1
|
Chuzel L, Sinha A, Cunningham CV, Taron CH. High-throughput nanopore DNA sequencing of large insert fosmid clones directly from bacterial colonies. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0024324. [PMID: 38767355 PMCID: PMC11218629 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00243-24] [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: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Fosmids and cosmids are vectors frequently used in functional metagenomic studies. With a large insert capacity (around 30 kb) they can encode dozens of cloned genes or in some cases, entire biochemical pathways. Fosmids with cloned inserts can be transferred to heterologous hosts and propagated to enable screening for new enzymes and metabolites. After screening, fosmids from clones with an activity of interest must be de novo sequenced, a critical step toward the identification of the gene(s) of interest. In this work, we present a new approach for rapid and high-throughput fosmid sequencing directly from Escherichia coli colonies without liquid culturing or fosmid purification. Our sample preparation involves fosmid amplification with phi29 polymerase and then direct nanopore sequencing using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies system. We also present a bioinformatics pipeline termed "phiXXer" that facilitates both de novo read assembly and vector trimming to generate a linear sequence of the fosmid insert. Finally, we demonstrate the accurate sequencing of 96 fosmids in a single run and validate the method using two fosmid libraries that contain cloned large insert (~30-40 kb) genomic or metagenomic DNA.IMPORTANCELarge-insert clone (fosmids or cosmids) sequencing is challenging and arguably the most limiting step of functional metagenomic screening workflows. Our study establishes a new method for high-throughput nanopore sequencing of fosmid clones directly from lysed Escherichia coli cells. It also describes a companion bioinformatic pipeline that enables de novo assembly of fosmid DNA insert sequences. The devised method widens the potential of functional metagenomic screening by providing a simple, high-throughput approach to fosmid clone sequencing that dramatically speeds the pace of discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Léa Chuzel
- New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amit Sinha
- New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Schwander L, Brabender M, Mrnjavac N, Wimmer JLE, Preiner M, Martin WF. Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1257597. [PMID: 37854333 PMCID: PMC10581274 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Serpentinization in hydrothermal vents is central to some autotrophic theories for the origin of life because it generates compartments, reductants, catalysts and gradients. During the process of serpentinization, water circulates through hydrothermal systems in the crust where it oxidizes Fe (II) in ultramafic minerals to generate Fe (III) minerals and H2. Molecular hydrogen can, in turn, serve as a freely diffusible source of electrons for the reduction of CO2 to organic compounds, provided that suitable catalysts are present. Using catalysts that are naturally synthesized in hydrothermal vents during serpentinization H2 reduces CO2 to formate, acetate, pyruvate, and methane. These compounds represent the backbone of microbial carbon and energy metabolism in acetogens and methanogens, strictly anaerobic chemolithoautotrophs that use the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO2 fixation and that inhabit serpentinizing environments today. Serpentinization generates reduced carbon, nitrogen and - as newer findings suggest - reduced phosphorous compounds that were likely conducive to the origins process. In addition, it gives rise to inorganic microcompartments and proton gradients of the right polarity and of sufficient magnitude to support chemiosmotic ATP synthesis by the rotor-stator ATP synthase. This would help to explain why the principle of chemiosmotic energy harnessing is more conserved (older) than the machinery to generate ion gradients via pumping coupled to exergonic chemical reactions, which in the case of acetogens and methanogens involve H2-dependent CO2 reduction. Serpentinizing systems exist in terrestrial and deep ocean environments. On the early Earth they were probably more abundant than today. There is evidence that serpentinization once occurred on Mars and is likely still occurring on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus, providing a perspective on serpentinization as a source of reductants, catalysts and chemical disequilibrium for life on other worlds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loraine Schwander
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Max Brabender
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Natalia Mrnjavac
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jessica L. E. Wimmer
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martina Preiner
- Microcosm Earth Center, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany
| | - William F. Martin
- Institute of Molecular Evolution, Biology Department, Math. -Nat. Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Arcadi E, Buschi E, Rastelli E, Tangherlini M, De Luca P, Esposito V, Calogero R, Andaloro F, Romeo T, Danovaro R. Novel Insights on the Bacterial and Archaeal Diversity of the Panarea Shallow-Water Hydrothermal Vent Field. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2464. [PMID: 37894122 PMCID: PMC10608945 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102464] [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: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Current knowledge of the microbial diversity of shallow-water hydrothermal vents is still limited. Recent evidence suggests that these peculiar and heterogeneous systems might host highly diversified microbial assemblages with novel or poorly characterized lineages. In the present work, we used 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding to provide novel insights into the diversity of the bacterial and archaeal assemblages in seawater and sediments of three shallow-water hydrothermal systems of Panarea Island (Tyrrhenian Sea). The three areas were characterized by hot, cold, or intermediate temperatures and related venting activities. Microbial biodiversity in seawater largely differed from the benthic one, both in α-diversity (i.e., richness of amplicon sequence variants-ASVs) and in prokaryotic assemblage composition. Furthermore, at the class level, the pelagic prokaryotic assemblages were very similar among sites, whereas the benthic microbial assemblages differed markedly, reflecting the distinct features of the hydrothermal activities at the three sites we investigated. Our results show that ongoing high-temperature emissions can influence prokaryotic α-diversity at the seafloor, increasing turnover (β-)diversity, and that the intermediate-temperature-venting spot that experienced a violent gas explosion 20 years ago now displays the highest benthic prokaryotic diversity. Overall, our results suggest that hydrothermal vent dynamics around Panarea Island can contribute to an increase in the local heterogeneity of physical-chemical conditions, especially at the seafloor, in turn boosting the overall microbial (γ-)diversity of this peculiar hydrothermal system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erika Arcadi
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Contrada Porticatello, 29, 98167 Messina, Italy; (E.A.); (R.C.); (F.A.)
| | - Emanuela Buschi
- Department of Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fano Marine Centre, Viale Adriatico 1-N, 61032 Fano, Italy;
| | - Eugenio Rastelli
- Department of Marine Biotechnology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fano Marine Centre, Viale Adriatico 1-N, 61032 Fano, Italy;
| | - Michael Tangherlini
- Department of Research Infrastructures for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Fano Marine Centre, Viale Adriatico 1-N, 61032 Fano, Italy
| | - Pasquale De Luca
- Department of Research Infrastructures for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Valentina Esposito
- Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale—OGS Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/C, 34010 Sgonico, Italy;
| | - Rosario Calogero
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Contrada Porticatello, 29, 98167 Messina, Italy; (E.A.); (R.C.); (F.A.)
| | - Franco Andaloro
- Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Contrada Porticatello, 29, 98167 Messina, Italy; (E.A.); (R.C.); (F.A.)
| | - Teresa Romeo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Via dei Mille 46, 98057 Milazzo, Italy
- National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via dei Mille 46, 98057 Milazzo, Italy
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy;
- National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), 90133 Palermo, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Steininger H, Moltzau-Anderson J, Lynch SV. Contributions of the early-life microbiome to childhood atopy and asthma development. Semin Immunol 2023; 69:101795. [PMID: 37379671 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The rapid rise in atopy and asthma in industrialized nations has led to the identification of early life environmental factors that promote these conditions and spurred research into how such exposures may mediate the trajectory to childhood disease development. Over the past decade, the human microbiome has emerged as a key determinant of human health. This is largely due to the increasing appreciation for the myriad of non-mutually exclusive mechanisms by which microbes tune and train host immunity. Microbiomes, particularly those in early life, are shaped by extrinsic and intrinsic factors, including many of the exposures known to influence allergy and asthma risk. This has led to the over-arching hypothesis that such exposures mediate their effect on childhood atopy and asthma by altering the functions and metabolic productivity of microbiomes that shape immune function during this critical developmental period. The capacity to study microbiomes at the genetic and molecular level in humans from the pre-natal period into childhood with well-defined clinical outcomes, offers an unprecedented opportunity to identify early-life and inter-generational determinants of atopy and asthma outcomes. Moreover, such studies provide an integrative microbiome research framework that can be applied to other chronic inflammatory conditions. This review attempts to capture key studies in the field that offer insights into the developmental origins of childhood atopy and asthma, providing novel insights into microbial mediators of maladaptive immunity and chronic inflammatory disease in childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Holly Steininger
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Jacqueline Moltzau-Anderson
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Susan V Lynch
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rucker HR, Ely TD, LaRowe DE, Giovannelli D, Price RE. Quantifying the Bioavailable Energy in an Ancient Hydrothermal Vent on Mars and a Modern Earth-Based Analog. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:431-445. [PMID: 36862508 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Putative alkaline hydrothermal systems on Noachian Mars were potentially habitable environments for microorganisms. However, the types of reactions that could have fueled microbial life in such systems and the amount of energy available from them have not been quantitatively constrained. In this study, we use thermodynamic modeling to calculate which catabolic reactions could have supported ancient life in a saponite-precipitating hydrothermal vent system in the Eridania basin on Mars. To further evaluate what this could mean for microbial life, we evaluated the energy potential of an analog site in Iceland, the Strytan Hydrothermal Field. Results show that, of the 84 relevant redox reactions that were considered, the highest energy-yielding reactions in the Eridania hydrothermal system were dominated by methane formation. By contrast, Gibbs energy calculations carried out for Strytan indicate that the most energetically favorable reactions are CO2 and O2 reduction coupled to H2 oxidation. In particular, our calculations indicate that an ancient hydrothermal system within the Eridania basin could have been a habitable environment for methanogens using NH4+ as an electron acceptor. Differences in Gibbs energies between the two systems were largely determined by oxygen-its presence on Earth and absence on Mars. However, Strytan can serve as a useful analog for Eridania when studying methane-producing reactions that do not involve O2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Holly R Rucker
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Tucker D Ely
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- 39Alpha Research, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Douglas E LaRowe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Donato Giovannelli
- Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II," Naples, Italy
| | - Roy E Price
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|