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Caro-Astorga J, Meyerowitz JT, Stork DA, Nattermann U, Piszkiewicz S, Vimercati L, Schwendner P, Hocher A, Cockell C, DeBenedictis E. Polyextremophile engineering: a review of organisms that push the limits of life. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1341701. [PMID: 38903795 PMCID: PMC11188471 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1341701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Nature exhibits an enormous diversity of organisms that thrive in extreme environments. From snow algae that reproduce at sub-zero temperatures to radiotrophic fungi that thrive in nuclear radiation at Chernobyl, extreme organisms raise many questions about the limits of life. Is there any environment where life could not "find a way"? Although many individual extremophilic organisms have been identified and studied, there remain outstanding questions about the limits of life and the extent to which extreme properties can be enhanced, combined or transferred to new organisms. In this review, we compile the current knowledge on the bioengineering of extremophile microbes. We summarize what is known about the basic mechanisms of extreme adaptations, compile synthetic biology's efforts to engineer extremophile organisms beyond what is found in nature, and highlight which adaptations can be combined. The basic science of extremophiles can be applied to engineered organisms tailored to specific biomanufacturing needs, such as growth in high temperatures or in the presence of unusual solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Devon A. Stork
- Pioneer Research Laboratories, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Una Nattermann
- Pioneer Research Laboratories, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | - Lara Vimercati
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United States
| | | | - Antoine Hocher
- London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Charles Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Erika DeBenedictis
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Pioneer Research Laboratories, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Fagliarone C, Fernandez BG, Di Stefano G, Mosca C, Billi D. Insights into the chaotropic tolerance of the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. 029 (Chroococcidiopsales, Cyanobacteria). JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2024; 60:185-194. [PMID: 38156502 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13414] [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: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism of perchlorate resistance of the desert cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis sp. CCMEE 029 was investigated by assessing whether the pathways associated with its desiccation tolerance might play a role against the destabilizing effects of this chaotropic agent. During 3 weeks of growth in the presence of 2.4 mM perchlorate, an upregulation of trehalose and sucrose biosynthetic pathways was detected. This suggested that in response to the water stress triggered by perchlorate salts, these two compatible solutes play a role in the stabilization of macromolecules and membranes as they do in response to dehydration. During the perchlorate exposure, the production of oxidizing species was observed by using an oxidant-sensing fluorochrome and determining the expression of the antioxidant defense genes, namely superoxide dismutases and catalases, while the presence of oxidative DNA damage was highlighted by the over-expression of genes of the base excision repair. The involvement of desiccation-tolerance mechanisms in the perchlorate resistance of this desert cyanobacterium is interesting since, so far, chaotropic-tolerant bacteria have been identified among halophiles. Hence, it is anticipated that desert microorganisms might possess an unrevealed capability of adapting to perchlorate concentrations exceeding those naturally occurring in dry environments. Furthermore, in the endeavor of supporting future human outposts on Mars, the identified mechanisms might contribute to enhance the perchlorate resistance of microorganisms relevant for biologically driven utilization of the perchlorate-rich soil of the red planet.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beatriz Gallego Fernandez
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- PhD Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgia Di Stefano
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- PhD Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Mosca
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniela Billi
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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de Francisco Martínez P, Morgante V, González-Pastor JE. Isolation of novel cold-tolerance genes from rhizosphere microorganisms of Antarctic plants by functional metagenomics. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1026463. [DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1026463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The microorganisms that thrive in Antarctica, one of the coldest environments on the planet, have developed diverse adaptation mechanisms to survive in these extreme conditions. Through functional metagenomics, in this work, 29 new genes related to cold tolerance have been isolated and characterized from metagenomic libraries of microorganisms from the rhizosphere of two Antarctic plants. Both libraries were hosted in two cold-sensitive strains of Escherichia coli: DH10B ΔcsdA and DH10B ΔcsdA Δrnr. The csdA gene encodes a DEAD-box RNA helicase and rnr gene encodes an exoribonuclease, both essential for cold-adaptation. Cold-tolerance tests have been carried out in solid and liquid media at 15°C. Among the cold-tolerance genes identified, 12 encode hypothetical and unknown proteins, and 17 encode a wide variety of different proteins previously related to other well-characterized ones involved in metabolism reactions, transport and membrane processes, or genetic information processes. Most of them have been connected to cold-tolerance mechanisms. Interestingly, 13 genes had no homologs in E. coli, thus potentially providing entirely new adaptation strategies for this bacterium. Moreover, ten genes also conferred resistance to UV-B radiation, another extreme condition in Antarctica.
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Díaz S, Aguilera Á, de Figueras CG, de Francisco P, Olsson S, Puente-Sánchez F, González-Pastor JE. Heterologous Expression of the Phytochelatin Synthase CaPCS2 from Chlamydomonas acidophila and Its Effect on Different Stress Factors in Escherichia coli. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19137692. [PMID: 35805349 PMCID: PMC9265389 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19137692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Phytochelatins (PCs) are cysteine-rich small peptides, enzymatically synthesized from reduced glutathione (GSH) by cytosolic enzyme phytochelatin synthase (PCS). The open reading frame (ORF) of the phytochelatin synthase CaPCS2 gene from the microalgae Chlamydomonas acidophila was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli strain DH5α, to analyze its role in protection against various abiotic agents that cause cellular stress. The transformed E. coli strain showed increased tolerance to exposure to different heavy metals (HMs) and arsenic (As), as well as to acidic pH and exposure to UVB, salt, or perchlorate. In addition to metal detoxification activity, new functions have also been reported for PCS and PCs. According to the results obtained in this work, the heterologous expression of CaPCS2 in E. coli provides protection against oxidative stress produced by metals and exposure to different ROS-inducing agents. However, the function of this PCS is not related to HM bioaccumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Díaz
- Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, C. José Antonio Novais, 12, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Ángeles Aguilera
- Department of Molecular Biology, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir, km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain; (Á.A.); (C.G.d.F.); (P.d.F.); (J.E.G.-P.)
| | - Carolina G. de Figueras
- Department of Molecular Biology, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir, km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain; (Á.A.); (C.G.d.F.); (P.d.F.); (J.E.G.-P.)
| | - Patricia de Francisco
- Department of Molecular Biology, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir, km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain; (Á.A.); (C.G.d.F.); (P.d.F.); (J.E.G.-P.)
| | - Sanna Olsson
- Department of Forest Ecology and Genetics, Forest Research Centre (INIA, CSIC), Carretera de La Coruña, km 7.5, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Fernando Puente-Sánchez
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lennart Hjelms väg 9, 756 51 Uppsala, Sweden;
| | - José Eduardo González-Pastor
- Department of Molecular Biology, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera de Ajalvir, km 4, Torrejón de Ardoz, 28850 Madrid, Spain; (Á.A.); (C.G.d.F.); (P.d.F.); (J.E.G.-P.)
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Zannier F, Portero LR, Douki T, Gärtner W, Farías ME, Albarracín VH. Proteomic Signatures of Microbial Adaptation to the Highest Ultraviolet-Irradiation on Earth: Lessons From a Soil Actinobacterium. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:791714. [PMID: 35369494 PMCID: PMC8965627 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.791714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Central Andean region in South America, high-altitude ecosystems (3500-6000 masl) are distributed across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, in which poly-extremophilic microbes thrive under extreme environmental conditions. In particular, in the Puna region, total solar irradiation and UV incidence are the highest on Earth, thus, restraining the physiology of individual microorganisms and the composition of microbial communities. UV-resistance of microbial strains thriving in High-Altitude Andean Lakes was demonstrated and their mechanisms were partially characterized by genomic analysis, biochemical and physiological assays. Then, the existence of a network of physiological and molecular mechanisms triggered by ultraviolet light exposure was hypothesized and called "UV-resistome". It includes some or all of the following subsystems: (i) UV sensing and effective response regulators, (ii) UV-avoidance and shielding strategies, (iii) damage tolerance and oxidative stress response, (iv) energy management and metabolic resetting, and (v) DNA damage repair. Genes involved in the described UV-resistome were recently described in the genome of Nesterenkonia sp. Act20, an actinobacterium which showed survival to high UV-B doses as well as efficient photorepairing capability. The aim of this work was to use a proteomic approach together with photoproduct measurements to help dissecting the molecular events involved in the adaptive response of a model High-Altitude Andean Lakes (HAAL) extremophilic actinobacterium, Nesterenkonia sp. Act20, under artificial UV-B radiation. Our results demonstrate that UV-B exposure induced over-abundance of a well-defined set of proteins while recovery treatments restored the proteomic profiles present before the UV-challenge. The proteins involved in this complex molecular network were categorized within the UV-resistome subsystems: damage tolerance and oxidative stress response, energy management and metabolic resetting, and DNA damage repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Zannier
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Ultraestructural y Molecular, Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica, Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia, UNT y Centro Científico Tecnológico, CONICET NOASUR, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas, Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales y Microbiológicos, Centro Científico Tecnológico, CONICET NOASUR, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Luciano R. Portero
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Ultraestructural y Molecular, Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica, Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia, UNT y Centro Científico Tecnológico, CONICET NOASUR, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas, Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales y Microbiológicos, Centro Científico Tecnológico, CONICET NOASUR, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Thierry Douki
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire de Grenoble–Systèmes Moléculaires et nanoMatériaux p our l’Énergie et la Santé, Grenoble, France
| | - Wolfgang Gärtner
- Institute of Analytical Chemistry, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - María E. Farías
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Ultraestructural y Molecular, Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica, Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia, UNT y Centro Científico Tecnológico, CONICET NOASUR, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Virginia H. Albarracín
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Ultraestructural y Molecular, Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica, Facultad de Agronomía y Zootecnia, UNT y Centro Científico Tecnológico, CONICET NOASUR, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas, Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales y Microbiológicos, Centro Científico Tecnológico, CONICET NOASUR, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
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Tuchin VV, Genina EA, Tuchina ES, Svetlakova AV, Svenskaya YI. Optical clearing of tissues: Issues of antimicrobial phototherapy and drug delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 180:114037. [PMID: 34752842 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.114037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
This review presents principles and novelties in the field of tissue optical clearing (TOC) technology, as well as application for optical monitoring of drug delivery and effective antimicrobial phototherapy. TOC is based on altering the optical properties of tissue through the introduction of immersion optical cleaning agents (OCA), which impregnate the tissue of interest. We also analyze various methods and kinetics of delivery of photodynamic agents, nanoantibiotics and their mixtures with OCAs into the tissue depth in the context of antimicrobial and antifungal phototherapy. In vitro and in vivo studies of antimicrobial phototherapies, such as photodynamic, photothermal plasmonic and photocatalytic, are summarized, and the prospects of a new TOC technology for effective killing of pathogens are discussed.
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Díaz-Rullo J, Rodríguez-Valdecantos G, Torres-Rojas F, Cid L, Vargas IT, González B, González-Pastor JE. Mining for Perchlorate Resistance Genes in Microorganisms From Sediments of a Hypersaline Pond in Atacama Desert, Chile. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:723874. [PMID: 34367123 PMCID: PMC8343002 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.723874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Perchlorate is an oxidative pollutant toxic to most of terrestrial life by promoting denaturation of macromolecules, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. However, several microorganisms, especially hyperhalophiles, are able to tolerate high levels of this compound. Furthermore, relatively high quantities of perchlorate salts were detected on the Martian surface, and due to its strong hygroscopicity and its ability to substantially decrease the freezing point of water, perchlorate is thought to increase the availability of liquid brine water in hyper-arid and cold environments, such as the Martian regolith. Therefore, perchlorate has been proposed as a compound worth studying to better understanding the habitability of the Martian surface. In the present work, to study the molecular mechanisms of perchlorate resistance, a functional metagenomic approach was used, and for that, a small-insert library was constructed with DNA isolated from microorganisms exposed to perchlorate in sediments of a hypersaline pond in the Atacama Desert, Chile (Salar de Maricunga), one of the regions with the highest levels of perchlorate on Earth. The metagenomic library was hosted in Escherichia coli DH10B strain and exposed to sodium perchlorate. This technique allowed the identification of nine perchlorate-resistant clones and their environmental DNA fragments were sequenced. A total of seventeen ORFs were predicted, individually cloned, and nine of them increased perchlorate resistance when expressed in E. coli DH10B cells. These genes encoded hypothetical conserved proteins of unknown functions and proteins similar to other not previously reported to be involved in perchlorate resistance that were related to different cellular processes such as RNA processing, tRNA modification, DNA protection and repair, metabolism, and protein degradation. Furthermore, these genes also conferred resistance to UV-radiation, 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide (4-NQO) and/or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), other stress conditions that induce oxidative stress, and damage in proteins and nucleic acids. Therefore, the novel genes identified will help us to better understand the molecular strategies of microorganisms to survive in the presence of perchlorate and may be used in Mars exploration for creating perchlorate-resistance strains interesting for developing Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) based on in situ resource utilization (ISRU).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Díaz-Rullo
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain
- Polytechnic School, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Gustavo Rodríguez-Valdecantos
- Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe Torres-Rojas
- Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Luis Cid
- Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ignacio T. Vargas
- Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable (CEDEUS), Santiago, Chile
| | - Bernardo González
- Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Raza S, Matuła K, Karoń S, Paczesny J. Resistance and Adaptation of Bacteria to Non-Antibiotic Antibacterial Agents: Physical Stressors, Nanoparticles, and Bacteriophages. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:435. [PMID: 33924618 PMCID: PMC8070485 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10040435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a significant threat to human health worldwide, forcing scientists to explore non-traditional antibacterial agents to support rapid interventions and combat the emergence and spread of drug resistant bacteria. Many new antibiotic-free approaches are being developed while the old ones are being revised, resulting in creating unique solutions that arise at the interface of physics, nanotechnology, and microbiology. Specifically, physical factors (e.g., pressure, temperature, UV light) are increasingly used for industrial sterilization. Nanoparticles (unmodified or in combination with toxic compounds) are also applied to circumvent in vivo drug resistance mechanisms in bacteria. Recently, bacteriophage-based treatments are also gaining momentum due to their high bactericidal activity and specificity. Although the number of novel approaches for tackling the antimicrobial resistance crisis is snowballing, it is still unclear if any proposed solutions would provide a long-term remedy. This review aims to provide a detailed overview of how bacteria acquire resistance against these non-antibiotic factors. We also discuss innate bacterial defense systems and how bacteriophages have evolved to tackle them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jan Paczesny
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland; (S.R.); (K.M.); (S.K.)
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