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Lyons TW, Tino CJ, Fournier GP, Anderson RE, Leavitt WD, Konhauser KO, Stüeken EE. Co-evolution of early Earth environments and microbial life. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22:572-586. [PMID: 38811839 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01044-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Two records of Earth history capture the evolution of life and its co-evolving ecosystems with interpretable fidelity: the geobiological and geochemical traces preserved in rocks and the evolutionary histories captured within genomes. The earliest vestiges of life are recognized mostly in isotopic fingerprints of specific microbial metabolisms, whereas fossils and organic biomarkers become important later. Molecular biology provides lineages that can be overlayed on geologic and geochemical records of evolving life. All these data lie within a framework of biospheric evolution that is primarily characterized by the transition from an oxygen-poor to an oxygen-rich world. In this Review, we explore the history of microbial life on Earth and the degree to which it shaped, and was shaped by, fundamental transitions in the chemical properties of the oceans, continents and atmosphere. We examine the diversity and evolution of early metabolic processes, their couplings with biogeochemical cycles and their links to the oxygenation of the early biosphere. We discuss the distinction between the beginnings of metabolisms and their subsequent proliferation and their capacity to shape surface environments on a planetary scale. The evolution of microbial life and its ecological impacts directly mirror the Earth's chemical and physical evolution through cause-and-effect relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy W Lyons
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Christopher J Tino
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA.
| | - Gregory P Fournier
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rika E Anderson
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Biology Department, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, USA
| | - William D Leavitt
- Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - Kurt O Konhauser
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Eva E Stüeken
- Virtual Planetary Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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2
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Rose SA, Robicheau BM, Tolman J, Fonseca-Batista D, Rowland E, Desai D, Ratten JM, Kantor EJH, Comeau AM, Langille MG, Jerlström-Hultqvist J, Devred E, Sarthou G, Bertrand EM, LaRoche J. Nitrogen fixation in the widely distributed marine γ-proteobacterial diazotroph Candidatus Thalassolituus haligoni. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn1476. [PMID: 39083619 PMCID: PMC11290528 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn1476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
The high diversity and global distribution of heterotrophic bacterial diazotrophs (HBDs) in the ocean has recently become apparent. However, understanding the role these largely uncultured microorganisms play in marine N2 fixation poses a challenge due to their undefined growth requirements and the complex regulation of the nitrogenase enzyme. We isolated and characterized Candidatus Thalassolituus haligoni, a member of a widely distributed clade of HBD belonging to the Oceanospirillales. Analysis of its nifH gene via amplicon sequencing revealed the extensive distribution of Cand. T. haligoni across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. Pangenome analysis indicates that the isolate shares >99% identity with an uncultured metagenome-assembled genome called Arc-Gamma-03, recently recovered from the Arctic Ocean. Through combined genomic, proteomic, and physiological approaches, we confirmed that the isolate fixes N2 gas. However, the mechanisms governing nitrogenase regulation in Cand. T. haligoni remain unclear. We propose Cand. T. haligoni as a globally distributed, cultured HBD model species within this understudied clade of Oceanospirillales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja A. Rose
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Brent M. Robicheau
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Jennifer Tolman
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Debany Fonseca-Batista
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Elden Rowland
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Dhwani Desai
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Integrated Microbiome Resource (IMR) and Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Jenni-Marie Ratten
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Ella Joy H. Kantor
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - André M. Comeau
- Integrated Microbiome Resource (IMR) and Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Morgan G.I. Langille
- Integrated Microbiome Resource (IMR) and Department of Pharmacology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Emmanuel Devred
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | | | - Erin M. Bertrand
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Julie LaRoche
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Schuman Z, Xie Y, O'Keeffe S, Guan X, Sha J, Sun J, Wohlschlegel JA, Park JO, Liu C. Integrated Proteomics and Metabolomics Reveal Altered Metabolic Regulation of Xanthobacter autotrophicus under Electrochemical Water-Splitting Conditions. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024. [PMID: 39058742 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c07363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Biological-inorganic hybrid systems are a growing class of technologies that combine microorganisms with materials for a variety of purposes, including chemical synthesis, environmental remediation, and energy generation. These systems typically consider microorganisms as simple catalysts for the reaction of interest; however, other metabolic activity is likely to have a large influence on the system performance. The investigation of biological responses to the hybrid environment is thus critical to the future development and optimization. The present study investigates this phenomenon in a recently reported hybrid system that uses electrochemical water splitting to provide reducing equivalents to the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Xanthobacter autotrophicus for efficient reduction of N2 to biomass that may be used as fertilizer. Using integrated proteomic and metabolomic methods, we find a pattern of differentiated metabolic regulation under electrochemical water-splitting (hybrid) conditions with an increase in carbon fixation products glycerate-3-phosphate and acetyl-CoA that suggests a high energy availability. We further report an increased expression of proteins of interest, namely, those responsible for nitrogen fixation and assimilation, which indicate increased rates of nitrogen fixation and support previous observations of faster biomass accumulation in the hybrid system compared to typical planktonic growth conditions. This work complicates the inert catalyst view of biological-inorganic hybrids while demonstrating the power of multiomics analysis as a tool for deeper understanding of those systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Schuman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Yongchao Xie
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Samantha O'Keeffe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Xun Guan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Jihui Sha
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Jingwen Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - James A Wohlschlegel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Junyoung O Park
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Chong Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
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4
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Heidinger L, Perez K, Spatzal T, Einsle O, Weber S, Rees DC, Schleicher E. Analysis of early intermediate states of the nitrogenase reaction by regularization of EPR spectra. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4041. [PMID: 38740794 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48271-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to the complexity of the catalytic FeMo cofactor site in nitrogenases that mediates the reduction of molecular nitrogen to ammonium, mechanistic details of this reaction remain under debate. In this study, selenium- and sulfur-incorporated FeMo cofactors of the catalytic MoFe protein component from Azotobacter vinelandii are prepared under turnover conditions and investigated by using different EPR methods. Complex signal patterns are observed in the continuous wave EPR spectra of selenium-incorporated samples, which are analyzed by Tikhonov regularization, a method that has not yet been applied to high spin systems of transition metal cofactors, and by an already established grid-of-error approach. Both methods yield similar probability distributions that reveal the presence of at least four other species with different electronic structures in addition to the ground state E0. Two of these species were preliminary assigned to hydrogenated E2 states. In addition, advanced pulsed-EPR experiments are utilized to verify the incorporation of sulfur and selenium into the FeMo cofactor, and to assign hyperfine couplings of 33S and 77Se that directly couple to the FeMo cluster. With this analysis, we report selenium incorporation under turnover conditions as a straightforward approach to stabilize and analyze early intermediate states of the FeMo cofactor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenz Heidinger
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kathryn Perez
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), California Institute of Technology, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Spatzal
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), California Institute of Technology, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Oliver Einsle
- Institut für Biochemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Weber
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Douglas C Rees
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), California Institute of Technology, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Erik Schleicher
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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5
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Louie TS, Kumar A, Bini E, Häggblom MM. Mo than meets the eye: genomic insights into molybdoenzyme diversity of Seleniivibrio woodruffii strain S4T. Lett Appl Microbiol 2024; 77:ovae038. [PMID: 38573838 DOI: 10.1093/lambio/ovae038] [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: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Seleniivibrio woodruffii strain S4T is an obligate anaerobe belonging to the phylum Deferribacterota. It was isolated for its ability to respire selenate and was also found to respire arsenate. The high-quality draft genome of this bacterium is 2.9 Mbp, has a G+C content of 48%, 2762 predicted genes of which 2709 are protein-coding, and 53 RNA genes. An analysis of the genome focusing on the genes encoding for molybdenum-containing enzymes (molybdoenzymes) uncovered a remarkable number of genes encoding for members of the dimethylsulfoxide reductase family of proteins (DMSOR), including putative reductases for selenate and arsenate respiration, as well as genes for nitrogen fixation. Respiratory molybdoenzymes catalyze redox reactions that transfer electrons to a variety of substrates that can act as terminal electron acceptors for energy generation. Seleniivibrio woodruffii strain S4T also has essential genes for molybdate transporters and the biosynthesis of the molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide cofactors characteristic of the active centers of DMSORs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed candidate respiratory DMSORs spanning nine subfamilies encoded within the genome. Our analysis revealed the untapped potential of this interesting microorganism and expanded our knowledge of molybdoenzyme co-occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany S Louie
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, 76 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
| | - Anil Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences,, 76 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
| | - Elisabetta Bini
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences,, 76 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
| | - Max M Häggblom
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences,, 76 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
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6
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Cuevas-Zuviría B, Garcia AK, Rivier AJ, Rucker HR, Carruthers BM, Kaçar B. Emergence of an Orphan Nitrogenase Protein Following Atmospheric Oxygenation. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae067. [PMID: 38526235 PMCID: PMC11018506 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae067] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular innovations within key metabolisms can have profound impacts on element cycling and ecological distribution. Yet, much of the molecular foundations of early evolved enzymes and metabolisms are unknown. Here, we bring one such mystery to relief by probing the birth and evolution of the G-subunit protein, an integral component of certain members of the nitrogenase family, the only enzymes capable of biological nitrogen fixation. The G-subunit is a Paleoproterozoic-age orphan protein that appears more than 1 billion years after the origin of nitrogenases. We show that the G-subunit arose with novel nitrogenase metal dependence and the ecological expansion of nitrogen-fixing microbes following the transition in environmental metal availabilities and atmospheric oxygenation that began ∼2.5 billion years ago. We identify molecular features that suggest early G-subunit proteins mediated cofactor or protein interactions required for novel metal dependency, priming ancient nitrogenases and their hosts to exploit these newly diversified geochemical environments. We further examined the degree of functional specialization in G-subunit evolution with extant and ancestral homologs using laboratory reconstruction experiments. Our results indicate that permanent recruitment of the orphan protein depended on the prior establishment of conserved molecular features and showcase how contingent evolutionary novelties might shape ecologically important microbial innovations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amanda K Garcia
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Alex J Rivier
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Holly R Rucker
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Brooke M Carruthers
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Betül Kaçar
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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7
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Pi HW, Chiang YR, Li WH. Mapping Geological Events and Nitrogen Fixation Evolution Onto the Timetree of the Evolution of Nitrogen-Fixation Genes. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae023. [PMID: 38319744 PMCID: PMC10881105 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae023] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen is essential for all organisms, but biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) occurs only in a small fraction of prokaryotes. Previous studies divided nitrogenase-gene-carrying prokaryotes into Groups I to IV and provided evidence that BNF first evolved in bacteria. This study constructed a timetree of the evolution of nitrogen-fixation genes and estimated that archaea evolved BNF much later than bacteria and that nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria evolved later than 1,900 MYA, considerably younger than the previous estimate of 2,200 MYA. Moreover, Groups III and II/I diverged ∼2,280 MYA, after the Kenorland supercontinent breakup (∼2,500-2,100 MYA) and the Great Oxidation Event (∼2,400-2,100 MYA); Groups III and Vnf/Anf diverged ∼2,086 MYA, after the Yarrabubba impact (∼2,229 MYA); and Groups II and I diverged ∼1,920 MYA, after the Vredefort impact (∼2,023 MYA). In summary, this study provided a timescale of BNF events and discussed the possible effects of geological events on BNF evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Wei Pi
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115201, Taiwan
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Yin-Ru Chiang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115201, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Hsiung Li
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115201, Taiwan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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8
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Giannakopoulos C, Panou M, Gkelis S. Phylogenetic analysis of Nostocales (Cyanobacteria) based on two novel molecular markers, implicated in the nitrogenase biosynthesis. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2024; 371:fnad136. [PMID: 38168702 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnad136] [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: 09/16/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The characterization of cyanobacteria communities remains challenging, as taxonomy of several cyanobacterial genera is still unresolved, especially within Nostocales taxa. Nostocales cyanobacteria are capable of nitrogen fixation; nitrogenase genes are grouped into operons and are located in the same genetic locus. Structural nitrogenase genes (nifH, nifK and nifD) as well as 16S rRNA have been shown to be adequate genetic markers for distinguishing cyanobacterial genera. However, there is no available information regarding the phylogeny of regulatory genes of the nitrogenase cluster. Aiming to provide a more accurate overview of the evolution of nitrogen fixation, this study analyzed for the first time nifE and nifN genes, which regulate the production of nitrogenase, alongside nifH. Specific primers were designed to amplify nifE and nifN genes, previously not available in literature and phylogenetic analysis was carried out in 13 and 14 TAU-MAC culture collection strains, respectively, of ten Nostocales genera along with other sequences retrieved from cyanobacteria genomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these genes seem to follow a common evolutionary pattern with nitrogenase structural genes and 16S rRNA. The classification of cyanobacteria based on these molecular markers seems to distinguish Nostocales strains with common morphological, ecological, and physiological characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Giannakopoulos
- Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Manthos Panou
- Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Spyros Gkelis
- Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
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9
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Yuan P, Chen Z, Xu M, Cai W, Liu Z, Sun D. Microbial cell factories using Paenibacillus: status and perspectives. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2023:1-17. [PMID: 38105503 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2023.2289342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Considered a "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) bacterium, the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Paenibacillus has been widely applied in: agriculture, medicine, industry, and environmental remediation. Paenibacillus species not only accelerate plant growth and degrade toxic substances in wastewater and soil but also produce industrially-relevant enzymes and antimicrobial peptides. Due to a lack of genetic manipulation tools and methods, exploitation of the bioresources of naturally isolated Paenibacillus species has long been limited. Genetic manipulation tools and methods continue to improve in Paenibacillus, such as shuttle plasmids, promoters, and genetic tools of CRISPR. Furthermore, genetic transformation systems develop gradually, including: penicillin-mediated transformation, electroporation, and magnesium amino acid-mediated transformation. As genetic manipulation methods of homologous recombination and CRISPR-mediated editing system have developed gradually, Paenibacillus has come to be regarded as a promising microbial chassis for biomanufacturing, expanding its application scope, such as: industrial enzymes, bioremediation and bioadsorption, surfactants, and antibacterial agents. In this review, we describe the applications of Paenibacillus bioproducts, and then discuss recent advances and future challenges in the development of genetic manipulation systems in this genus. This work highlights the potential of Paenibacillus as a new microbial chassis for mining bioresources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panhong Yuan
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ziyan Chen
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mengtao Xu
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenfeng Cai
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhizhi Liu
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Dongchang Sun
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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10
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Dai C, Li J, Yan H, Lin W, Luo J. Halothiobacillus diazotrophicus sp. nov., a chemolithoautotrophic sulphur-oxidizing and nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from freshwater. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2023; 73. [PMID: 38084669 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006202] [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] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
A sulphur-oxidizing and nitrogen-fixing bacterium, designated strain LS2T, was isolated from freshwater collected from the Pearl River in Guangzhou, PR China. The strain was an obligate chemolithoautotroph, utilizing reduced sulphur compounds (sulphide, sulphite, elemental sulphur, thiosulphate and tetrathionate) as energy sources and electron donors. Diazotrophic growth of strain LS2T was observed at 15-40 °C, pH 5-9, with a NaCl concentration range of 0-0.68 mol l-1 and with oxygen content higher than 21 %. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (comprising C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c) and C16 : 0. The DNA G+C content of the complete genome sequence was 60.7 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain LS2T formed a lineage within the family Halothiobacillaceae, showing gene sequence identity of 96.8 % with its closest relative Halothiobacillus neapolitanus c2. The genome of strain LS2T contains multiple genes encoding sulphur-oxidizing enzymes that catalyse the oxidation of reduced sulphur compounds and an nif complex encoding enzymes for nitrogen fixation. In addition, the genome contains genes encoding cbb3-type cytochrome c oxidase, aa3-type cytochrome c oxidase, bd-type quinol oxidase and cytochrome o oxidase, which enable the survival strain LS2T under oxic and microaerophilic conditions. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and phylogenetic data, strain LS2T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Halothiobacillus, for which the name Halothiobacillus diazotrophicus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LS2T (=GDMCC 1.4095T=JCM 39442T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenming Dai
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Jihan Li
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Hongshan Yan
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Weitie Lin
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
| | - Jianfei Luo
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, PR China
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11
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Liu X, Li P, Wang H, Han LL, Yang K, Wang Y, Jiang Z, Cui L, Kao SJ. Nitrogen fixation and diazotroph diversity in groundwater systems. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2023-2034. [PMID: 37715043 PMCID: PMC10579273 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01513-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), the conversion of N2 into bioavailable nitrogen (N), is the main process for replenishing N loss in the biosphere. However, BNF in groundwater systems remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the activity, abundance, and community composition of diazotrophs in groundwater in the Hetao Plain of Inner Mongolia using 15N tracing methods, reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR), and metagenomic/metatranscriptomic analyses. 15N2 tracing incubation of near in situ groundwater (9.5-585.4 nmol N L-1 h-1) and N2-fixer enrichment and isolates (13.2-1728.4 nmol N g-1 h-1, as directly verified by single-cell resonance Raman spectroscopy), suggested that BNF is a non-negligible source of N in groundwater in this region. The expression of nifH genes ranged from 3.4 × 103 to 1.2 × 106 copies L-1 and was tightly correlated with dissolved oxygen (DO), Fe(II), and NH4+. Diazotrophs in groundwater were chiefly aerobes or facultative anaerobes, dominated by Stutzerimonas, Pseudomonas, Paraburkholderia, Klebsiella, Rhodopseudomonas, Azoarcus, and additional uncultured populations. Active diazotrophs, which prefer reducing conditions, were more metabolically diverse and potentially associated with nitrification, sulfur/arsenic mobilization, Fe(II) transport, and CH4 oxidation. Our results highlight the importance of diazotrophs in subsurface geochemical cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
| | - Ping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China.
| | - Helin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
| | - Li-Li Han
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, PR China
| | - Kai Yang
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, PR China
| | - Yanhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
| | - Zhou Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, PR China
| | - Li Cui
- Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, PR China
| | - Shuh-Ji Kao
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, PR China
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12
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Payne D, Spietz RL, Newell DL, Dijkstra P, Boyd ES. Influence of sulfide on diazotrophic growth of the methanogen Methanococcus maripaludis and its implications for the origin of nitrogenase. Commun Biol 2023; 6:799. [PMID: 37524775 PMCID: PMC10390477 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05163-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Methanogens inhabit euxinic (sulfide-rich) or ferruginous (iron-rich) environments that promote the precipitation of transition metals as metal sulfides, such as pyrite, reducing metal or sulfur availability. Such environments have been common throughout Earth's history raising the question as to how anaerobes obtain(ed) these elements for the synthesis of enzyme cofactors. Here, we show a methanogen can synthesize molybdenum nitrogenase metallocofactors from pyrite as the source of iron and sulfur, enabling nitrogen fixation. Pyrite-grown, nitrogen-fixing cells grow faster and require 25-fold less molybdenum than cells grown under euxinic conditions. Growth yields are 3 to 8 times higher in cultures grown under ferruginous relative to euxinic conditions. Physiological, transcriptomic, and geochemical data indicate these observations are due to sulfide-promoted metal limitation, in particular molybdenum. These findings suggest that molybdenum nitrogenase may have originated in a ferruginous environment that titrated sulfide to form pyrite, facilitating the availability of sufficient iron, sulfur, and molybdenum for cofactor biosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devon Payne
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Rachel L Spietz
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Dennis L Newell
- Department of Geosciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Paul Dijkstra
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society and Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA.
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13
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Srivastava S, Dong H, Baars O, Sheng Y. Bioavailability of mineral-associated trace metals as cofactors for nitrogen fixation by Azotobacter vinelandii. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:507-519. [PMID: 36852450 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Life on Earth depends on N2 -fixing microbes to make ammonia from atmospheric N2 gas by the nitrogenase enzyme. Most nitrogenases use Mo as a cofactor; however, V and Fe are also possible. N2 fixation was once believed to have evolved during the Archean-Proterozoic times using Fe as a cofactor. However, δ15 N values of paleo-ocean sediments suggest Mo and V cofactors despite their low concentrations in the paleo-oceans. This apparent paradox is based on an untested assumption that only soluble metals are bioavailable. In this study, laboratory experiments were performed to test the bioavailability of mineral-associated trace metals to a model N2 -fixing bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii. N2 fixation was observed when Mo in molybdenite, V in cavansite, and Fe in ferrihydrite were used as the sole sources of cofactors, but the rate of N2 fixation was greatly reduced. A physical separation between minerals and cells further reduced the rate of N2 fixation. Biochemical assays detected five siderophores, including aminochelin, azotochelin, azotobactin, protochelin, and vibrioferrin, as possible chelators to extract metals from minerals. The results of this study demonstrate that mineral-associated trace metals are bioavailable as cofactors of nitrogenases to support N2 fixation in those environments that lack soluble trace metals and may offer a partial answer to the paradox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreya Srivastava
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Hailiang Dong
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
| | - Oliver Baars
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, Raleigh, USA
| | - Yizhi Sheng
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
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14
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Fuchs W, Rachbauer L, Rittmann SKMR, Bochmann G, Ribitsch D, Steger F. Eight Up-Coming Biotech Tools to Combat Climate Crisis. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1514. [PMID: 37375016 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Biotechnology has a high potential to substantially contribute to a low-carbon society. Several green processes are already well established, utilizing the unique capacity of living cells or their instruments. Beyond that, the authors believe that there are new biotechnological procedures in the pipeline which have the momentum to add to this ongoing change in our economy. Eight promising biotechnology tools were selected by the authors as potentially impactful game changers: (i) the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, (ii) carbonic anhydrase, (iii) cutinase, (iv) methanogens, (v) electro-microbiology, (vi) hydrogenase, (vii) cellulosome and, (viii) nitrogenase. Some of them are fairly new and are explored predominantly in science labs. Others have been around for decades, however, with new scientific groundwork that may rigorously expand their roles. In the current paper, the authors summarize the latest state of research on these eight selected tools and the status of their practical implementation. We bring forward our arguments on why we consider these processes real game changers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Werner Fuchs
- Department IFA-Tulln, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Lydia Rachbauer
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Deconstruction Division at the Joint Bioenergy Institute, 5885 Hollis Street, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
| | - Simon K-M R Rittmann
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Universität Wien, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Wien, Austria
| | - Günther Bochmann
- Department IFA-Tulln, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Doris Ribitsch
- ACIB-Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Krenngasse 37, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Franziska Steger
- Department IFA-Tulln, Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 20, 3430 Tulln, Austria
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15
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Adeniyi A, Bello I, Mukaila T, Sarker NC, Hammed A. Trends in Biological Ammonia Production. BIOTECH 2023; 12:biotech12020041. [PMID: 37218758 DOI: 10.3390/biotech12020041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Food production heavily depends on ammonia-containing fertilizers to improve crop yield and profitability. However, ammonia production is challenged by huge energy demands and the release of ~2% of global CO2. To mitigate this challenge, many research efforts have been made to develop bioprocessing technologies to make biological ammonia. This review presents three different biological approaches that drive the biochemical mechanisms to convert nitrogen gas, bioresources, or waste to bio-ammonia. The use of advanced technologies-enzyme immobilization and microbial bioengineering-enhanced bio-ammonia production. This review also highlighted some challenges and research gaps that require researchers' attention for bio-ammonia to be industrially pragmatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adewale Adeniyi
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Ibrahim Bello
- Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Taofeek Mukaila
- Environmental and Conservation Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Niloy Chandra Sarker
- Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
| | - Ademola Hammed
- Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58102, USA
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16
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Sheng Y, Baars O, Guo D, Whitham J, Srivastava S, Dong H. Mineral-Bound Trace Metals as Cofactors for Anaerobic Biological Nitrogen Fixation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7206-7216. [PMID: 37116091 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogenase is the only known biological enzyme capable of reducing N2 to bioavailable NH3. Most nitrogenases use Mo as a metallocofactor, while alternative cofactors V and Fe are also viable. Both geological and bioinformatic evidence suggest an ancient origin of Mo-based nitrogenase in the Archean, despite the low concentration of dissolved Mo in the Archean oceans. This apparent paradox would be resolvable if mineral-bound Mo were bioavailable for nitrogen fixation by ancient diazotrophs. In this study, the bioavailability of mineral-bound Mo, V, and Fe was determined by incubating an obligately anaerobic diazotroph Clostridium kluyveri with Mo-, V-, and Fe-bearing minerals (molybdenite, cavansite, and ferrihydrite, respectively) and basalt under diazotrophic conditions. The results showed that C. kluyveri utilized mineral-associated metals to express nitrogenase genes and fix nitrogen, as measured by the reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and acetylene reduction assay, respectively. C. kluyveri secreted chelating molecules to extract metals from the minerals. As a result of microbial weathering, mineral surface chemistry significantly changed, likely due to surface coating by microbial exudates for metal extraction. These results provide important support for the ancient origin of Mo-based nitrogenase, with profound implications for coevolution of the biosphere and geosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhi Sheng
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, United States
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Oliver Baars
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Dongyi Guo
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, United States
| | - Jason Whitham
- Department of Plant and Molecular Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Shreya Srivastava
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, United States
| | - Hailiang Dong
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, United States
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17
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Msaddak A, Mars M, Quiñones MA, Lucas MM, Pueyo JJ. Lupin, a Unique Legume That Is Nodulated by Multiple Microsymbionts: The Role of Horizontal Gene Transfer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076496. [PMID: 37047476 PMCID: PMC10094711 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Lupin is a high-protein legume crop that grows in a wide range of edaphoclimatic conditions where other crops are not viable. Its unique seed nutrient profile can promote health benefits, and it has been proposed as a phytoremediation plant. Most rhizobia nodulating Lupinus species belong to the genus Bradyrhizobium, comprising strains that are phylogenetically related to B. cytisi, B. hipponenese, B. rifense, B. iriomotense/B. stylosanthis, B. diazoefficiens, B. japonicum, B. canariense/B. lupini, and B. retamae/B. valentinum. Lupins are also nodulated by fast-growing bacteria within the genera Microvirga, Ochrobactrum, Devosia, Phyllobacterium, Agrobacterium, Rhizobium, and Neorhizobium. Phylogenetic analyses of the nod and nif genes, involved in microbial colonization and symbiotic nitrogen fixation, respectively, suggest that fast-growing lupin-nodulating bacteria have acquired their symbiotic genes from rhizobial genera other than Bradyrhizobium. Horizontal transfer represents a key mechanism allowing lupin to form symbioses with bacteria that were previously considered as non-symbiotic or unable to nodulate lupin, which might favor lupin’s adaptation to specific habitats. The characterization of yet-unstudied Lupinus species, including microsymbiont whole genome analyses, will most likely expand and modify the current lupin microsymbiont taxonomy, and provide additional knowledge that might help to further increase lupin’s adaptability to marginal soils and climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelhakim Msaddak
- Department of Soil. Plant and Environmental Quality, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ICA-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Laboratory of Biodiversity and Valorization of Arid Areas Bioresources, BVBAA, Faculty of Sciences, University of Gabès, Erriadh, Zrig, Gabès 6072, Tunisia
| | - Mohamed Mars
- Laboratory of Biodiversity and Valorization of Arid Areas Bioresources, BVBAA, Faculty of Sciences, University of Gabès, Erriadh, Zrig, Gabès 6072, Tunisia
| | - Miguel A. Quiñones
- Department of Soil. Plant and Environmental Quality, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ICA-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Mercedes Lucas
- Department of Soil. Plant and Environmental Quality, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ICA-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - José J. Pueyo
- Department of Soil. Plant and Environmental Quality, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ICA-CSIC, 28006 Madrid, Spain
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18
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Zhong X, Chen Z, Ding K, Liu WS, Baker AJM, Fei YH, He H, Wang Y, Jin C, Wang S, Tang YT, Chao Y, He Z, Qiu R. Heavy metal contamination affects the core microbiome and assembly processes in metal mine soils across Eastern China. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 443:130241. [PMID: 36308929 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Mining activities in metal mine areas cause serious environmental pollution, thereby imposing stresses to soil ecosystems. Investigating the ecological pattern underlying contaminated soil microbial diversity is essential to understand ecosystem responses to environment changes. Here we collected 624 soil samples from 49 representative metal mines across eastern China and analyzed their soil microbial diversity and biogeographic patterns by using 16 S rRNA gene amplicons. The results showed that deterministic factors dominated in regulating the microbial community in non-contaminated and contaminated soils. Soil pH played a key role in climatic influences on the heavy metal-contaminated soil microbial community. A core microbiome consisting of 25 taxa, which could be employed for the restoration of contaminated soils, was identified. Unlike the non-contaminated soil, stochastic processes were important in shaping the heavy metal-contaminated soil microbial community. The largest source of variations in the soil microbial community was land use type. This result suggests that varied specific ecological remediation strategy ought to be developed for differed land use types. These findings will enhance our understanding of the microbial responses to anthropogenically induced environmental changes and will further help to improve the practices of soil heavy metal contamination remediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Zhong
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Ziwu Chen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Kengbo Ding
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil Remediation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Wen-Shen Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil Remediation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Alan J M Baker
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; Centre for Mine Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Ying-Heng Fei
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Huan He
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural & Rural Pollution Abatement and Environmental Safety, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Yujie Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Chao Jin
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil Remediation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Shizhong Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil Remediation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Ye-Tao Tang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil Remediation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Yuanqing Chao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Heavy Metal Contaminated Soil Remediation, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
| | - Zhili He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Rongliang Qiu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab for Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural & Rural Pollution Abatement and Environmental Safety, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China
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19
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Boyd ES, Spietz RL, Kour M, Colman DR. A naturalist perspective of microbiology: Examples from methanogenic archaea. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:184-198. [PMID: 36367391 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Storytelling has been the primary means of knowledge transfer over human history. The effectiveness and reach of stories are improved when the message is appropriate for the target audience. Oftentimes, the stories that are most well received and recounted are those that have a clear purpose and that are told from a variety of perspectives that touch on the varied interests of the target audience. Whether scientists realize or not, they are accustomed to telling stories of their own scientific discoveries through the preparation of manuscripts, presentations, and lectures. Perhaps less frequently, scientists prepare review articles or book chapters that summarize a body of knowledge on a given subject matter, meant to be more holistic recounts of a body of literature. Yet, by necessity, such summaries are often still narrow in their scope and are told from the perspective of a particular discipline. In other words, interdisciplinary reviews or book chapters tend to be the rarity rather than the norm. Here, we advocate for and highlight the benefits of interdisciplinary perspectives on microbiological subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Rachel L Spietz
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Manjinder Kour
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Daniel R Colman
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
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20
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Marković T, Karlović I, Orlić S, Kajan K, Smith AC. Tracking the nitrogen cycle in a vulnerable alluvial system using a multi proxy approach: Case study Varaždin alluvial aquifer, Croatia. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 853:158632. [PMID: 36087668 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
At high concentrations nitrate is considered a serious environmental pollutant which degrades the quality of ground and surface waters. Such high nitrate concentrations (>50 mg NO3/L) have been observed for decades in the alluvial aquifer in the Varaždin region of Croatia. Here we employ a novel cross disciplinary approach (dual isotopes, chemical, bacteria diversity and mixing modelling) to determine sources of nitrate and processes that can influence nitrate concentration within this vulnerable alluvial aquifer. Ten groundwater wells were sampled across the region and in different hydrological conditions for basic chemical, stable isotopes (δ18O-H2O, δ2H-H2O, δ15N-NO3 and δ18O-NO3), and bacterial diversity analyses. In addition, solid samples, i.e. soil samples and fertilizers were collected and analysed for bulk δ15N. The primary nitrate sources were manure, sewage, soil organic N, and ammonia fertilizers, however we observe no clear evidence to indicate that synthetic fertilizers are a major contributor to groundwater nitrate concentrations. Whilst denitrification was observed in the parts of the study area with dissolved oxygen (DO) deficiency, i.e. anoxic conditions, nitrification has been identified as the major process responsible for nitrate behaviour within the aquifer system. Our results will facilitate the creation of a conceptual model of nitrate behaviour in the study area and from this, a numerical groundwater nitrate transport model. These data, understanding of nitrate dynamics and subsequent models will be critical for future sustainable water and agricultural management of the study area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Marković
- Croatian Geological Survey, Milana Sachsa 2, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Igor Karlović
- Croatian Geological Survey, Milana Sachsa 2, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Sandi Orlić
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Katarina Kajan
- Ruđer Bošković Institute, Bijenička cesta 54, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Andrew C Smith
- British Geological Survey, Nicker Hill, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, UK.
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21
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Comparative Transcriptomics Sheds Light on Remodeling of Gene Expression during Diazotrophy in the Thermophilic Methanogen Methanothermococcus thermolithotrophicus. mBio 2022; 13:e0244322. [PMID: 36409126 PMCID: PMC9765008 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02443-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Some marine thermophilic methanogens are able to perform energy-consuming nitrogen fixation despite deriving only little energy from hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. We studied this process in Methanothermococcus thermolithotrophicus DSM 2095, a methanogenic archaeon of the order Methanococcales that contributes to the nitrogen pool in some marine environments. We successfully grew this archaeon under diazotrophic conditions in both batch and fermenter cultures, reaching the highest cell density reported so far. Diazotrophic growth depended strictly on molybdenum and, in contrast to other diazotrophs, was not inhibited by tungstate or vanadium. This suggests an elaborate control of metal uptake and a specific metal recognition system for the insertion into the nitrogenase cofactor. Differential transcriptomics of M. thermolithotrophicus grown under diazotrophic conditions with ammonium-fed cultures as controls revealed upregulation of the nitrogenase machinery, including chaperones, regulators, and molybdate importers, as well as simultaneous upregulation of an ammonium transporter and a putative pathway for nitrate and nitrite utilization. The organism thus employs multiple synergistic strategies for uptake of nitrogen nutrients during the early exponential growth phase without altering transcription levels for genes involved in methanogenesis. As a counterpart, genes coding for transcription and translation processes were downregulated, highlighting the maintenance of an intricate metabolic balance to deal with energy constraints and nutrient limitations imposed by diazotrophy. This switch in the metabolic balance included unexpected processes, such as upregulation of the CRISPR-Cas system, probably caused by drastic changes in transcription levels of putative mobile and virus-like elements. IMPORTANCE The thermophilic anaerobic archaeon M. thermolithotrophicus is a particularly suitable model organism to study the coupling of methanogenesis to diazotrophy. Likewise, its capability of simultaneously reducing N2 and CO2 into NH3 and CH4 with H2 makes it a viable target for biofuel production. We optimized M. thermolithotrophicus cultivation, resulting in considerably higher cell yields and enabling the successful establishment of N2-fixing bioreactors. Improved understanding of the N2 fixation process would provide novel insights into metabolic adaptations that allow this energy-limited extremophile to thrive under diazotrophy, for instance, by investigating its physiology and uncharacterized nitrogenase. We demonstrated that diazotrophic growth of M. thermolithotrophicus is exclusively dependent on molybdenum, and complementary transcriptomics corroborated the expression of the molybdenum nitrogenase system. Further analyses of differentially expressed genes during diazotrophy across three cultivation time points revealed insights into the response to nitrogen limitation and the coordination of core metabolic processes.
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22
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Campbell MA, Bauersachs T, Schwark L, Proemse BC, Eberhard RS, Coolen MJL, Grice K. Salinity-driven ecology and diversity changes of heterocytous cyanobacteria in Australian freshwater and coastal-marine microbial mats. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:6493-6509. [PMID: 36156347 PMCID: PMC10092834 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
N2 -fixing heterocytous cyanobacteria are considered to play a minor role in sustaining coastal microbial mat communities developing under normal marine to hypersaline conditions. Here, we investigated microbial mats growing under different salinities from freshwater mats of Giblin River (Tasmania) to metahaline and hypersaline mats of Shark Bay (Western Australia). Analyses of genetic (rRNA and mRNA) and biological markers (heterocyte glycolipids) revealed an unexpectedly large diversity of heterocytous cyanobacteria in all the studied microbial mat communities. It was observed that the taxonomic distribution as well as abundance of cyanobacteria is strongly affected by salinity. Low salinity favoured the presence of heterocytous cyanobacteria in freshwater mats, while mats thriving in higher salinities mainly supported the growth unicellular and filamentous non-heterocytous genera. However, even though mRNA transcripts derived from heterocytous cyanobacteria were lower in Shark Bay (<6%) microbial mats, functional analyses revealed that these diazotrophs were transcribing a substantial proportion of the genes involved in biofilm formation and nitrogen fixation. Overall, our data reveal an unexpectedly high diversity of heterocytous cyanobacteria (e.g. Calothrix, Scytonema, Nodularia, Gloeotrichia, Stigonema, Fischerella and Chlorogloeopsis) that had yet to be described in metahaline and hypersaline microbial mats from Shark Bay and that they play a vital role in sustaining the ecosystem functioning of coastal-marine microbial mat systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Campbell
- Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Thorsten Bauersachs
- Institute of Geosciences, Organic Geochemistry Group, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lorenz Schwark
- Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.,Institute of Geosciences, Organic Geochemistry Group, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Bernadette C Proemse
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Rolan S Eberhard
- Natural and Cultural Heritage Division, Department of Primary Industries Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Marco J L Coolen
- Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Kliti Grice
- Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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23
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Spietz RL, Payne D, Szilagyi R, Boyd ES. Reductive biomining of pyrite by methanogens. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:1072-1083. [PMID: 35624031 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Pyrite (FeS2) is the most abundant iron sulfide mineral in Earth's crust. Until recently, FeS2 has been considered a sink for iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) at low temperature in the absence of oxygen or oxidative weathering, making these elements unavailable to biology. However, anaerobic methanogens can transfer electrons extracellularly to reduce FeS2 via direct contact with the mineral. Reduction of FeS2 occurs through a multistep process that generates aqueous sulfide (HS-) and FeS2-associated pyrrhotite (Fe1-xS). Subsequent dissolution of Fe1-xS provides Fe(II)(aq), but not HS-, that rapidly complexes with HS-(aq) generated from FeS2 reduction to form soluble iron sulfur clusters [nFeS(aq)]. Cells assimilate nFeS(aq) to meet Fe/S nutritional demands by mobilizing and hyperaccumulating Fe and S from FeS2. As such, reductive dissolution of FeS2 by methanogens has important implications for element cycling in anoxic habitats, both today and in the geologic past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L Spietz
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Devon Payne
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Robert Szilagyi
- Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia - Okanagan, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA.
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24
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Mathesius U. Are legumes different? Origins and consequences of evolving nitrogen fixing symbioses. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 276:153765. [PMID: 35952452 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2022.153765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen fixing symbioses between plants and bacteria are ancient and, while not numerous, are formed in diverse lineages of plants ranging from microalgae to angiosperms. One symbiosis stands out as the most widespread one is that between legumes and rhizobia, leading to the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules. The legume family is one of the largest and most diverse group of plants and legumes have been used by humans since the beginning of agriculture, both as high nitrogen food, as well as pastures and rotation crops. One open question is whether their ability to form a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis has contributed to legumes' success, and whether legumes have any unique characteristics that have made them more diverse and widespread than other groups of plants. This review examines the evolutionary journey that has led to the diversification of legumes, in particular its nitrogen-fixing symbiosis, and asks four questions to investigate which legume traits might have contributed to their success: 1. In what ways do legumes differ from other plant groups that have evolved nitrogen-fixing symbioses? In order to answer this question, the characteristics of the symbioses, and efficiencies of nitrogen fixation are compared between different groups of nitrogen fixing plants. 2. Could certain unique features of legumes be a reason for their success? This section examines the manifestations and possible benefits of a nitrogen-rich 'lifestyle' in legumes. 3. If nitrogen fixation was a reason for such a success, why have some species lost the symbiosis? Formation of symbioses has trade-offs, and while these are less well known for non-legumes, there are known energetic and ecological reasons for loss of symbiotic potential in legumes. 4. What can we learn from the unique traits of legumes for future crop improvements? While exploiting some of the physiological properties of legumes could be used to improve legume breeding, our increasing molecular understanding of the essential regulators of root nodule symbioses raise hope of creating new nitrogen fixing symbioses in other crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Mathesius
- Division of Plant Sciences, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, 134 Linnaeus Way, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
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25
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Pi HW, Lin JJ, Chen CA, Wang PH, Chiang YR, Huang CC, Young CC, Li WH. Origin and evolution of nitrogen fixation in prokaryotes. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6673025. [PMID: 35993177 PMCID: PMC9447857 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin of nitrogen fixation is an important issue in evolutionary biology. While nitrogen is required by all living organisms, only a small fraction of bacteria and archaea can fix nitrogen. The prevailing view is that nitrogen fixation first evolved in archaea and was later transferred to bacteria. However, nitrogen-fixing (Nif) bacteria are far larger in number and far more diverse in ecological niches than Nif archaea. We, therefore, propose the bacteria-first hypothesis, which postulates that nitrogen fixation first evolved in bacteria and was later transferred to archaea. As >30,000 prokaryotic genomes have been sequenced, we conduct an in-depth comparison of the two hypotheses. We first identify the six genes involved in nitrogen fixation in all sequenced prokaryotic genomes and then reconstruct phylogenetic trees using the six Nif proteins individually or in combination. In each of these trees, the earliest lineages are bacterial Nif protein sequences and in the oldest clade (group) the archaeal sequences are all nested inside bacterial sequences, suggesting that the Nif proteins first evolved in bacteria. The bacteria-first hypothesis is further supported by the observation that the majority of Nif archaea carry the major bacterial Mo (molybdenum) transporter (ModABC) rather than the archaeal Mo transporter (WtpABC). Moreover, in our phylogeny of all available ModA and WtpA protein sequences, the earliest lineages are bacterial sequences while archaeal sequences are nested inside bacterial sequences. Furthermore, the bacteria-first hypothesis is supported by available isotopic data. In conclusion, our study strongly supports the bacteria-first hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Wei Pi
- Ph.D. Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taiwan.,Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529
| | - Jinn Jy Lin
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529
| | - Chi An Chen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529.,Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Po Hsiang Wang
- Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan 32001.,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan 145-0061
| | - Yin Ru Chiang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529
| | - Chieh Chen Huang
- Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan 402
| | - Chiu Chung Young
- Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan 402
| | - Wen Hsiung Li
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan 11529.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, USA
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26
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Dong H, Huang L, Zhao L, Zeng Q, Liu X, Sheng Y, Shi L, Wu G, Jiang H, Li F, Zhang L, Guo D, Li G, Hou W, Chen H. A critical review of mineral-microbe interaction and coevolution: mechanisms and applications. Natl Sci Rev 2022; 9:nwac128. [PMID: 36196117 PMCID: PMC9522408 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwac128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The mineral-microbe interactions play important roles in environmental change, biogeochemical cycling of elements, and formation of ore deposits. Minerals provide both beneficial (physical and chemical protection, nutrients, and energy) and detrimental (toxic substances and oxidative pressure) effects to microbes, resulting in mineral-specific microbial colonization. Microbes impact dissolution, transformation, and precipitation of minerals through their activity, resulting in either genetically-controlled or metabolism-induced biomineralization. Through these interactions minerals and microbes coevolve through Earth history. The mineral-microbe interactions typically occur at microscopic scale but the effect is often manifested at global scale. Despite advances achieved through decades of research, major questions remain. Four areas are identified for future research: integrating mineral and microbial ecology, establishing mineral biosignatures, linking laboratory mechanistic investigation to field observation, and manipulating mineral-microbe interactions for the benefit of humankind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hailiang Dong
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Liuqin Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan 430074 , China
| | - Linduo Zhao
- Illinois Sustainable Technology Center , Illinois State Water Survey, , Champaign , IL 61820 , USA
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Illinois State Water Survey, , Champaign , IL 61820 , USA
| | - Qiang Zeng
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Xiaolei Liu
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Yizhi Sheng
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Liang Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan 430074 , China
| | - Geng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan 430074 , China
| | - Hongchen Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Wuhan 430074 , China
| | - Fangru Li
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University , Oxford , OH 45056 , USA
| | - Dongyi Guo
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Gaoyuan Li
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Weiguo Hou
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
| | - Hongyu Chen
- Center for Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Research, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences , Beijing 100083 , China
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27
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Bennett AC, Murugapiran SK, Kees ED, Sauer HM, Hamilton TL. Temperature and Geographic Location Impact the Distribution and Diversity of Photoautotrophic Gene Variants in Alkaline Yellowstone Hot Springs. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0146521. [PMID: 35575591 PMCID: PMC9241655 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01465-21] [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: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) provide a framework to study the relationship between photoautotrophs and temperature. Previous work has focused on studying how cyanobacteria (oxygenic phototrophs) vary with temperature, sulfide, and pH, but many questions remain regarding the ecophysiology of anoxygenic photosynthesis due to the taxonomic and metabolic diversity of these taxa. To this end, we examined the distribution of genes involved in phototrophy, carbon fixation, and nitrogen fixation in eight alkaline (pH 7.3-9.4) hot spring sites near the upper temperature limit of photosynthesis (71ºC) in YNP using metagenome sequencing. Based on genes encoding key reaction center proteins, geographic isolation plays a larger role than temperature in selecting for distinct phototrophic Chloroflexi, while genes typically associated with autotrophy in anoxygenic phototrophs, did not have distinct distributions with temperature. Additionally, we recovered Calvin cycle gene variants associated with Chloroflexi, an alternative carbon fixation pathway in anoxygenic photoautotrophs. Lastly, we recovered several abundant nitrogen fixation gene sequences associated with Roseiflexus, providing further evidence that genes involved in nitrogen fixation in Chloroflexi are more common than previously assumed. Together, our results add to the body of work on the distribution and functional potential of phototrophic bacteria in Yellowstone National Park hot springs and support the hypothesis that a combination of abiotic and biotic factors impact the distribution of phototrophic bacteria in hot springs. Future studies of isolates and metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) from these data and others will further our understanding of the ecology and evolution of hot spring anoxygenic phototrophs. IMPORTANCE Photosynthetic bacteria in hot springs are of great importance to both microbial evolution and ecology. While a large body of work has focused on oxygenic photosynthesis in cyanobacteria in Mushroom and Octopus Springs in Yellowstone National Park, many questions remain regarding the metabolic potential and ecology of hot spring anoxygenic phototrophs. Anoxygenic phototrophs are metabolically and taxonomically diverse, and further investigations into their physiology will lead to a deeper understanding of microbial evolution and ecology of these taxa. Here, we have quantified the distribution of key genes involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism in both oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophs. Our results suggest that temperature >68ºC selects for distinct groups of cyanobacteria and that carbon fixation pathways associated with these taxa are likely subject to the same selective pressure. Additionally, our data suggest that phototrophic Chloroflexi genes and carbon fixation genes are largely influenced by local conditions as evidenced by our gene variant analysis. Lastly, we recovered several genes associated with potentially novel phototrophic Chloroflexi. Together, our results add to the body of work on hot springs in Yellowstone National Park and set the stage for future work on metagenome assembled genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annastacia C. Bennett
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Senthil K. Murugapiran
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Eric D. Kees
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hailey M. Sauer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Trinity L. Hamilton
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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28
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Nepel M, Angel R, Borer ET, Frey B, MacDougall AS, McCulley RL, Risch AC, Schütz M, Seabloom EW, Woebken D. Global Grassland Diazotrophic Communities Are Structured by Combined Abiotic, Biotic, and Spatial Distance Factors but Resilient to Fertilization. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:821030. [PMID: 35418962 PMCID: PMC8996192 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.821030] [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: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Grassland ecosystems cover around 37% of the ice-free land surface on Earth and have critical socioeconomic importance globally. As in many terrestrial ecosystems, biological dinitrogen (N2) fixation represents an essential natural source of nitrogen (N). The ability to fix atmospheric N2 is limited to diazotrophs, a diverse guild of bacteria and archaea. To elucidate the abiotic (climatic, edaphic), biotic (vegetation), and spatial factors that govern diazotrophic community composition in global grassland soils, amplicon sequencing of the dinitrogenase reductase gene—nifH—was performed on samples from a replicated standardized nutrient [N, phosphorus (P)] addition experiment in 23 grassland sites spanning four continents. Sites harbored distinct and diverse diazotrophic communities, with most of reads assigned to diazotrophic taxa within the Alphaproteobacteria (e.g., Rhizobiales), Cyanobacteria (e.g., Nostocales), and Deltaproteobacteria (e.g., Desulforomonadales) groups. Likely because of the wide range of climatic and edaphic conditions and spatial distance among sampling sites, only a few of the taxa were present at all sites. The best model describing the variation among soil diazotrophic communities at the OTU level combined climate seasonality (temperature in the wettest quarter and precipitation in the warmest quarter) with edaphic (C:N ratio, soil texture) and vegetation factors (various perennial plant covers). Additionally, spatial variables (geographic distance) correlated with diazotrophic community variation, suggesting an interplay of environmental variables and spatial distance. The diazotrophic communities appeared to be resilient to elevated nutrient levels, as 2–4 years of chronic N and P additions had little effect on the community composition. However, it remains to be seen, whether changes in the community composition occur after exposure to long-term, chronic fertilization regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Nepel
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Roey Angel
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elizabeth T Borer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Beat Frey
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Rebecca L McCulley
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Anita C Risch
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Martin Schütz
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Eric W Seabloom
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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29
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Wang B, Peng Q, Wang R, Yu S, Li Q, Huang C. Efficient Microcystis removal and sulfonamide-resistance gene propagation mitigation by constructed wetlands and functional genes analysis. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 292:133481. [PMID: 34990722 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Increasingly prevalent Microcystis blooms and the propagation of the associated resistance genes represent global environmental problems. Constructed wetlands (CWs) are a cost-effective technology used for wastewater treatment. In this study, the herb Alisma orientale and three industrial byproducts, namely, blast furnace slag, biochar, and sawdust, were selected to construct mini-CW units. Their potential to remediate toxic Microcystis and their influences on the behaviors of antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs, sul1, sul2, and intl1) were analyzed. Approximately 98.46% of Microcystis cells were removed by the sawdust-based CW in just 2 d, wherein <0.37 μg/L residual microcystin (MC)-LR was detected, with a removal efficiency of >96.47%, which is potentially caused by the higher relative abundance of MC-degrading gene mlrA on the substrate. Lower target ARG accumulations in the sawdust-based CW may be attributed to the lower intl1 relative abundance and microbial function mobile element content, which could influence horizontal gene transfer. In three sequential batches for the treatment of eutrophic lake water, six sawdust-based CW units were assembled into CW microcosms. The efficiency of removal of Microcystis and MC-LR by planted CW microcosms ranged between 92.00% and 95.88% and between 86.48% and 94.82%, respectively; this was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that by unplanted ones. Less accumulation of target ARGs was also observed in planted CWs. Planting considerably improved nitrogen removal, possibly owing to the enrichment of genes involved in the KEGG nitrogen metabolism pathway in the substrate through metagenomic analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qin Peng
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Rui Wang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Plant Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Application and Development of Plant Resources, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Shuhua Yu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Plant Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Application and Development of Plant Resources, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qi Li
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Plant Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Application and Development of Plant Resources, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Chunping Huang
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Plant Functional Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Institute of Application and Development of Plant Resources, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610041, China
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30
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Sangiorgio D, Cellini A, Donati I, Ferrari E, Tanunchai B, Fareed Mohamed Wahdan S, Sadubsarn D, Farneti B, Checcucci A, Buscot F, Spinelli F, Purahong W. Taxonomical and functional composition of strawberry microbiome is genotype-dependent. J Adv Res 2022; 42:189-204. [PMID: 36513413 PMCID: PMC9788945 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2022.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Specific microbial communities are associated to host plants, influencing their phenotype and fitness.Despite the rising interest in plant microbiome, the role of microbial communities associated with perennial fruit plants remains overlooked. OBJECTIVES This work provides the first comprehensive descriptionof the taxonomical and functional bacterial and fungal microbiota of below- and above-ground organsof three commercially important strawberry genotypes under cultural conditions. METHODS Strawberry-associatedfungal and bacterial microbiomes were characterised by Next-Generation Sequencing and the potential functions expressed by the bacterial microbiome were analysed by both in silico and in vitro characterisation of plant growth-promoting abilities of native bacteria. Additionally, the association between the strawberry microbiome, plant disease tolerance, plant mineral nutrient content, and fruit quality was investigated. RESULTS Results showed that thestrawberry core microbiome included 24 bacteria and 15 fungal operational taxonomicunits (OTUs).However, plant organ and genotype had a significant role in determining the taxonomical and functional composition of microbial communities. Interestingly, the cultivar with the highesttolerance against powdery mildew and leaf spot and the highest fruit productivity was the only one able to ubiquitously recruit the beneficial bacterium, Pseudomonasfluorescens, and to establish a mutualistic symbiosis with the arbuscular mycorrhizaRhizophagus irregularis. CONCLUSION This work sheds light on the interaction of cultivated strawberry genotypes with a variety of microbes and highlights the importance of their applications to increase the sustainability of fruit crop production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Sangiorgio
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, viale Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Antonio Cellini
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, viale Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Erika Ferrari
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Benjawan Tanunchai
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Soil Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Sara Fareed Mohamed Wahdan
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Soil Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany,Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, 41522 Ismailia, Egypt
| | - Dolaya Sadubsarn
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Soil Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Brian Farneti
- Fondazione Edmund Mach, Research and Innovation Centre, Via E. Mach 1, 38010, S. Michele all’Adige, TN, Italy
| | - Alice Checcucci
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, viale Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - François Buscot
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Soil Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Francesco Spinelli
- Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, viale Fanin 46, 40127 Bologna, Italy,Corresponding authors.
| | - Witoon Purahong
- UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Soil Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany,Corresponding authors.
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Garcia AK, Kolaczkowski B, Kaçar B. Reconstruction of nitrogenase predecessors suggests origin from maturase-like proteins. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:6531971. [PMID: 35179578 PMCID: PMC8890362 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolution of biological nitrogen fixation, uniquely catalyzed by nitrogenase enzymes, has been one of the most consequential biogeochemical innovations over life’s history. Though understanding the early evolution of nitrogen fixation has been a longstanding goal from molecular, biogeochemical, and planetary perspectives, its origins remain enigmatic. In this study, we reconstructed the evolutionary histories of nitrogenases, as well as homologous maturase proteins that participate in the assembly of the nitrogenase active-site cofactor but are not able to fix nitrogen. We combined phylogenetic and ancestral sequence inference with an analysis of predicted functionally divergent sites between nitrogenases and maturases to infer the nitrogen-fixing capabilities of their shared ancestors. Our results provide phylogenetic constraints to the emergence of nitrogen fixation and are consistent with a model wherein nitrogenases emerged from maturase-like predecessors. Though the precise functional role of such a predecessor protein remains speculative, our results highlight evolutionary contingency as a significant factor shaping the evolution of a biogeochemically essential enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K Garcia
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA
| | - Bryan Kolaczkowski
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Betül Kaçar
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA
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32
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Marcarelli AM, Fulweiler RW, Scott JT. Nitrogen fixation: a poorly understood process along the freshwater-marine continuum. LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS 2022; 7:1-10. [PMID: 35531372 PMCID: PMC9075158 DOI: 10.1002/lol2.10220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Although N2 fixation is a major component of the global N cycle and has been extensively studied in open-ocean and terrestrial ecosystems, rates and ecological dynamics remain virtually unknown for the inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems (lakes, wetlands, rivers, streams, estuaries) that connect terrestrial and marine biomes. This is due to the diversity of these habitats, as well as the traditional paradigm that N2 fixation rates were low to nonexistent, and therefore not important, in these ecosystems. We identify three major research themes to advance understanding of aquatic N2 fixation: 1) the biological diversity of diazotrophs and variability of N2 fixation rates, 2) the ecological stoichiometry of N2 fixation, and 3) the upscaling of N2 fixation rates from genes to ecosystems. Coordinating research across these areas will advance limnology and oceanography by fully integrating N2 fixation into ecological dynamics of aquatic ecosystems from local to global scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M. Marcarelli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University
| | - Robinson W. Fulweiler
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University
- Department of Biology, Boston University
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33
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Gnangui SLE, Fossou RK, Ebou A, Amon CER, Koua DK, Kouadjo CGZ, Cowan DA, Zézé A. The Rhizobial Microbiome from the Tropical Savannah Zones in Northern Côte d'Ivoire. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9091842. [PMID: 34576737 PMCID: PMC8472840 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9091842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade, many projects have been initiated worldwide to decipher the composition and function of the soil microbiome, including the African Soil Microbiome (AfSM) project that aims at providing new insights into the presence and distribution of key groups of soil bacteria from across the African continent. In this national study, carried out under the auspices of the AfSM project, we assessed the taxonomy, diversity and distribution of rhizobial genera in soils from the tropical savannah zones in Northern Côte d’Ivoire. Genomic DNA extracted from seven sampled soils was analyzed by sequencing the V4-V5 variable region of the 16S rDNA using Illumina’s MiSeq platform. Subsequent bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses showed that these soils harbored 12 out of 18 genera of Proteobacteria harboring rhizobia species validly published to date and revealed for the first time that the Bradyrhizobium genus dominates in tropical savannah soils, together with Microvirga and Paraburkholderia. In silico comparisons of different 16S rRNA gene variable regions suggested that the V5-V7 region could be suitable for differentiating rhizobia at the genus level, possibly replacing the use of the V4-V5 region. These data could serve as indicators for future rhizobial microbiome explorations and for land-use decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Laetitia Elphège Gnangui
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologies Végétale et Microbienne (LBVM), Unité Mixte de Recherche et d’Innovation en Sciences Agronomiques et Génie Rural, Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro 1093, Côte d’Ivoire; (S.L.E.G.); (A.E.); (C.E.R.A.); (A.Z.)
| | - Romain Kouakou Fossou
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologies Végétale et Microbienne (LBVM), Unité Mixte de Recherche et d’Innovation en Sciences Agronomiques et Génie Rural, Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro 1093, Côte d’Ivoire; (S.L.E.G.); (A.E.); (C.E.R.A.); (A.Z.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Anicet Ebou
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologies Végétale et Microbienne (LBVM), Unité Mixte de Recherche et d’Innovation en Sciences Agronomiques et Génie Rural, Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro 1093, Côte d’Ivoire; (S.L.E.G.); (A.E.); (C.E.R.A.); (A.Z.)
- Équipe Bioinformatique, Département de Formation et de Recherche Agriculture et Ressources Animales, Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro 1313, Côte d’Ivoire;
| | - Chiguié Estelle Raïssa Amon
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologies Végétale et Microbienne (LBVM), Unité Mixte de Recherche et d’Innovation en Sciences Agronomiques et Génie Rural, Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro 1093, Côte d’Ivoire; (S.L.E.G.); (A.E.); (C.E.R.A.); (A.Z.)
| | - Dominique Kadio Koua
- Équipe Bioinformatique, Département de Formation et de Recherche Agriculture et Ressources Animales, Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro 1313, Côte d’Ivoire;
| | - Claude Ghislaine Zaka Kouadjo
- Laboratoire Central de Biotechnologies, Centre National de la Recherche Agronomique, 01 Abidjan 1740, Côte d’Ivoire;
| | - Don A. Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa;
| | - Adolphe Zézé
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologies Végétale et Microbienne (LBVM), Unité Mixte de Recherche et d’Innovation en Sciences Agronomiques et Génie Rural, Institut National Polytechnique Felix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro 1093, Côte d’Ivoire; (S.L.E.G.); (A.E.); (C.E.R.A.); (A.Z.)
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Koirala A, Brözel VS. Phylogeny of Nitrogenase Structural and Assembly Components Reveals New Insights into the Origin and Distribution of Nitrogen Fixation across Bacteria and Archaea. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9081662. [PMID: 34442741 PMCID: PMC8399215 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9081662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The phylogeny of nitrogenase has only been analyzed using the structural proteins NifHDK. As nifHDKENB has been established as the minimum number of genes necessary for in silico prediction of diazotrophy, we present an updated phylogeny of diazotrophs using both structural (NifHDK) and cofactor assembly proteins (NifENB). Annotated Nif sequences were obtained from InterPro from 963 culture-derived genomes. Nif sequences were aligned individually and concatenated to form one NifHDKENB sequence. Phylogenies obtained using PhyML, FastTree, RapidNJ, and ASTRAL from individuals and concatenated protein sequences were compared and analyzed. All six genes were found across the Actinobacteria, Aquificae, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Deferribacteres, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, Nitrospira, Proteobacteria, PVC group, and Spirochaetes, as well as the Euryarchaeota. The phylogenies of individual Nif proteins were very similar to the overall NifHDKENB phylogeny, indicating the assembly proteins have evolved together. Our higher resolution database upheld the three cluster phylogeny, but revealed undocumented horizontal gene transfers across phyla. Only 48% of the 325 genera containing all six nif genes are currently supported by biochemical evidence of diazotrophy. In addition, this work provides reference for any inter-phyla comparison of Nif sequences and a quality database of Nif proteins that can be used for identifying new Nif sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrit Koirala
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57006, USA;
| | - Volker S. Brözel
- Department of Biology and Microbiology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57006, USA;
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0004, South Africa
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-605-688-6144
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Schnabel T, Sattely E. Engineering Posttranslational Regulation of Glutamine Synthetase for Controllable Ammonia Production in the Plant Symbiont Azospirillum brasilense. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e0058221. [PMID: 33962983 PMCID: PMC8231714 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00582-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen requirements for modern agriculture far exceed the levels of bioavailable nitrogen in most arable soils. As a result, the addition of nitrogen fertilizer is necessary to sustain productivity and yields, especially for cereal crops, the planet's major calorie suppliers. Given the unsustainability of industrial fertilizer production and application, engineering biological nitrogen fixation directly at the roots of plants has been a grand challenge for biotechnology. Here, we designed and tested a potentially broadly applicable metabolic engineering strategy for the overproduction of ammonia in the diazotrophic symbiont Azospirillum brasilense. Our approach is based on an engineered unidirectional adenylyltransferase (uAT) that posttranslationally modifies and deactivates glutamine synthetase (GS), a key regulator of nitrogen metabolism in the cell. We show that this circuit can be controlled inducibly, and we leveraged the inherent self-contained nature of our posttranslational approach to demonstrate that multicopy redundancy can improve strain evolutionary stability. uAT-engineered Azospirillum is capable of producing ammonia at rates of up to 500 μM h-1 unit of OD600 (optical density at 600 nm)-1. We demonstrated that when grown in coculture with the model monocot Setaria viridis, these strains increase the biomass and chlorophyll content of plants up to 54% and 71%, respectively, relative to the wild type (WT). Furthermore, we rigorously demonstrated direct transfer of atmospheric nitrogen to extracellular ammonia and then plant biomass using isotopic labeling: after 14 days of cocultivation with engineered uAT strains, 9% of chlorophyll nitrogen in Setaria seedlings was derived from diazotrophically fixed dinitrogen, whereas no nitrogen was incorporated in plants cocultivated with WT controls. This rational design for tunable ammonia overproduction is modular and flexible, and we envision that it could be deployable in a consortium of nitrogen-fixing symbiotic diazotrophs for plant fertilization. IMPORTANCE Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient in modern agriculture. Free-living diazotrophs, such as Azospirillum, are common colonizers of cereal grasses and have the ability to fix nitrogen but natively do not release excess ammonia. Here, we used a rational engineering approach to generate ammonia-excreting strains of Azospirillum. Our design features posttranslational control of highly conserved central metabolism, enabling tunability and flexibility of circuit placement. We found that our strains promote the growth and health of the model grass S. viridis and rigorously demonstrated that in comparison to WT controls, our engineered strains can transfer nitrogen from 15N2 gas to plant biomass. Unlike previously reported ammonia-producing mutants, our rationally designed approach easily lends itself to further engineering opportunities and has the potential to be broadly deployable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Schnabel
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth Sattely
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University and HHMI, Stanford, California, USA
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36
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Wang K, Wu Y, Ye M, Yang Y, Asiegbu FO, Overmyer K, Liu S, Cui F. Comparative Genomics Reveals Potential Mechanisms of Plant Beneficial Effects of a Novel Bamboo-Endophytic Bacterial Isolate Paraburkholderia sacchari Suichang626. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:686998. [PMID: 34220778 PMCID: PMC8250432 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.686998] [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: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant-beneficial microbes have drawn wide attention due to their potential application as bio-control agents and bio-fertilizers. Moso bamboo, which is among the monocots with the highest growth rate, lives perennially with abundant microbes that may benefit annually growing crops. Genome information of moso bamboo associated bacteria remains underexplored. We isolated and identified a novel Paraburkholderia strain Suichang626 from moso bamboo roots. Growth promoting effects of Suichang626 on both moso bamboo and seedlings of the model dicot Arabidopsis thaliana were documented in laboratory conditions. To gain insight into the genetic basis of this growth promotion effect, we sequenced the genome of Suichang626. Evidenced by genome-wide phylogeny data, we propose that Suichang626 is a novel strain of Paraburkholderia sacchari. Gene homologs encoding biosynthesis of the plant growth-promoting chemicals, acetoin and 2,3-butanediol, were identified in the genome of Suichang626. Comparative genomics was further performed with plant-beneficial and plant/animal pathogenic species of Paraburkholderia and Burkholderia. Genes related to volatile organic compounds, nitrogen fixation, and auxin biosynthesis were discovered specifically in the plant growth-promoting species of both genera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China.,Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ying Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mengyuan Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yifan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fred O Asiegbu
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kirk Overmyer
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, and Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Shenkui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fuqiang Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
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37
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Archaea: An Agro-Ecological Perspective. Curr Microbiol 2021; 78:2510-2521. [PMID: 34019119 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-021-02537-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Microorganisms inhabiting bulk soil and rhizosphere play an important role in soil biogeochemical cycles leading to enhanced plant growth and productivity. In this context, the role of bacteria is well established, however, not much reports are available about the role archaea plays in this regard. Literature suggests that archaea also play a greater role in nutrient cycling of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and other minerals, possess various plant growth promoting attributes, and can impart tolerance to various abiotic stresses (especially osmotic and oxidative) in areas of high salinity, low and high temperatures and hydrogen ion concentrations. Thermoacidophilic archaea have been found to potentially involve in bioleaching of mineral ores and bioremediation of chemical pollutants and aromatic compounds. Looking at immense potential of archaea in promoting plant growth, alleviating abiotic stresses, and remediating contaminated sites, detailed studies are required to establish their role in different ecological processes, and their interactions in rhizosphere with plant and other microflora (bacteria and fungi) in different ecosystems. In this review, a brief discussion on archaea from the agro-ecological point of view is presented.
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38
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Smercina DN, Evans SE, Friesen ML, Tiemann LK. Impacts of nitrogen addition on switchgrass root-associated diazotrophic community structure and function. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 96:5920613. [PMID: 33038234 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellulosic bioenergy crops, like switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), have potential for growth on lands unsuitable for food production coupled with potential for climate mitigation. Sustainability of these systems lies in identifying conditions that promote high biomass yields on marginal lands under low-input agricultural practices. Associative nitrogen fixation (ANF) is a potentially important nitrogen (N) source for these crops, yet ANF contributions to plant N, especially under fertilizer N addition are unclear. In this study, we assess structure (nifH) and function (ANF) of switchgrass root-associated diazotrophic communities to long-term and short-term N additions using soil from three marginal land sites. ANF rates were variable and often unexpectedly high, sometimes 10× greater than reported in the literature, and did not respond in repeatable ways to long-term or short-term N. We found few impacts of N addition on root-associated diazotrophic community structure or membership. Instead, we found a very consistent root-associated diazotrophic community even though switchgrass seeds were germinated in soil from field sites with distinct diazotrophic communities. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that root-associated diazotrophic communities have the potential to contribute to switchgrass N demands, independent of N addition, and this may be driven by selection of the diazotrophic community by switchgrass roots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darian N Smercina
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Sarah E Evans
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA
| | - Maren L Friesen
- Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.,Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Lisa K Tiemann
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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39
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The Evolution of Molybdenum Dependent Nitrogenase in Cyanobacteria. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:biology10040329. [PMID: 33920032 PMCID: PMC8071049 DOI: 10.3390/biology10040329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Nitrogen fixation is the process by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing organic compounds. It is carried out by a variety of bacteria, including Cyanobacteria. Previous studies have shown that several groups of Cyanobacteria have the ability to fix nitrogen; however, because these groups are scattered throughout the Cyanobacterial lineage, the evolutionary history of nitrogen fixation in these bacteria has not been clarified. In this study, we attempted to identify the origin of nitrogen fixation development in Cyanobacterium by focusing on molybdenum dependent nitrogenase, a major nitrogen fixing enzyme. We compared a phylogenetic tree from 179 species of Cyanobacteria to one generated from nitrogen fixation-related genes. We also compared the genomic locations of those genes. As a result, we found that nitrogen fixing genes were acquired in the Cyanobacterium common ancestor and subsequently lost in some lineages. The results demonstrate that inconsistencies between species phylogeny and organism characteristics can occur and be caused not only by horizontal gene transfer, but also by gene deletion. Abstract Nitrogen fixation plays a crucial role in the nitrogen cycle by helping to convert nitrogen into a form usable by other organisms. Bacteria capable of fixing nitrogen are found in six phyla including Cyanobacteria. Molybdenum dependent nitrogenase (nif) genes are thought to share a single origin as they have homologs in various phyla. However, diazotrophic bacteria have a mosaic distribution within the cyanobacterial lineage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the cause of this mosaic distribution. We identified nif gene operon structures in the genomes of 85 of the 179 cyanobacterial strains for which whole genome sequences were available. Four nif operons were conserved in each diazotroph Cyanobacterium, although there were some gene translocations and insertions. Phylogenetic inference of these genes did not reveal horizontal gene transfer from outside the phylum Cyanobacteria. These results support the hypothesis that the mosaic distribution of diazotrophic bacteria in the cyanobacterial lineage is the result of the independent loss of nif genes inherited from common cyanobacterial ancestors in each lineage.
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40
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Computational characterizations of GDP-mannose 4,6-dehydratase (NoeL) Rhizobial proteins. Curr Genet 2021; 67:769-784. [PMID: 33837815 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-021-01184-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that Nod Factors molecules are the critical structural components in nitrogen fixation. These molecules have been implicated in plant-microbe signaling. Many enzymes involved in Nod factors biosynthesis; however, the enzymes that decorate (modify) nod factor main structure play a vital role. Here, the computational analysis of GDP-mannose 4,6-dehydratase (NoeL) proteins with great impact in modification of nod factor structure in four genomes of agriculturally important rhizobia (Bradyrhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Rhizobium, Sinorhizobium) presented. The NoeL number of amino acids was in the range of 147 (M5AMF5) to 372 (A0A023XWX0, Q89TZ1). The molecular weights were around 41 KDa. The results showed that the strain-specific purification strategy should apply as the pI of the sequences varied significantly (in the range of 5.59 to 9.12). The enzyme sequences and eight 3-dimensional structures predicted with homology modeling and machine learning representing the phylogenetic tree revealed the stability of enzymes in different conditions (Instability and Aliphatic index); however, this stability is also strain-specific. Disulphide bonds were observed in some species; however, the pattern was not detected in all members of the same species. Alpha helix was the dominant secondary structure predicted in all cytoplasmic NoeL. All models were homo-tetramer with acceptable sequence identity, GMEAN and coverage (60, - 1.80, 88, respectively). Additionally, Ramachandran maps showed that more than 94% of residues are in favored regions. We also highlight several key characterizations of NoeL from four rhizobia genomes annotation. These findings provide novel insights into the complexity and diversity of NoeL enzymes among important rhizobia and suggest considering a broader framework of biofilm for future research.
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41
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Hanikenne M, Esteves SM, Fanara S, Rouached H. Coordinated homeostasis of essential mineral nutrients: a focus on iron. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2021; 72:2136-2153. [PMID: 33175167 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/eraa483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
In plants, iron (Fe) transport and homeostasis are highly regulated processes. Fe deficiency or excess dramatically limits plant and algal productivity. Interestingly, complex and unexpected interconnections between Fe and various macro- and micronutrient homeostatic networks, supposedly maintaining general ionic equilibrium and balanced nutrition, are currently being uncovered. Although these interactions have profound consequences for our understanding of Fe homeostasis and its regulation, their molecular bases and biological significance remain poorly understood. Here, we review recent knowledge gained on how Fe interacts with micronutrient (e.g. zinc, manganese) and macronutrient (e.g. sulfur, phosphate) homeostasis, and on how these interactions affect Fe uptake and trafficking. Finally, we highlight the importance of developing an improved model of how Fe signaling pathways are integrated into functional networks to control plant growth and development in response to fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Hanikenne
- InBioS - PhytoSystems, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Sara M Esteves
- InBioS - PhytoSystems, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Steven Fanara
- InBioS - PhytoSystems, Functional Genomics and Plant Molecular Imaging, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Hatem Rouached
- BPMP, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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42
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Ando N, Barquera B, Bartlett DH, Boyd E, Burnim AA, Byer AS, Colman D, Gillilan RE, Gruebele M, Makhatadze G, Royer CA, Shock E, Wand AJ, Watkins MB. The Molecular Basis for Life in Extreme Environments. Annu Rev Biophys 2021; 50:343-372. [PMID: 33637008 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-100120-072804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Sampling and genomic efforts over the past decade have revealed an enormous quantity and diversity of life in Earth's extreme environments. This new knowledge of life on Earth poses the challenge of understandingits molecular basis in such inhospitable conditions, given that such conditions lead to loss of structure and of function in biomolecules from mesophiles. In this review, we discuss the physicochemical properties of extreme environments. We present the state of recent progress in extreme environmental genomics. We then present an overview of our current understanding of the biomolecular adaptation to extreme conditions. As our current and future understanding of biomolecular structure-function relationships in extremophiles requires methodologies adapted to extremes of pressure, temperature, and chemical composition, advances in instrumentation for probing biophysical properties under extreme conditions are presented. Finally, we briefly discuss possible future directions in extreme biophysics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozomi Ando
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Blanca Barquera
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA;
| | - Douglas H Bartlett
- Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0202, USA
| | - Eric Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
| | - Audrey A Burnim
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Amanda S Byer
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Daniel Colman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
| | - Richard E Gillilan
- Center for High Energy X-ray Sciences (CHEXS), Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
| | - Martin Gruebele
- Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA.,Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA.,Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - George Makhatadze
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA;
| | - Catherine A Royer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, USA;
| | - Everett Shock
- GEOPIG, School of Earth & Space Exploration, School of Molecular Sciences, Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA
| | - A Joshua Wand
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA.,Department of Molecular & Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77845, USA
| | - Maxwell B Watkins
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
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43
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Rosselli R, La Porta N, Muresu R, Stevanato P, Concheri G, Squartini A. Pangenomics of the Symbiotic Rhizobiales. Core and Accessory Functions Across a Group Endowed with High Levels of Genomic Plasticity. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020407. [PMID: 33669391 PMCID: PMC7920277 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pangenome analyses reveal major clues on evolutionary instances and critical genome core conservation. The order Rhizobiales encompasses several families with rather disparate ecological attitudes. Among them, Rhizobiaceae, Bradyrhizobiaceae, Phyllobacteriacreae and Xanthobacteriaceae, include members proficient in mutualistic symbioses with plants based on the bacterial conversion of N2 into ammonia (nitrogen-fixation). The pangenome of 12 nitrogen-fixing plant symbionts of the Rhizobiales was analyzed yielding total 37,364 loci, with a core genome constituting 700 genes. The percentage of core genes averaged 10.2% over single genomes, and between 5% to 7% were found to be plasmid-associated. The comparison between a representative reference genome and the core genome subset, showed the core genome highly enriched in genes for macromolecule metabolism, ribosomal constituents and overall translation machinery, while membrane/periplasm-associated genes, and transport domains resulted under-represented. The analysis of protein functions revealed that between 1.7% and 4.9% of core proteins could putatively have different functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Rosselli
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research, NL-1790 AB Den Burg, The Netherlands;
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
| | - Nicola La Porta
- Department of Sustainable Agrobiosystems and Bioresources, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, Italy;
- MOUNTFOR Project Centre, European Forest Institute, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | - Rosella Muresu
- Institute of Animal Production Systems in Mediterranean Environments-National Research Council, 07040 Sassari, Italy;
| | - Piergiorgio Stevanato
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy; (P.S.); (G.C.)
| | - Giuseppe Concheri
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy; (P.S.); (G.C.)
| | - Andrea Squartini
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Italy; (P.S.); (G.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-049-8272-923
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44
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Parsons C, Stüeken EE, Rosen CJ, Mateos K, Anderson RE. Radiation of nitrogen-metabolizing enzymes across the tree of life tracks environmental transitions in Earth history. GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:18-34. [PMID: 33108025 PMCID: PMC7894544 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen is an essential element to life and exerts a strong control on global biological productivity. The rise and spread of nitrogen-utilizing microbial metabolisms profoundly shaped the biosphere on the early Earth. Here, we reconciled gene and species trees to identify birth and horizontal gene transfer events for key nitrogen-cycling genes, dated with a time-calibrated tree of life, in order to examine the timing of the proliferation of these metabolisms across the tree of life. Our results provide new insights into the evolution of the early nitrogen cycle that expand on geochemical reconstructions. We observed widespread horizontal gene transfer of molybdenum-based nitrogenase back to the Archean, minor horizontal transfer of genes for nitrate reduction in the Archean, and an increase in the proliferation of genes metabolizing nitrite around the time of the Mesoproterozoic (~1.5 Ga). The latter coincides with recent geochemical evidence for a mid-Proterozoic rise in oxygen levels. Geochemical evidence of biological nitrate utilization in the Archean and early Proterozoic may reflect at least some contribution of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) rather than pure denitrification to N2 . Our results thus help unravel the relative dominance of two metabolic pathways that are not distinguishable with current geochemical tools. Overall, our findings thus provide novel constraints for understanding the evolution of the nitrogen cycle over time and provide insights into the bioavailability of various nitrogen sources in the early Earth with possible implications for the emergence of eukaryotic life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Parsons
- Carleton CollegeNorthfieldMNUSA
- Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMAUSA
| | | | | | | | - Rika E. Anderson
- Carleton CollegeNorthfieldMNUSA
- NASA NExSS Virtual Planetary LaboratoryUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
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45
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Chen Y, Nishihara A, Haruta S. Nitrogen-fixing Ability and Nitrogen Fixation-related Genes of Thermophilic Fermentative Bacteria in the Genus Caldicellulosiruptor. Microbes Environ 2021; 36. [PMID: 34108360 PMCID: PMC8209448 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me21018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fermentative nitrogen-fixing bacteria have not yet been examined in detail in thermal environments. In the present study, we isolated the thermophilic fermentative bacterium, strain YA01 from a hot spring. This strain grew at temperatures up to 78°C. A phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain YA01 belonged to the genus Caldicellulosiruptor, which are fermentative bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes, with 97.7–98.0% sequence identity to its closest relatives. Strain YA01 clearly exhibited N2-dependent growth at 70°C. We also confirmed N2-dependent growth in the relatives of strain YA01, Caldicellulosiruptor hydrothermalis 108 and Caldicellulosiruptor kronotskyensis 2002. The nitrogenase activities of these three strains were examined using the acetylene reduction assay. Similar activities were detected for all tested strains, and were slightly suppressed by the addition of ammonium. A genome analysis revealed that strain YA01, as well as other Caldicellulosiruptor, possessed a gene set for nitrogen fixation, but lacked the nifN gene, which encodes a nitrogenase iron-molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis protein that is commonly detected in nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The amino acid sequences of nitrogenase encoded by nifH, nifD, and nifK shared 92–98% similarity in Caldicellulosiruptor. A phylogenetic tree of concatenated NifHDK sequences showed that NifHDK of Caldicellulosiruptor was in the deepest clade. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the nitrogen-fixing ability of fermentative bacteria at 70°C. Caldicellulosiruptor may have retained an ancient nitrogen-fixing enzyme system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University
| | - Arisa Nishihara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University.,Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
| | - Shin Haruta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan University
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46
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Gebauer S, Grenfell JL, Lammer H, de Vera JPP, Sproß L, Airapetian VS, Sinnhuber M, Rauer H. Atmospheric Nitrogen When Life Evolved on Earth. ASTROBIOLOGY 2020; 20:1413-1426. [PMID: 33121251 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The amount of nitrogen (N2) present in the atmosphere when life evolved on our planet is central for understanding the production of prebiotic molecules and, hence, is a fundamental quantity to constrain. Estimates of atmospheric molecular nitrogen partial surface pressures during the Archean, however, widely vary in the literature. In this study, we apply a model that combines newly gained insights into atmospheric escape, magma ocean duration, and outgassing evolution. Results suggest <420 mbar surface molecular nitrogen at the time when life originated, which is much lower compared with estimates in previous works and hence could impact our understanding of the production rate of prebiotic molecules such as hydrogen cyanide. Our revised values provide new input for atmospheric chamber experiments that simulate prebiotic chemistry on the early Earth. Our results that assume negligible nitrogen escape rates are in agreement with research based on solidified gas bubbles and the oxidation of iron in micrometeorites at 2.7 Gyr ago, which suggest that the atmospheric pressure was probably less than half the present-day value. Our results contradict previous studies that assume N2 partial surface pressures during the Archean were higher than those observed today and suggest that, if the N2 partial pressure were low in the Archean, it would likely be low in the Hadean as well. Furthermore, our results imply a biogenic nitrogen fixation rate from 9 to 14 Teragram N2 per year (Tg N2/year), which is consistent with modern marine biofixation rates and, hence, indicate an oceanic origin of this fixation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Gebauer
- Institute for Planetary Research (PF), German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - John Lee Grenfell
- Institute for Planetary Research (PF), German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Berlin, Germany
| | - Helmut Lammer
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | | | - Laurenz Sproß
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
- Institute for Physics, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Vladimir S Airapetian
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
- American University, NW Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Miriam Sinnhuber
- Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Heike Rauer
- Institute for Planetary Research (PF), German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Geological Sciences, Planetology and Remote Sensing, Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), Berlin, Germany
- Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technische Universität Berlin (TUB), Berlin, Germany
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47
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Renoud S, Bouffaud ML, Dubost A, Prigent-Combaret C, Legendre L, Moënne-Loccoz Y, Muller D. Co-occurrence of rhizobacteria with nitrogen fixation and/or 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deamination abilities in the maize rhizosphere. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2020; 96:5818760. [PMID: 32275303 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiaa062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The plant microbiota may differ depending on soil type, but these microbiota probably share the same functions necessary for holobiont fitness. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that phytostimulatory microbial functional groups are likely to co-occur in the rhizosphere, using groups corresponding to nitrogen fixation (nifH) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deamination (acdS), i.e. two key modes of action in plant-beneficial rhizobacteria. The analysis of three maize fields in two consecutive years showed that quantitative PCR numbers of nifH and of acdS alleles differed according to field site, but a positive correlation was found overall when comparing nifH and acdS numbers. Metabarcoding analyses in the second year indicated that the diversity level of acdS but not nifH rhizobacteria in the rhizosphere differed across fields. Furthermore, between-class analysis showed that the three sites differed from one another based on nifH or acdS sequence data (or rrs data), and the bacterial genera contributing most to field differentiation were not the same for the three bacterial groups. However, co-inertia analysis indicated that the genetic structures of both functional groups and of the whole bacterial community were similar across the three fields. Therefore, results point to co-selection of rhizobacteria harboring nitrogen fixation and/or 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deamination abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Renoud
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 43 bd du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marie-Lara Bouffaud
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 43 bd du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Audrey Dubost
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 43 bd du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Claire Prigent-Combaret
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 43 bd du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Laurent Legendre
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 43 bd du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.,Univ Lyon, Université de St Etienne, 10, Rue Tréfilerie - F-42023 Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Yvan Moënne-Loccoz
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 43 bd du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Daniel Muller
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, UMR5557 Ecologie Microbienne, 43 bd du 11 novembre 1918, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France
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48
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Kacar B, Garcia AK, Anbar AD. Evolutionary History of Bioessential Elements Can Guide the Search for Life in the Universe. Chembiochem 2020; 22:114-119. [PMID: 33136319 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202000500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of life in the universe comes from one sample, life on Earth. Current and next-generation space missions will target exoplanets as well as planets and moons in our own solar system with the primary goal of detecting, interpreting and characterizing indications of possible biological activity. Thus, understanding life's fundamental characteristics is increasingly critical for detecting and interpreting potential biological signatures elsewhere in the universe. Astrobiologists have outlined the essential roles of carbon and water for life, but we have yet to decipher the rules governing the evolution of how living organisms use bioessential elements. Does the suite of life's essential chemical elements on Earth constitute only one possible evolutionary outcome? Are some elements so essential for biological functions that evolution will select for them despite low availability? How would this play out on other worlds that have different relative element abundances? When we look for life in the universe, or the conditions that could give rise to life, we must learn how to recognize it in extremely different chemical and environmental conditions from those on Earth. We argue that by exposing self-organizing biotic chemistries to different combinations of abiotic materials, and by mapping the evolutionary history of metalloenzyme biochemistry onto geological availabilities of metals, alternative element choices that are very different from life's present-day molecular structure might result. A greater understanding of the paleomolecular evolutionary history of life on Earth will create a predictive capacity for detecting and assessing life's existence on worlds where alternate evolutionary paths might have been taken.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betul Kacar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, 1007 E Lowell St, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.,Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 N Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA.,Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, 1629 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.,Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 1 Chome-31 Ishikawacho, Ota City, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Amanda K Garcia
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, 1007 E Lowell St, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Ariel D Anbar
- School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, E Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA
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49
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Barajas HR, Martínez-Sánchez S, Romero MF, Álvarez CH, Servín-González L, Peimbert M, Cruz-Ortega R, García-Oliva F, Alcaraz LD. Testing the Two-Step Model of Plant Root Microbiome Acquisition Under Multiple Plant Species and Soil Sources. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:542742. [PMID: 33162946 PMCID: PMC7581803 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.542742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The two-step model for plant root microbiomes considers soil as the primary microbial source. Active selection of the plant’s bacterial inhabitants results in a biodiversity decrease toward roots. We collected sixteen samples of in situ ruderal plant roots and their soils and used these soils as the main microbial input for single genotype tomatoes grown in a greenhouse. Our main goal was to test the soil influence in the structuring of rhizosphere microbiomes, minimizing environmental variability, while testing multiple plant species. We massively sequenced the 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomes of the soils, in situ plants, and tomato roots. We identified a total of 271,940 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) within the soils, rhizosphere and endospheric microbiomes. We annotated by homology a total of 411,432 (13.07%) of the metagenome predicted proteins. Tomato roots did follow the two-step model with lower α-diversity than soil, while ruderal plants did not. Surprisingly, ruderal plants are probably working as a microenvironmental oasis providing moisture and plant-derived nutrients, supporting larger α-diversity. Ruderal plants and their soils are closer according to their microbiome community composition than tomato and its soil, based on OTUs and protein comparisons. We expected that tomato β-diversity clustered together with their soil, if it is the main rhizosphere microbiome structuring factor. However, tomato microbiome β-diversity was associated with plant genotype in most samples (81.2%), also supported by a larger set of enriched proteins in tomato rhizosphere than soil or ruderals. The most abundant bacteria found in soils was the Actinobacteria Solirubrobacter soli, ruderals were dominated by the Proteobacteria Sphingomonas sp. URGHD0057, and tomato mainly by the Bacteroidetes Ohtaekwangia koreensis, Flavobacterium terrae, Niastella vici, and Chryseolinea serpens. We calculated a metagenomic tomato root core of 51 bacterial genera and 2,762 proteins, which could be the basis for microbiome-oriented plant breeding programs. We attributed a larger diversity in ruderal plants roots exudates as an effect of the moisture and nutrient acting as a microbial harbor. The tomato and ruderal metagenomic differences are probably due to plant domestication trade-offs, impacting plant-bacteria interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo R Barajas
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Shamayim Martínez-Sánchez
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Miguel F Romero
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Cristóbal Hernández Álvarez
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luis Servín-González
- Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mariana Peimbert
- Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Unidad Cuajimalpa, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rocío Cruz-Ortega
- Laboratorio de Alelopatía, Departamento de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Felipe García-Oliva
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Mexico
| | - Luis D Alcaraz
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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50
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North JA, Narrowe AB, Xiong W, Byerly KM, Zhao G, Young SJ, Murali S, Wildenthal JA, Cannon WR, Wrighton KC, Hettich RL, Tabita FR. A nitrogenase-like enzyme system catalyzes methionine, ethylene, and methane biogenesis. Science 2020; 369:1094-1098. [PMID: 32855335 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb6310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial production of gaseous hydrocarbons such as ethylene and methane affects soil environments and atmospheric climate. We demonstrate that biogenic methane and ethylene from terrestrial and freshwater bacteria are directly produced by a previously unknown methionine biosynthesis pathway. This pathway, present in numerous species, uses a nitrogenase-like reductase that is distinct from known nitrogenases and nitrogenase-like reductases and specifically functions in C-S bond breakage to reduce ubiquitous and appreciable volatile organic sulfur compounds such as dimethyl sulfide and (2-methylthio)ethanol. Liberated methanethiol serves as the immediate precursor to methionine, while ethylene or methane is released into the environment. Anaerobic ethylene production by this pathway apparently explains the long-standing observation of ethylene accumulation in oxygen-depleted soils. Methane production reveals an additional bacterial pathway distinct from archaeal methanogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A North
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Adrienne B Narrowe
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Weili Xiong
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Kathryn M Byerly
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Guanqi Zhao
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Sarah J Young
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Srividya Murali
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - John A Wildenthal
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - William R Cannon
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA.,Department of Mathematics, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92507, USA
| | - Kelly C Wrighton
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Robert L Hettich
- Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - F Robert Tabita
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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