Health Research Centre, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Elizabeth A Dinsdale
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Robert A Edwards
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia
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Doane MP, Reed MB, McKerral J, Farias Oliveira Lima L, Morris M, Goodman AZ, Johri S, Papudeshi B, Dillon T, Turnlund AC, Peterson M, Mora M, de la Parra Venegas R, Pillans R, Rohner CA, Pierce SJ, Legaspi CG, Araujo G, Ramirez-Macias D, Edwards RA, Dinsdale EA. Emergent community architecture despite distinct diversity in the global whale shark (Rhincodon typus) epidermal microbiome. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12747. [PMID: 37550406 PMCID: PMC10406844 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39184-5] [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: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbiomes confer beneficial physiological traits to their host, but microbial diversity is inherently variable, challenging the relationship between microbes and their contribution to host health. Here, we compare the diversity and architectural complexity of the epidermal microbiome from 74 individual whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) across five aggregations globally to determine if network properties may be more indicative of the microbiome-host relationship. On the premise that microbes are expected to exhibit biogeographic patterns globally and that distantly related microbial groups can perform similar functions, we hypothesized that microbiome co-occurrence patterns would occur independently of diversity trends and that keystone microbes would vary across locations. We found that whale shark aggregation was the most important factor in discriminating taxonomic diversity patterns. Further, microbiome network architecture was similar across all aggregations, with degree distributions matching Erdos-Renyi-type networks. The microbiome-derived networks, however, display modularity indicating a definitive microbiome structure on the epidermis of whale sharks. In addition, whale sharks hosted 35 high-quality metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) of which 25 were present from all sample locations, termed the abundant 'core'. Two main MAG groups formed, defined here as Ecogroup 1 and 2, based on the number of genes present in metabolic pathways, suggesting there are at least two important metabolic niches within the whale shark microbiome. Therefore, while variability in microbiome diversity is high, network structure and core taxa are inherent characteristics of the epidermal microbiome in whale sharks. We suggest the host-microbiome and microbe-microbe interactions that drive the self-assembly of the microbiome help support a functionally redundant abundant core and that network characteristics should be considered when linking microbiomes with host health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael B Reed
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Megan Morris
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
| | | | - Shaili Johri
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Abigail C Turnlund
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Maria Mora
- San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Gonzalo Araujo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
- Marine Research and Conservation Foundation, Lydeard St Lawrence, Somerset, UK
| | - Deni Ramirez-Macias
- Tiburon Ballena Mexico de Conciencia Mexico, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
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Doane MP, Johnson CJ, Johri S, Kerr EN, Morris MM, Desantiago R, Turnlund AC, Goodman A, Mora M, Lima LFO, Nosal AP, Dinsdale EA. The Epidermal Microbiome Within an Aggregation of Leopard Sharks (Triakis semifasciata) Has Taxonomic Flexibility with Gene Functional Stability Across Three Time-points. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2023; 85:747-764. [PMID: 35129649 PMCID: PMC9957878 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-01969-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The epidermis of Chondrichthyan fishes consists of dermal denticles with production of minimal but protein-rich mucus that collectively, influence the attachment and biofilm development of microbes, facilitating a unique epidermal microbiome. Here, we use metagenomics to provide the taxonomic and functional characterization of the epidermal microbiome of the Triakis semifasciata (leopard shark) at three time-points collected across 4 years to identify links between microbial groups and host metabolism. Our aims include (1) describing the variation of microbiome taxa over time and identifying recurrent microbiome members (present across all time-points); (2) investigating the relationship between the recurrent and flexible taxa (those which are not found consistently across time-points); (3) describing the functional compositions of the microbiome which may suggest links with the host metabolism; and (4) identifying whether metabolic processes are shared across microbial genera or are unique to specific taxa. Microbial members of the microbiome showed high similarity between all individuals (Bray-Curtis similarity index = 82.7, where 0 = no overlap, 100 = total overlap) with the relative abundance of those members varying across sampling time-points, suggesting flexibility of taxa in the microbiome. One hundred and eighty-eight genera were identified as recurrent, including Pseudomonas, Erythrobacter, Alcanivorax, Marinobacter, and Sphingopxis being consistently abundant across time-points, while Limnobacter and Xyella exhibited switching patterns with high relative abundance in 2013, Sphingobium and Sphingomona in 2015, and Altermonas, Leeuwenhoekiella, Gramella, and Maribacter in 2017. Of the 188 genera identified as recurrent, the top 19 relatively abundant genera formed three recurrent groups. The microbiome also displayed high functional similarity between individuals (Bray-Curtis similarity index = 97.6) with gene function composition remaining consistent across all time-points. These results show that while the presence of microbial genera exhibits consistency across time-points, their abundances do fluctuate. Microbial functions however remain stable across time-points; thus, we suggest the leopard shark microbiomes exhibit functional redundancy. We show coexistence of microbes hosted in elasmobranch microbiomes that encode genes involved in utilizing nitrogen, but not fixing nitrogen, degrading urea, and resistant to heavy metal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Doane
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia Australia
| | - Colton J. Johnson
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Shaili Johri
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA USA
| | - Emma N. Kerr
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia Australia
| | | | - Ric Desantiago
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Abigail C. Turnlund
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD Australia
| | - Asha Goodman
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Maria Mora
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA USA
| | | | - Andrew P. Nosal
- Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA USA
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California – San Diego, CA La Jolla, USA
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Holt BH, Buchan A, DeBruyn JM, Goodrich-Blair H, McPherson E, Brown VA. Breaking Barriers with Bread: Using the Sourdough Starter Microbiome to Teach High-Throughput Sequencing Techniques. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOLOGY EDUCATION 2022; 23:e00306-21. [PMID: 36061316 PMCID: PMC9429883 DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.00306-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Widespread usage of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) in the LIFE SCIENCES has produced a demand for undergraduate and graduate institutions to offer classes exposing students to all aspects of HTS (sample acquisition, laboratory work, sequencing technologies, bioinformatics, and statistical analyses). Despite the increase in demand, many challenges exist for these types of classes. We advocate for the usage of the sourdough starter microbiome for implementing meta-amplicon sequencing. The relatively small community, dominated by a few taxa, enables potential contaminants to be easily identified, while between-sample differences can be quickly statistically assessed. Finally, bioinformatic pipelines and statistical analyses can be carried out on personal student laptops or in a teaching computer lab. In two semesters adopting this system, 12 of 14 students were able to effectively capture the sourdough starter microbiome, using the instructor's paired sample as reference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin H. Holt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Alison Buchan
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jennifer M. DeBruyn
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth McPherson
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Veronica A. Brown
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
- Center for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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Abstract
Microbiome research projects are often interdisciplinary, involving fields such as microbiology, genetics, ecology, evolution, bioinformatics, and statistics. These research projects can be an excellent fit for undergraduate courses ranging from introductory biology labs to upper-level capstone courses. Microbiome research projects can attract the interest of students majoring in health and medical sciences, environmental sciences, and agriculture, and there are meaningful ties to real-world issues relating to human health, climate change, and environmental sustainability and resilience in pristine, fragile ecosystems to bustling urban centers. In this review, we will discuss the potential of microbiome research integrated into classes using a number of different modalities. Our experience scaling-up and implementing microbiome projects at a range of institutions across the US has provided us with insight and strategies for what works well and how to diminish common hurdles that are encountered when implementing undergraduate microbiome research projects. We will discuss how course-based microbiome research can be leveraged to help faculty make advances in their own research and professional development and the resources that are available to support faculty interested in integrating microbiome research into their courses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore R Muth
- Department of Biology, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY, United States.,Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Department at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Avrom J Caplan
- Department of Biology, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Pace University, New York, NY, United States
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Rosen GL, Hammrich P. Teaching Microbiome Analysis: From Design to Computation Through Inquiry. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:528051. [PMID: 33193120 PMCID: PMC7658192 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.528051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In this article, we present our three-class course sequence to educate students about microbiome analysis and metagenomics through experiential learning by taking them from inquiry to analysis of the microbiome: Molecular Ecology Lab, Bioinformatics, and Computational Microbiome Analysis. Students developed hypotheses, designed lab experiments, sequenced the DNA from microbiomes, learned basic python/R scripting, became proficient in at least one microbiome analysis software, and were able to analyze data generated from the microbiome experiments. While over 150 students (graduate and undergraduate) were impacted by the development of the series of courses, our assessment was only on undergraduate learning, where 45 students enrolled in at least one of the three courses and 4 students took all three. Students gained skills in bioinformatics through the courses, and several positive comments were received through surveys and private correspondence. Through a summative assessment, general trends show that students became more proficient in comparative genomic techniques and had positive attitudes toward their abilities to bridge biology and bioinformatics. While most students took individual or 2 of the courses, we show that pre- and post-surveys of these individual classes still showed progress toward learning objectives. It is expected that students trained will enter the workforce with skills needed to innovate in the biotechnology, health, and environmental industries. Students are trained to maximize impact and tackle real world problems in biology and medicine with their learned knowledge of data science and machine learning. The course materials for the new microbiome analysis course are available on Github: https://github.com/EESI/Comp_Metagenomics_resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail L. Rosen
- Ecological and Evolutionary Signal-processing and Informatics (EESI) Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Penny Hammrich
- School of Education, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Liguori L, Monticelli M, Allocca M, Cubellis MV, Hay Mele B. Bioinformatics tools for marine biotechnology: a practical tutorial with a metagenomic approach. BMC Bioinformatics 2020; 21:348. [PMID: 32838733 PMCID: PMC7447578 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-020-03560-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bioinformatics has pervaded all fields of biology and has become an indispensable tool for almost all research projects. Although teaching bioinformatics has been incorporated in all traditional life science curricula, practical hands-on experiences in tight combination with wet-lab experiments are needed to motivate students. RESULTS We present a tutorial that starts from a practical problem: finding novel enzymes from marine environments. First, we introduce the idea of metagenomics, a recent approach that extends biotechnology to non-culturable microbes. We presuppose that a probe for the screening of metagenomic cosmid library is needed. The students start from the chemical structure of the substrate that should be acted on by the novel enzyme and end with the sequence of the probe. To attain their goal, they discover databases such as BRENDA and programs such as BLAST and Clustal Omega. Students' answers to a satisfaction questionnaire show that a multistep tutorial integrated into a research wet-lab project is preferable to conventional lectures illustrating bioinformatics tools. CONCLUSION Experimental biologists can better operate basic bioinformatics if a problem-solving approach is chosen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovica Liguori
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100, Caserta, Italy
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare -CNR, 80078, Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Maria Monticelli
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy
| | - Mariateresa Allocca
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 81100, Caserta, Italy
- Istituto di Chimica Biomolecolare -CNR, 80078, Pozzuoli, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Cubellis
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy.
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy.
| | - Bruno Hay Mele
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Federico II, 80126, Naples, Italy
- Integrative Marine Ecology Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121, Naples, Italy
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Doane MP, Morris MM, Papudeshi B, Allen L, Pande D, Haggerty JM, Johri S, Turnlund AC, Peterson M, Kacev D, Nosal A, Ramirez D, Hovel K, Ledbetter J, Alker A, Avalos J, Baker K, Bhide S, Billings E, Byrum S, Clemens M, Demery AJ, Lima LFO, Gomez O, Gutierrez O, Hinton S, Kieu D, Kim A, Loaiza R, Martinez A, McGhee J, Nguyen K, Parlan S, Pham A, Price-Waldman R, Edwards RA, Dinsdale EA. The skin microbiome of elasmobranchs follows phylosymbiosis, but in teleost fishes, the microbiomes converge. MICROBIOME 2020; 8:93. [PMID: 32534596 PMCID: PMC7293782 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-020-00840-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The vertebrate clade diverged into Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, and chimeras) and Osteichthyes fishes (bony fishes) approximately 420 mya, with each group accumulating vast anatomical and physiological differences, including skin properties. The skin of Chondrichthyes fishes is covered in dermal denticles, whereas Osteichthyes fishes are covered in scales and are mucous rich. The divergence time among these two fish groups is hypothesized to result in predictable variation among symbionts. Here, using shotgun metagenomics, we test if patterns of diversity in the skin surface microbiome across the two fish clades match predictions made by phylosymbiosis theory. We hypothesize (1) the skin microbiome will be host and clade-specific, (2) evolutionary difference in elasmobranch and teleost will correspond with a concomitant increase in host-microbiome dissimilarity, and (3) the skin structure of the two groups will affect the taxonomic and functional composition of the microbiomes. RESULTS We show that the taxonomic and functional composition of the microbiomes is host-specific. Teleost fish had lower average microbiome within clade similarity compared to among clade comparison, but their composition is not different among clade in a null based model. Elasmobranch's average similarity within clade was not different than across clade and not different in a null based model of comparison. In the comparison of host distance with microbiome distance, we found that the taxonomic composition of the microbiome was related to host distance for the elasmobranchs, but not the teleost fishes. In comparison, the gene function composition was not related to the host-organism distance for elasmobranchs but was negatively correlated with host distance for teleost fishes. CONCLUSION Our results show the patterns of phylosymbiosis are not consistent across both fish clades, with the elasmobranchs showing phylosymbiosis, while the teleost fish are not. The discrepancy may be linked to alternative processes underpinning microbiome assemblage, including possible historical host-microbiome evolution of the elasmobranchs and convergent evolution in the teleost which filter specific microbial groups. Our comparison of the microbiomes among fishes represents an investigation into the microbial relationships of the oldest divergence of extant vertebrate hosts and reveals that microbial relationships are not consistent across evolutionary timescales. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Doane
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, Australia
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Megan M Morris
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Bhavya Papudeshi
- National Center for Genome Analysis Support, Indiana University, San Diego, Indiana, USA
| | - Lauren Allen
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dnyanada Pande
- Computer Sciences Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - John M Haggerty
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Shaili Johri
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Abigail C Turnlund
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queens, USA
| | | | - Dovi Kacev
- Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Andy Nosal
- Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Deni Ramirez
- Whale Shark Mexico, ConCiencia Mexico AC, La Paz, BC, USA
| | - Kevin Hovel
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Julia Ledbetter
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Amanda Alker
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jackeline Avalos
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kristi Baker
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Shruti Bhide
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Emma Billings
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Steven Byrum
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Molly Clemens
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Oscar Gomez
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Omar Gutierrez
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Selena Hinton
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Donald Kieu
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Angie Kim
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Rebeca Loaiza
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | | | - Jordan McGhee
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kristine Nguyen
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sabrina Parlan
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Amanda Pham
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Rosalyn Price-Waldman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Robert A Edwards
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Dinsdale
- Biology Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
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Lima LFO, Weissman M, Reed M, Papudeshi B, Alker AT, Morris MM, Edwards RA, de Putron SJ, Vaidya NK, Dinsdale EA. Modeling of the Coral Microbiome: the Influence of Temperature and Microbial Network. mBio 2020; 11:e02691-19. [PMID: 32127450 PMCID: PMC7064765 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02691-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Host-associated microbial communities are shaped by extrinsic and intrinsic factors to the holobiont organism. Environmental factors and microbe-microbe interactions act simultaneously on the microbial community structure, making the microbiome dynamics challenging to predict. The coral microbiome is essential to the health of coral reefs and sensitive to environmental changes. Here, we develop a dynamic model to determine the microbial community structure associated with the surface mucus layer (SML) of corals using temperature as an extrinsic factor and microbial network as an intrinsic factor. The model was validated by comparing the predicted relative abundances of microbial taxa to the relative abundances of microbial taxa from the sample data. The SML microbiome from Pseudodiploria strigosa was collected across reef zones in Bermuda, where inner and outer reefs are exposed to distinct thermal profiles. A shotgun metagenomics approach was used to describe the taxonomic composition and the microbial network of the coral SML microbiome. By simulating the annual temperature fluctuations at each reef zone, the model output is statistically identical to the observed data. The model was further applied to six scenarios that combined different profiles of temperature and microbial network to investigate the influence of each of these two factors on the model accuracy. The SML microbiome was best predicted by model scenarios with the temperature profile that was closest to the local thermal environment, regardless of the microbial network profile. Our model shows that the SML microbiome of P. strigosa in Bermuda is primarily structured by seasonal fluctuations in temperature at a reef scale, while the microbial network is a secondary driver.IMPORTANCE Coral microbiome dysbiosis (i.e., shifts in the microbial community structure or complete loss of microbial symbionts) caused by environmental changes is a key player in the decline of coral health worldwide. Multiple factors in the water column and the surrounding biological community influence the dynamics of the coral microbiome. However, by including only temperature as an external factor, our model proved to be successful in describing the microbial community associated with the surface mucus layer (SML) of the coral P. strigosa The dynamic model developed and validated in this study is a potential tool to predict the coral microbiome under different temperature conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís F O Lima
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
- College of Biological Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Maya Weissman
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Micheal Reed
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Bhavya Papudeshi
- National Center for Genome Analysis Support, Pervasive Institute of Technology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Amanda T Alker
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Megan M Morris
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Robert A Edwards
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | | | - Naveen K Vaidya
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Dinsdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
- Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
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10
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Taking Advantage of the Genomics Revolution for Monitoring and Conservation of Chondrichthyan Populations. DIVERSITY-BASEL 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/d11040049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) are among the oldest extant predators and are vital to top-down regulation of oceanic ecosystems. They are an ecologically diverse group occupying a wide range of habitats and are thus, exploited by coastal, pelagic and deep-water fishing industries. Chondrichthyes are among the most data deficient vertebrate species groups making design and implementation of regulatory and conservation measures challenging. High-throughput sequencing technologies have significantly propelled ecological investigations and understanding of marine and terrestrial species’ populations, but there remains a paucity of NGS based research on chondrichthyan populations. We present a brief review of current methods to access genomic and metagenomic data from Chondrichthyes and discuss applications of these datasets to increase our understanding of chondrichthyan taxonomy, evolution, ecology and population structures. Last, we consider opportunities and challenges offered by genomic studies for conservation and management of chondrichthyan populations.
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Li X, Tao S, Wei S, Ming M, Huang X, Zhang S, Wu J. The mining and evolutionary investigation of AP2/ERF genes in pear (Pyrus). BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 18:46. [PMID: 29558898 PMCID: PMC5859658 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-018-1265-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In plants, ERF genes participate in a variety of regulatory pathways, such as plant growth and biotic and/or abiotic stress responses. Although the genome of Chinese white pear ('Dangshansuli') has been released, knowledge regarding the ERF family in pear, such as gene functions, evolutionary history and expression patterns, remains limited. RESULTS In our study, a total of 155 members of ERF families were identified in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri). The Ka and Ks values suggested that whole-genome duplication (WGD) and dispersed duplication have effectively contributed to the expansion of the pear ERF family. Gene structure and phylogeny analysis divided the PbrERF family into 12 groups, and their gene functions were predicted by comparative analysis. qRT-PCR was carried out to verify the relative expression levels of 7 genes in group III using wild and cultivated pear fruits at three key developmental stages. Wild samples had higher expression of these genes than cultivated samples, especially at the enlarged fruit stage. The transcriptome data of pear seedlings subjected to dehydration treatment further revealed that 4 of the 7 genes responded to drought conditions. CONCLUSION The AP2/ERF gene family is greatly expanded in pear. Comparative analysis revealed the probability of ERF genes performing functional roles in multiple pathways. Expression analysis at different stages of pear fruit development in wild and cultivated samples indicated that genes in group III might be involved in abiotic and/or biotic stresses. Further transcriptome data on seedlings subjected to drought treatment verified the potential role of ERF genes in stress response. These results will provide a valuable reference for understanding the function and evolution of the ERF family in higher plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Li
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Shutian Tao
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Shuwei Wei
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Meiling Ming
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Xiaosan Huang
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Shaoling Zhang
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Jun Wu
- Centre of Pear Engineering Technology Research, State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
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Bertelli C, Aeby S, Chassot B, Clulow J, Hilfiker O, Rappo S, Ritzmann S, Schumacher P, Terrettaz C, Benaglio P, Falquet L, Farinelli L, Gharib WH, Goesmann A, Harshman K, Linke B, Miyazaki R, Rivolta C, Robinson-Rechavi M, van der Meer JR, Greub G. Sequencing and characterizing the genome of Estrella lausannensis as an undergraduate project: training students and biological insights. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:101. [PMID: 25745418 PMCID: PMC4333871 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
With the widespread availability of high-throughput sequencing technologies, sequencing projects have become pervasive in the molecular life sciences. The huge bulk of data generated daily must be analyzed further by biologists with skills in bioinformatics and by "embedded bioinformaticians," i.e., bioinformaticians integrated in wet lab research groups. Thus, students interested in molecular life sciences must be trained in the main steps of genomics: sequencing, assembly, annotation and analysis. To reach that goal, a practical course has been set up for master students at the University of Lausanne: the "Sequence a genome" class. At the beginning of the academic year, a few bacterial species whose genome is unknown are provided to the students, who sequence and assemble the genome(s) and perform manual annotation. Here, we report the progress of the first class from September 2010 to June 2011 and the results obtained by seven master students who specifically assembled and annotated the genome of Estrella lausannensis, an obligate intracellular bacterium related to Chlamydia. The draft genome of Estrella is composed of 29 scaffolds encompassing 2,819,825 bp that encode for 2233 putative proteins. Estrella also possesses a 9136 bp plasmid that encodes for 14 genes, among which we found an integrase and a toxin/antitoxin module. Like all other members of the Chlamydiales order, Estrella possesses a highly conserved type III secretion system, considered as a key virulence factor. The annotation of the Estrella genome also allowed the characterization of the metabolic abilities of this strictly intracellular bacterium. Altogether, the students provided the scientific community with the Estrella genome sequence and a preliminary understanding of the biology of this recently-discovered bacterial genus, while learning to use cutting-edge technologies for sequencing and to perform bioinformatics analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Bertelli
- Center for Research on Intracellular Bacteria, Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sébastien Aeby
- Center for Research on Intracellular Bacteria, Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - James Clulow
- School of Biology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Samuel Rappo
- School of Biology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Paola Benaglio
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laurent Falquet
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg Fribourg, Switzerland ; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Walid H Gharib
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Goesmann
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen Gießen, Germany
| | - Keith Harshman
- Lausanne Genomic Technologies Facility, Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Burkhard Linke
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen Gießen, Germany
| | - Ryo Miyazaki
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carlo Rivolta
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marc Robinson-Rechavi
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland ; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Gilbert Greub
- Center for Research on Intracellular Bacteria, Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland
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Khudyakov JI, Preeyanon L, Champagne CD, Ortiz RM, Crocker DE. Transcriptome analysis of northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) muscle tissue provides a novel molecular resource and physiological insights. BMC Genomics 2015; 16:64. [PMID: 25758323 PMCID: PMC4328371 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-1253-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The northern elephant seal, Mirounga angustirostris, is a valuable animal model of fasting adaptation and hypoxic stress tolerance. However, no reference sequence is currently available for this and many other marine mammal study systems, hindering molecular understanding of marine adaptations and unique physiology. Results We sequenced a transcriptome of M. angustirostris derived from muscle sampled during an acute stress challenge experiment to identify species-specific markers of stress axis activation and recovery. De novo assembly generated 164,966 contigs and a total of 522,699 transcripts, of which 68.70% were annotated using mouse, human, and domestic dog reference protein sequences. To reduce transcript redundancy, we removed highly similar isoforms in large gene families and produced a filtered assembly containing 336,657 transcripts. We found that a large number of annotated genes are associated with metabolic signaling, immune and stress responses, and muscle function. Preliminary differential expression analysis suggests a limited transcriptional response to acute stress involving alterations in metabolic and immune pathways and muscle tissue maintenance, potentially driven by early response transcription factors such as Cebpd. Conclusions We present the first reference sequence for Mirounga angustirostris produced by RNA sequencing of muscle tissue and cloud-based de novo transcriptome assembly. We annotated 395,102 transcripts, some of which may be novel isoforms, and have identified thousands of genes involved in key physiological processes. This resource provides elephant seal-specific gene sequences, complementing existing metabolite and protein expression studies and enabling future work on molecular pathways regulating adaptations such as fasting, hypoxia, and environmental stress responses in marine mammals. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1253-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane I Khudyakov
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA.
| | - Likit Preeyanon
- Michigan State University, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, 567 Wilson Rd, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | - Cory D Champagne
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, Conservation and Biological Research Program, 224 0Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
| | - Rudy M Ortiz
- University of California, Merced, School of Natural Sciences, 5200 North Lake Rd, Merced, CA, 95343, USA.
| | - Daniel E Crocker
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, 1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA.
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Dinsdale E, Elgin SCR, Grandgenett N, Morgan W, Rosenwald A, Tapprich W, Triplett EW, Pauley MA. NIBLSE: A Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education. CBE LIFE SCIENCES EDUCATION 2015; 14:le3. [PMID: 26466989 PMCID: PMC4710410 DOI: 10.1187/cbe.15-06-0123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah C R Elgin
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130
| | - Neal Grandgenett
- Department of Teacher Education, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182
| | - William Morgan
- Department of Biology, College of Wooster, Wooster, OH 44691
| | - Anne Rosenwald
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057
| | - William Tapprich
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182
| | - Eric W Triplett
- Department of Molecular Biology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
| | - Mark A Pauley
- School of Interdisciplinary Informatics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182
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Silva GG, Dutilh BE, Matthews TD, Elkins K, Schmieder R, Dinsdale EA, Edwards RA. Combining de novo and reference-guided assembly with scaffold_builder. SOURCE CODE FOR BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2013; 8:23. [PMID: 24267787 PMCID: PMC4177539 DOI: 10.1186/1751-0473-8-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2013] [Accepted: 09/24/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Genome sequencing has become routine, however genome assembly still remains a challenge despite the computational advances in the last decade. In particular, the abundance of repeat elements in genomes makes it difficult to assemble them into a single complete sequence. Identical repeats shorter than the average read length can generally be assembled without issue. However, longer repeats such as ribosomal RNA operons cannot be accurately assembled using existing tools. The application Scaffold_builder was designed to generate scaffolds – super contigs of sequences joined by N-bases – based on the similarity to a closely related reference sequence. This is independent of mate-pair information and can be used complementarily for genome assembly, e.g. when mate-pairs are not available or have already been exploited. Scaffold_builder was evaluated using simulated pyrosequencing reads of the bacterial genomes Escherichia coli 042, Lactobacillus salivarius UCC118 and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhi str. P-stx-12. Moreover, we sequenced two genomes from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 G455 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SDT1291 and show that Scaffold_builder decreases the number of contig sequences by 53% while more than doubling their average length. Scaffold_builder is written in Python and is available at http://edwards.sdsu.edu/scaffold_builder. A web-based implementation is additionally provided to allow users to submit a reference genome and a set of contigs to be scaffolded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genivaldo Gz Silva
- Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.
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