1
|
Deore P, Tsang Min Ching SJ, Nitschke MR, Rudd D, Brumley DR, Hinde E, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Unique photosynthetic strategies employed by closely related Breviolum minutum strains under rapid short-term cumulative heat stress. J Exp Bot 2024:erae170. [PMID: 38636949 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
The thermal tolerance of symbiodiniacean photo-endosymbionts largely underpins the thermal bleaching resilience of their cnidarian hosts such as corals and the coral model, Exaiptasia diaphana. While variation in thermal tolerance between species is well documented, variation between conspecific strains is understudied. We compared the thermal tolerance of three closely related strains of Breviolum minutum represented by two internal transcribed spacer region 2 profiles (one strain B1-B1o-B1g-B1p and the other two strains B1-B1a-B1b-1g) and differences in photochemical and non-photochemical quenching, de-epoxidation state of photopigments, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species under rapid short-term cumulative temperature stress (26-40°C). We found that B. minutum strains employ distinct photoprotective strategies, resulting in different upper thermal tolerances. We provide evidence for previously unknown interdependencies between thermal tolerance traits and photoprotective mechanisms which include a delicate balancing of excitation energy and its dissipation through fast relaxing and state transition components of non-photochemical quenching. The more thermally tolerant B. minutum strain (B1-B1o-B1g-B1p) exhibited an enhanced de-epoxidation that is strongly linked to the thylakoid membrane melting point and possibly membrane rigidification minimising oxidative damage. This study provides an in-depth understanding of photoprotective mechanisms underpinning thermal tolerance in closely related strains of B. minutum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pranali Deore
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Matthew R Nitschke
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville 4810, Queensland, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington 6102, New Zealand
| | - David Rudd
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Douglas R Brumley
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Hinde
- School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville 4810, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Maire J, Tsang Min Ching SJ, Damjanovic K, Epstein HE, Judd LM, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Tissue-associated and vertically transmitted bacterial symbiont in the coral Pocillopora acuta. ISME J 2024; 18:wrad027. [PMID: 38365239 PMCID: PMC10833068 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrad027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Coral microhabitats are colonized by a myriad of microorganisms, including diverse bacteria which are essential for host functioning and survival. However, the location, transmission, and functions of individual bacterial species living inside the coral tissues remain poorly studied. Here, we show that a previously undescribed bacterial symbiont of the coral Pocillopora acuta forms cell-associated microbial aggregates (CAMAs) within the mesenterial filaments. CAMAs were found in both adults and larval offspring, suggesting vertical transmission. In situ laser capture microdissection of CAMAs followed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics produced a near complete metagenome-assembled genome. We subsequently cultured the CAMA bacteria from Pocillopora acuta colonies, and sequenced and assembled their genomes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the CAMA bacteria belong to an undescribed Endozoicomonadaceae genus and species, which we propose to name Candidatus Sororendozoicomonas aggregata gen. nov sp. nov. Metabolic pathway reconstruction from its genome sequence suggests this species can synthesize most amino acids, several B vitamins, and antioxidants, and participate in carbon cycling and prey digestion, which may be beneficial to its coral hosts. This study provides detailed insights into a new member of the widespread Endozoicomonadaceae family, thereby improving our understanding of coral holobiont functioning. Vertically transmitted, tissue-associated bacteria, such as Sororendozoicomonas aggregata may be key candidates for the development of microbiome manipulation approaches with long-term positive effects on the coral host.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Maire
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia
| | | | - Katarina Damjanovic
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, 4810 QLD, Australia
| | - Hannah E Epstein
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, 4810 QLD, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811 QLD, Australia
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom
| | - Louise M Judd
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 VIC, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, 4810 QLD, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Maire J, Philip GK, Livingston J, Judd LM, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Functional potential and evolutionary response to long-term heat selection of bacterial associates of coral photosymbionts. mSystems 2023; 8:e0086023. [PMID: 37909753 PMCID: PMC10746172 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00860-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Symbiotic microorganisms are crucial for the survival of corals and their resistance to coral bleaching in the face of climate change. However, the impact of microbe-microbe interactions on coral functioning is mostly unknown but could be essential factors for coral adaption to future climates. Here, we investigated interactions between cultured dinoflagellates of the Symbiodiniaceae family, essential photosymbionts of corals, and associated bacteria. By assessing the genomic potential of 49 bacteria, we found that they are likely beneficial for Symbiodiniaceae, through the production of B vitamins and antioxidants. Additionally, bacterial genes involved in host-symbiont interactions, such as secretion systems, accumulated mutations following long-term exposure to heat, suggesting symbiotic interactions may change under climate change. This highlights the importance of microbe-microbe interactions in coral functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Maire
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Gayle K. Philip
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jadzia Livingston
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Louise M. Judd
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Maire J, Deore P, Jameson VJ, Sakkas M, Perez-Gonzalez A, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Assessing the contribution of bacteria to the heat tolerance of experimentally evolved coral photosymbionts. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:3298-3318. [PMID: 37849020 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Coral reefs are extremely vulnerable to ocean warming, which triggers coral bleaching-the loss of endosymbiotic microalgae (Symbiodiniaceae) from coral tissues, often leading to death. To enhance coral climate resilience, the symbiont, Cladocopium proliferum was experimentally evolved for >10 years under elevated temperatures resulting in increased heat tolerance. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding showed the composition of intra- and extracellular bacterial communities of heat-evolved strains was significantly different from that of wild-type strains, suggesting bacteria responded to elevated temperatures, and may even play a role in C. proliferum thermal tolerance. To assess whether microbiome transplantation could enhance heat tolerance of the sensitive wild-type C. proliferum, we transplanted bacterial communities from heat-evolved to the wild-type strain and subjected it to acute heat stress. Microbiome transplantation resulted in the incorporation of only 30 low-abundance strains into the microbiome of wild-type cultures, while the relative abundance of 14 pre-existing strains doubled in inoculated versus uninoculated samples. Inoculation with either wild-type or heat-evolved bacterial communities boosted C. proliferum growth, although no difference in heat tolerance was observed between the two inoculation treatments. This study provides evidence that Symbiodiniaceae-associated bacterial communities respond to heat selection and may contribute to coral adaptation to climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Maire
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Pranali Deore
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Vanta J Jameson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Cytometry Platform, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Magdaline Sakkas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Cytometry Platform, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alexis Perez-Gonzalez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at The Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne Cytometry Platform, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dungan AM, Tandon K, Jameson V, Gotze CR, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. A targeted approach to enrich host-associated bacteria for metagenomic sequencing. FEMS Microbes 2023; 5:xtad021. [PMID: 38264162 PMCID: PMC10804224 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Multicellular eukaryotic organisms are hosts to communities of bacteria that reside on or inside their tissues. Often the eukaryotic members of the system contribute to high proportions of metagenomic sequencing reads, making it challenging to achieve sufficient sequencing depth to evaluate bacterial ecology. Stony corals are one such complex community; however, separation of bacterial from eukaryotic (primarily coral and algal symbiont) cells has so far not been successful. Using a combination of hybridization chain reaction fluorescence in situ hybridization and fluorescence activated cell sorting (HCR-FISH + FACS), we sorted two populations of bacteria from five genotypes of the coral Acropora loripes, targeting (i) Endozoicomonas spp, and (ii) all other bacteria. NovaSeq sequencing resulted in 67-91 M reads per sample, 55%-90% of which were identified as bacterial. Most reads were taxonomically assigned to the key coral-associated family, Endozoicomonadaceae, with Vibrionaceae also abundant. Endozoicomonadaceae were 5x more abundant in the 'Endozoicomonas' population, highlighting the success of the dual-labelling approach. This method effectively enriched coral samples for bacteria with <1% contamination from host and algal symbionts. The application of this method will allow researchers to decipher the functional potential of coral-associated bacteria. This method can also be adapted to accommodate other host-associated communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Dungan
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Kshitij Tandon
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Vanta Jameson
- Melbourne Cytometry Platform, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Cecilie Ravn Gotze
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
- Reef Recovery, Restoration and Adaptation Program, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
- Reef Recovery, Restoration and Adaptation Program, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ricci F, Tandon K, Black JR, Lê Cao KA, Blackall LL, Verbruggen H. Erratum for Ricci et al., "Host Traits and Phylogeny Contribute to Shaping Coral-Bacterial Symbioses". mSystems 2023; 8:e0091723. [PMID: 37819094 PMCID: PMC10654097 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00917-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
|
7
|
Doering T, Tandon K, Topa SH, Pidot SJ, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Genomic exploration of coral-associated bacteria: identifying probiotic candidates to increase coral bleaching resilience in Galaxea fascicularis. Microbiome 2023; 11:185. [PMID: 37596630 PMCID: PMC10439622 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01622-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reef-building corals are acutely threatened by ocean warming, calling for active interventions to reduce coral bleaching and mortality. Corals associate with a wide diversity of bacteria which can influence coral health, but knowledge of specific functions that may be beneficial for corals under thermal stress is scant. Under the oxidative stress theory of coral bleaching, bacteria that scavenge reactive oxygen (ROS) or nitrogen species (RNS) are expected to enhance coral thermal resilience. Further, bacterial carbon export might substitute the carbon supply from algal photosymbionts, enhance thermal resilience and facilitate bleaching recovery. To identify probiotic bacterial candidates, we sequenced the genomes of 82 pure-cultured bacteria that were isolated from the emerging coral model Galaxea fascicularis. RESULTS Genomic analyses showed bacterial isolates were affiliated with 37 genera. Isolates such as Ruegeria, Muricauda and Roseovarius were found to encode genes for the synthesis of the antioxidants mannitol, glutathione, dimethylsulfide, dimethylsulfoniopropionate, zeaxanthin and/or β-carotene. Genes involved in RNS-scavenging were found in many G. fascicularis-associated bacteria, which represents a novel finding for several genera (including Pseudophaeobacter). Transporters that are suggested to export carbon (semiSWEET) were detected in seven isolates, including Pseudovibrio and Roseibium. Further, a range of bacterial strains, including strains of Roseibium and Roseovarius, revealed genomic features that may enhance colonisation and association of bacteria with the coral host, such as secretion systems and eukaryote-like repeat proteins. CONCLUSIONS Our work provides an in-depth genomic analysis of the functional potential of G. fascicularis-associated bacteria and identifies novel combinations of traits that may enhance the coral's ability to withstand coral bleaching. Identifying and characterising bacteria that are beneficial for corals is critical for the development of effective probiotics that boost coral climate resilience. Video Abstract.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Talisa Doering
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
| | - Kshitij Tandon
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
| | - Sanjida H. Topa
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
| | - Sacha J. Pidot
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
| | - Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Maire J, Tandon K, Collingro A, van de Meene A, Damjanovic K, Gotze CR, Stephenson S, Philip GK, Horn M, Cantin NE, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Colocalization and potential interactions of Endozoicomonas and chlamydiae in microbial aggregates of the coral Pocillopora acuta. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadg0773. [PMID: 37196086 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg0773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Corals are associated with a variety of bacteria, which occur in the surface mucus layer, gastrovascular cavity, skeleton, and tissues. Some tissue-associated bacteria form clusters, termed cell-associated microbial aggregates (CAMAs), which are poorly studied. Here, we provide a comprehensive characterization of CAMAs in the coral Pocillopora acuta. Combining imaging techniques, laser capture microdissection, and amplicon and metagenome sequencing, we show that (i) CAMAs are located in the tentacle tips and may be intracellular; (ii) CAMAs contain Endozoicomonas (Gammaproteobacteria) and Simkania (Chlamydiota) bacteria; (iii) Endozoicomonas may provide vitamins to its host and use secretion systems and/or pili for colonization and aggregation; (iv) Endozoicomonas and Simkania occur in distinct, but adjacent, CAMAs; and (v) Simkania may receive acetate and heme from neighboring Endozoicomonas. Our study provides detailed insight into coral endosymbionts, thereby improving our understanding of coral physiology and health and providing important knowledge for coral reef conservation in the climate change era.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Maire
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Kshitij Tandon
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Astrid Collingro
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Allison van de Meene
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Katarina Damjanovic
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Cecilie Ravn Gotze
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Sophie Stephenson
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Gayle K Philip
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Matthias Horn
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna 1030, Austria
| | - Neal E Cantin
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Doering T, Maire J, Chan WY, Perez-Gonzalez A, Meyers L, Sakamoto R, Buthgamuwa I, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Comparing the Role of ROS and RNS in the Thermal Stress Response of Two Cnidarian Models, Exaiptasia diaphana and Galaxea fascicularis. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:antiox12051057. [PMID: 37237923 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12051057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are threatened by climate change, because it causes increasingly frequent and severe summer heatwaves, resulting in mass coral bleaching and mortality. Coral bleaching is believed to be driven by an excess production of reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS), yet their relative roles during thermal stress remain understudied. Here, we measured ROS and RNS net production, as well as activities of key enzymes involved in ROS scavenging (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and RNS synthesis (nitric oxide synthase) and linked these metrics to physiological measurements of cnidarian holobiont health during thermal stress. We did this for both an established cnidarian model, the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana, and an emerging scleractinian model, the coral Galaxea fascicularis, both from the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Increased ROS production was observed during thermal stress in both species, but it was more apparent in G. fascicularis, which also showed higher levels of physiological stress. RNS did not change in thermally stressed G. fascicularis and decreased in E. diaphana. Our findings in combination with variable ROS levels in previous studies on GBR-sourced E. diaphana suggest G. fascicularis is a more suitable model to study the cellular mechanisms of coral bleaching.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Talisa Doering
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Justin Maire
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Wing Yan Chan
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Alexis Perez-Gonzalez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Melbourne Cytometry Platform, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Luka Meyers
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Rumi Sakamoto
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Isini Buthgamuwa
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ricci F, Tandon K, Moßhammer M, Cho EHJ, Blackall LL, Kühl M, Verbruggen H. Fine-scale mapping of physicochemical and microbial landscapes of the coral skeleton. Environ Microbiol 2023. [PMID: 36951365 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
The coral skeleton harbours a diverse community of bacteria and microeukaryotes exposed to light, O2 and pH gradients, but how such physicochemical gradients affect the coral skeleton microbiome remains unclear. In this study, we employed chemical imaging of O2 and pH, hyperspectral reflectance imaging and spatially resolved taxonomic and inferred functional microbiome characterisation to explore links between the skeleton microenvironment and microbiome in the reef-building corals Porites lutea and Paragoniastrea benhami. The physicochemical environment was more stable in the deep skeleton and the diversity and evenness of the bacterial community increased with skeletal depth, suggesting that the microbiome was stratified along the physicochemical gradients. The bulk of the coral skeleton was a low O2 habitat, whereas pH varied from pH 6 to 9 with depth. Physicochemical gradients of O2 and pH of the coral skeleton explained the β-diversity of the bacterial communities, and skeletal layers that showed O2 peaks had a higher relative abundance of endolithic algae, reflecting a link between the abiotic environment and the microbiome composition. Our study links the physicochemical, microbial and functional landscapes of the coral skeleton and provides new insights into the involvement of skeletal microbes in coral holobiont metabolism. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Ricci
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia
| | - Kshitij Tandon
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maria Moßhammer
- Department of Biology, Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Ellie H-J Cho
- Biological Optical Microscopy Platform, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael Kühl
- Department of Biology, Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Helsingør, Denmark
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Doering T, Maire J, van Oppen MJH, Blackall LL. Advancing coral microbiome manipulation to build long-term climate resilience. Microbiol Aust 2023. [DOI: 10.1071/ma23009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs house one-third of all marine species and are of high cultural and socioeconomic importance. However, coral reefs are under dire threat from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Climate change is causing coral bleaching, the breakdown of the symbiosis between the coral host and its algal symbionts, often resulting in coral mortality and the deterioration of these valuable ecosystems. While it is essential to counteract the root causes of climate change, it remains urgent to develop coral restoration and conservation methods that will buy time for coral reefs. The manipulation of the bacterial microbiome that is associated with corals has been suggested as one intervention to improve coral climate resilience. Early coral microbiome-manipulation studies, which are aimed at enhancing bleaching tolerance, have shown promising results, but the inoculated bacteria did generally not persist within the coral microbiome. Here, we highlight the importance of long-term incorporation of bacterial inocula into the microbiome of target corals, as repeated inoculations will be too costly and not feasible on large reef systems like the Great Barrier Reef. Therefore, coral microbiome-manipulation studies need to prioritise approaches that can provide sustained coral climate resilience.
Collapse
|
12
|
Tandon K, Ricci F, Costa J, Medina M, Kühl M, Blackall LL, Verbruggen H. Genomic view of the diversity and functional role of archaea and bacteria in the skeleton of the reef-building corals Porites lutea and Isopora palifera. Gigascience 2023; 12:6997638. [PMID: 36683362 PMCID: PMC9868349 DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giac127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
At present, our knowledge on the compartmentalization of coral holobiont microbiomes is highly skewed toward the millimeter-thin coral tissue, leaving the diverse coral skeleton microbiome underexplored. Here, we present a genome-centric view of the skeleton of the reef-building corals Porites lutea and Isopora palifera, through a compendium of ∼400 high-quality bacterial and archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), spanning 34 phyla and 57 classes. Skeletal microbiomes harbored a diverse array of stress response genes, including dimethylsulfoniopropionate synthesis (dsyB) and metabolism (DMSP lyase). Furthermore, skeletal MAGs encoded an average of 22 ± 15 genes in P. lutea and 28 ± 23 in I. palifera with eukaryotic-like motifs thought to be involved in maintaining host association. We provide comprehensive insights into the putative functional role of the skeletal microbiome on key metabolic processes such as nitrogen fixation, dissimilatory and assimilatory nitrate, and sulfate reduction. Our study provides critical genomic resources for a better understanding of the coral skeletal microbiome and its role in holobiont functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kshitij Tandon
- Correspondence address. Kshitij Tandon, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia. E-mail:
| | - Francesco Ricci
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia,Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Joana Costa
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
| | - Mónica Medina
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Michael Kühl
- Marine Biological Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
| | - Heroen Verbruggen
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ricci F, Tandon K, Black JR, Lê Cao KA, Blackall LL, Verbruggen H. Host Traits and Phylogeny Contribute to Shaping Coral-Bacterial Symbioses. mSystems 2022; 7:e0004422. [PMID: 35253476 PMCID: PMC9045482 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00044-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of tropical scleractinian corals depends on their ability to establish symbioses with microbial partners. Host phylogeny and traits are known to shape the coral microbiome, but to what extent they affect its composition remains unclear. Here, by using 12 coral species representing the complex and robust clades, we explored the influence of host phylogeny, skeletal architecture, and reproductive mode on the microbiome composition, and further investigated the structure of the tissue and skeleton bacterial communities. Our results show that host phylogeny and traits explained 14% of the tissue and 13% of the skeletal microbiome composition, providing evidence that these predictors contributed to shaping the holobiont in terms of presence and relative abundance of bacterial symbionts. Based on our data, we conclude that host phylogeny affects the presence of specific microbial lineages, reproductive mode predictably influences the microbiome composition, and skeletal architecture works like a filter that affects bacterial relative abundance. We show that the β-diversity of coral tissue and skeleton microbiomes differed, but we found that a large overlapping fraction of bacterial sequences were recovered from both anatomical compartments, supporting the hypothesis that the skeleton can function as a microbial reservoir. Additionally, our analysis of the microbiome structure shows that 99.6% of tissue and 99.7% of skeletal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were not consistently present in at least 30% of the samples, suggesting that the coral tissue and skeleton are dominated by rare bacteria. Together, these results provide novel insights into the processes driving coral-bacterial symbioses, along with an improved understanding of the scleractinian microbiome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Ricci
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kshitij Tandon
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jay R. Black
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kim-Anh Lê Cao
- Melbourne Integrative Genomics, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Dungan AM, Hartman LM, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Exploring microbiome engineering as a strategy for improved thermal tolerance in Exaiptasia diaphana. J Appl Microbiol 2022; 132:2940-2956. [PMID: 35104027 PMCID: PMC9303619 DOI: 10.1111/jam.15465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Aims Fourteen percent of all living coral, equivalent to more than all the coral on the Great Barrier Reef, has died in the past decade as a result of climate change‐driven bleaching. Inspired by the ‘oxidative stress theory of coral bleaching’, we investigated whether a bacterial consortium designed to scavenge free radicals could integrate into the host microbiome and improve thermal tolerance of the coral model, Exaiptasia diaphana. Methods and Results E. diaphana anemones were inoculated with a consortium of high free radical scavenging (FRS) bacteria, a consortium of congeneric low FRS bacteria, or sterile seawater as a control, then exposed to elevated temperature. Increases in the relative abundance of Labrenzia during the first 2 weeks following the last inoculation provided evidence for temporary inoculum integration into the E. diaphana microbiome. Initial uptake of other consortium members was inconsistent, and these bacteria did not persist either in E. diaphana’s microbiome over time. Given their non‐integration into the host microbiome, the ability of the FRS consortium to mitigate thermal stress could not be assessed. Importantly, there were no physiological impacts (negative or positive) of the bacterial inoculations on the holobiont. Conclusions The introduced bacteria were not maintained in the anemone microbiome over time, thus, their protective effect is unknown. Achieving long‐term integration of bacteria into cnidarian microbiomes remains a research priority. Significance and Impact of the Study Microbiome engineering strategies to mitigate coral bleaching may assist coral reefs in their persistence until climate change has been curbed. This study provides insights that will inform microbiome manipulation approaches in coral bleaching mitigation research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Dungan
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Leon M Hartman
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Phan HC, Wade SA, Blackall LL. Identification of microbes isolated with test kits through culture-dependent and metabarcoding techniques for assessment of microbial corrosion. Current Research in Biotechnology 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crbiot.2022.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
|
16
|
Hartman LM, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Antibiotics reduce bacterial load in Exaiptasia diaphana, but biofilms hinder its development as a gnotobiotic coral model. Access Microbiol 2022; 4:000314. [PMID: 35252752 PMCID: PMC8895603 DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reefs are declining due to anthropogenic disturbances, including climate change. Therefore, improving our understanding of coral ecosystems is vital, and the influence of bacteria on coral health has attracted particular interest. However, a gnotobiotic coral model that could enhance studies of coral–bacteria interactions is absent. To address this gap, we tested the ability of treatment with seven antibiotics for 3 weeks to deplete bacteria in Exaiptasia diaphana, a sea anemone widely used as a coral model. Digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) targeting anemone Ef1-α and bacterial 16S rRNA genes was used to quantify bacterial load, which was found to decrease six-fold. However, metabarcoding of bacterial 16S rRNA genes showed that alpha and beta diversity of the anemone-associated bacterial communities increased significantly. Therefore, gnotobiotic E. diaphana with simplified, uniform bacterial communities were not generated, with biofilm formation in the culture vessels most likely impeding efforts to eliminate bacteria. Despite this outcome, our work will inform future efforts to create a much needed gnotobiotic coral model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leon M. Hartman
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
- Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Ahmed W, Simpson SL, Bertsch PM, Bibby K, Bivins A, Blackall LL, Bofill-Mas S, Bosch A, Brandão J, Choi PM, Ciesielski M, Donner E, D'Souza N, Farnleitner AH, Gerrity D, Gonzalez R, Griffith JF, Gyawali P, Haas CN, Hamilton KA, Hapuarachchi HC, Harwood VJ, Haque R, Jackson G, Khan SJ, Khan W, Kitajima M, Korajkic A, La Rosa G, Layton BA, Lipp E, McLellan SL, McMinn B, Medema G, Metcalfe S, Meijer WG, Mueller JF, Murphy H, Naughton CC, Noble RT, Payyappat S, Petterson S, Pitkänen T, Rajal VB, Reyneke B, Roman FA, Rose JB, Rusiñol M, Sadowsky MJ, Sala-Comorera L, Setoh YX, Sherchan SP, Sirikanchana K, Smith W, Steele JA, Sabburg R, Symonds EM, Thai P, Thomas KV, Tynan J, Toze S, Thompson J, Whiteley AS, Wong JCC, Sano D, Wuertz S, Xagoraraki I, Zhang Q, Zimmer-Faust AG, Shanks OC. Minimizing errors in RT-PCR detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for wastewater surveillance. Sci Total Environ 2022. [PMID: 34818780 DOI: 10.20944/preprints202104.0481.v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for pathogens using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an effective and resource-efficient tool for gathering community-level public health information, including the incidence of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater can potentially provide an early warning signal of COVID-19 infections in a community. The capacity of the world's environmental microbiology and virology laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 RNA characterization in wastewater is increasing rapidly. However, there are no standardized protocols or harmonized quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. This paper is a technical review of factors that can cause false-positive and false-negative errors in the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, culminating in recommended strategies that can be implemented to identify and mitigate some of these errors. Recommendations include stringent QA/QC measures, representative sampling approaches, effective virus concentration and efficient RNA extraction, PCR inhibition assessment, inclusion of sample processing controls, and considerations for RT-PCR assay selection and data interpretation. Clear data interpretation guidelines (e.g., determination of positive and negative samples) are critical, particularly when the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is low. Corrective and confirmatory actions must be in place for inconclusive results or results diverging from current trends (e.g., initial onset or reemergence of COVID-19 in a community). It is also prudent to perform interlaboratory comparisons to ensure results' reliability and interpretability for prospective and retrospective analyses. The strategies that are recommended in this review aim to improve SARS-CoV-2 characterization and detection for wastewater surveillance applications. A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the efficacy of wastewater surveillance continues to be demonstrated during this global crisis. In the future, wastewater should also play an important role in the surveillance of a range of other communicable diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | | | - Paul M Bertsch
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Virus Contaminants of Water and Food, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Bosch
- Enteric Virus Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - João Brandão
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Phil M Choi
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia; The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark Ciesielski
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Erica Donner
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, University Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
| | - Nishita D'Souza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostic, 166/5/3, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria; Research Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straβe 30, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Daniel Gerrity
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA
| | - Raul Gonzalez
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23455, USA
| | - John F Griffith
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Pradip Gyawali
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Porirua 5240, New Zealand
| | | | - Kerry A Hamilton
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | | | - Valerie J Harwood
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Rehnuma Haque
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Icddr,b, 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Greg Jackson
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia
| | - Stuart J Khan
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Wesaal Khan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Asja Korajkic
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Giuseppina La Rosa
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Blythe A Layton
- Department of Research & Innovation, Clean Water Services, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Erin Lipp
- Environmental Health Sciences Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Sandra L McLellan
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Brian McMinn
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Gertjan Medema
- KWR Water Research Institute, Groningenhaven 7, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Suzanne Metcalfe
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wim G Meijer
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Heather Murphy
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Coleen C Naughton
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Rachel T Noble
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Sudhi Payyappat
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
| | - Susan Petterson
- Water and Health Pty Ltd., 13 Lord St, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia; School of Medicine, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Veronica B Rajal
- Facultad de Ingeniería and Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química (INIQUI) - CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Salta, Av. Bolivia 5150, Salta, Argentina
| | - Brandon Reyneke
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Fernando A Roman
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Joan B Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Marta Rusiñol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment & Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael J Sadowsky
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Laura Sala-Comorera
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Yin Xiang Setoh
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, 54 Kampangpetch 6 Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Wendy Smith
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Joshua A Steele
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Rosalie Sabburg
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Erin M Symonds
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Phong Thai
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Josh Tynan
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Simon Toze
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Janelle Thompson
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551
| | | | | | - Daisuke Sano
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - Irene Xagoraraki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Qian Zhang
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - Orin C Shanks
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Ahmed W, Simpson SL, Bertsch PM, Bibby K, Bivins A, Blackall LL, Bofill-Mas S, Bosch A, Brandão J, Choi PM, Ciesielski M, Donner E, D'Souza N, Farnleitner AH, Gerrity D, Gonzalez R, Griffith JF, Gyawali P, Haas CN, Hamilton KA, Hapuarachchi HC, Harwood VJ, Haque R, Jackson G, Khan SJ, Khan W, Kitajima M, Korajkic A, La Rosa G, Layton BA, Lipp E, McLellan SL, McMinn B, Medema G, Metcalfe S, Meijer WG, Mueller JF, Murphy H, Naughton CC, Noble RT, Payyappat S, Petterson S, Pitkänen T, Rajal VB, Reyneke B, Roman FA, Rose JB, Rusiñol M, Sadowsky MJ, Sala-Comorera L, Setoh YX, Sherchan SP, Sirikanchana K, Smith W, Steele JA, Sabburg R, Symonds EM, Thai P, Thomas KV, Tynan J, Toze S, Thompson J, Whiteley AS, Wong JCC, Sano D, Wuertz S, Xagoraraki I, Zhang Q, Zimmer-Faust AG, Shanks OC. Minimizing errors in RT-PCR detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for wastewater surveillance. Sci Total Environ 2022; 805:149877. [PMID: 34818780 PMCID: PMC8386095 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for pathogens using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is an effective and resource-efficient tool for gathering community-level public health information, including the incidence of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater can potentially provide an early warning signal of COVID-19 infections in a community. The capacity of the world's environmental microbiology and virology laboratories for SARS-CoV-2 RNA characterization in wastewater is increasing rapidly. However, there are no standardized protocols or harmonized quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures for SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance. This paper is a technical review of factors that can cause false-positive and false-negative errors in the surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, culminating in recommended strategies that can be implemented to identify and mitigate some of these errors. Recommendations include stringent QA/QC measures, representative sampling approaches, effective virus concentration and efficient RNA extraction, PCR inhibition assessment, inclusion of sample processing controls, and considerations for RT-PCR assay selection and data interpretation. Clear data interpretation guidelines (e.g., determination of positive and negative samples) are critical, particularly when the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is low. Corrective and confirmatory actions must be in place for inconclusive results or results diverging from current trends (e.g., initial onset or reemergence of COVID-19 in a community). It is also prudent to perform interlaboratory comparisons to ensure results' reliability and interpretability for prospective and retrospective analyses. The strategies that are recommended in this review aim to improve SARS-CoV-2 characterization and detection for wastewater surveillance applications. A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the efficacy of wastewater surveillance continues to be demonstrated during this global crisis. In the future, wastewater should also play an important role in the surveillance of a range of other communicable diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | | | - Paul M Bertsch
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Aaron Bivins
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Science, University of Notre Dame, 156 Fitzpatrick Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sílvia Bofill-Mas
- Laboratory of Virus Contaminants of Water and Food, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Bosch
- Enteric Virus Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - João Brandão
- Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Phil M Choi
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia; The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark Ciesielski
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Erica Donner
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, University Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
| | - Nishita D'Souza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental & Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Environmental Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostic, 166/5/3, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria; Research Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Dr. Karl-Dorrek-Straβe 30, 3500 Krems an der Donau, Austria
| | - Daniel Gerrity
- Southern Nevada Water Authority, P.O. Box 99954, Las Vegas, NV 89193, USA
| | - Raul Gonzalez
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23455, USA
| | - John F Griffith
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Pradip Gyawali
- Institute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd (ESR), Porirua 5240, New Zealand
| | | | - Kerry A Hamilton
- School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment and The Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | | | - Valerie J Harwood
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Rehnuma Haque
- Environmental Interventions Unit, Icddr,b, 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Greg Jackson
- Water Unit, Health Protection Branch, Prevention Division, Queensland Health, QLD, Australia
| | - Stuart J Khan
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Wesaal Khan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Masaaki Kitajima
- Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan
| | - Asja Korajkic
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Giuseppina La Rosa
- Department of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Blythe A Layton
- Department of Research & Innovation, Clean Water Services, Hillsboro, OR, USA
| | - Erin Lipp
- Environmental Health Sciences Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Sandra L McLellan
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Brian McMinn
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Gertjan Medema
- KWR Water Research Institute, Groningenhaven 7, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Suzanne Metcalfe
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Wim G Meijer
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jochen F Mueller
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Heather Murphy
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Coleen C Naughton
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Rachel T Noble
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Institute of Marine Sciences, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | - Sudhi Payyappat
- Sydney Water, 1 Smith Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia
| | - Susan Petterson
- Water and Health Pty Ltd., 13 Lord St, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia; School of Medicine, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Tarja Pitkänen
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Expert Microbiology Unit, P.O. Box 95, FI-70701 Kuopio, Finland; University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, P.O. Box 66, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Veronica B Rajal
- Facultad de Ingeniería and Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química (INIQUI) - CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Salta, Av. Bolivia 5150, Salta, Argentina
| | - Brandon Reyneke
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
| | - Fernando A Roman
- University of California Merced, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 5200 N. Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - Joan B Rose
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Marta Rusiñol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment & Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Michael J Sadowsky
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Laura Sala-Comorera
- UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Yin Xiang Setoh
- Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, Singapore
| | - Samendra P Sherchan
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, 54 Kampangpetch 6 Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210, Thailand
| | - Wendy Smith
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Joshua A Steele
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA
| | - Rosalie Sabburg
- CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Erin M Symonds
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - Phong Thai
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Kevin V Thomas
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Josh Tynan
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, QLD, Australia
| | - Simon Toze
- CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Janelle Thompson
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore; Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551
| | | | | | - Daisuke Sano
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Aoba 6-6-06, Aramaki, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8597, Japan
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE) Singapore 637551; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798
| | - Irene Xagoraraki
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Qian Zhang
- Biotechnology Institute and Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - Orin C Shanks
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26W Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Kurtböke DI, Meyer W, Blackall LL. Advanced microscopy and novel methods in microbiology. Microbiol Aust 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/ma22003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
|
20
|
Deore P, Wanigasuriya I, Tsang Min Ching SJ, Brumley DR, van Oppen MJH, Blackall LL, Hinde E. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM): a non-traditional approach to study host-microbial symbioses. Microbiol Aust 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/ma22008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
|
21
|
Maire J, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Intracellular Bacterial Symbionts in Corals: Challenges and Future Directions. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2209. [PMID: 34835335 PMCID: PMC8619543 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Corals are the main primary producers of coral reefs and build the three-dimensional reef structure that provides habitat to more than 25% of all marine eukaryotes. They harbor a complex consortium of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and protists, which they rely on for their survival. The symbiosis between corals and bacteria is poorly studied, and their symbiotic relationships with intracellular bacteria are only just beginning to be acknowledged. In this review, we emphasize the importance of characterizing intracellular bacteria associated with corals and explore how successful approaches used to study such microorganisms in other systems could be adapted for research on corals. We propose a framework for the description, identification, and functional characterization of coral-associated intracellular bacterial symbionts. Finally, we highlight the possible value of intracellular bacteria in microbiome manipulation and mitigating coral bleaching.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Maire
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (L.L.B.); (M.J.H.v.O.)
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (L.L.B.); (M.J.H.v.O.)
| | - Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (L.L.B.); (M.J.H.v.O.)
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Dungan AM, Bulach D, Lin H, van Oppen MJH, Blackall LL. Development of a free radical scavenging bacterial consortium to mitigate oxidative stress in cnidarians. Microb Biotechnol 2021; 14:2025-2040. [PMID: 34259383 PMCID: PMC8449677 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Corals are colonized by symbiotic microorganisms that profoundly influence the animal’s health. One noted symbiont is a single‐celled alga (in the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae), which provides the coral with most of its fixed carbon. Thermal stress increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by Symbiodiniaceae during photosynthesis. ROS can both damage the algal symbiont’s photosynthetic machinery and inhibit its repair, causing a positive feedback loop for the toxic accumulation of ROS. If not scavenged by the antioxidant network, excess ROS may trigger a signaling cascade ending with the coral host and algal symbiont disassociating in a process known as bleaching. We use Exaiptasia diaphana as a model for corals and constructed a consortium comprised of E. diaphana–associated bacteria capable of neutralizing ROS. We identified six strains with high free radical scavenging (FRS) ability belonging to the families Alteromonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Flavobacteriaceae and Micrococcaceae. In parallel, we established a consortium of low FRS isolates consisting of genetically related strains. Bacterial whole genome sequences were used to identify key pathways that are known to influence ROS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M Dungan
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Dieter Bulach
- Melbourne Bioinformatics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Heyu Lin
- School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Maire J, Girvan SK, Barkla SE, Perez-Gonzalez A, Suggett DJ, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Correction to: Intracellular bacteria are common and taxonomically diverse in cultured and in hospite algal endosymbionts of coral reefs. ISME J 2021; 15:2168-2170. [PMID: 33854192 PMCID: PMC8245416 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-00970-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Maire
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Sam K Girvan
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sophie E Barkla
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Alexis Perez-Gonzalez
- Melbourne Cytometry Platform, Melbourne Dental School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David J Suggett
- Climate Change Cluster, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Maire J, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Microbiome characterization of defensive tissues in the model anemone Exaiptasia diaphana. BMC Microbiol 2021; 21:152. [PMID: 34020587 PMCID: PMC8140459 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-021-02211-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Coral reefs are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. This success relies on the coral’s association with a wide range of microorganisms, including dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae that provide coral hosts with most of their organic carbon requirements. While bacterial associates have long been overlooked, research on these microorganisms is gaining traction, and deciphering bacterial identity and function is greatly enhancing our understanding of cnidarian biology. Here, we investigated bacterial communities in defensive tissues (acontia) of the coral model, the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana. Acontia are internal filaments that are ejected upon detection of an external threat and release toxins to repel predators. Results Using culturing techniques and 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding we identified bacterial communities associated with acontia of four Great Barrier Reef-sourced E. diaphana genotypes. We show that bacterial communities are similar across genotypes, and dominated by Alteromonadaceae, Vibrionaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Saprospiraceae. By analyzing abundant amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) from metabarcoding data from acontia and comparing these to data from whole anemones, we identified five potentially important bacterial genera of the acontia microbiome: Vibrio, Sulfitobacter, Marivita, Alteromonas, and Lewinella. The role of these bacteria within the acontia remains uninvestigated but could entail assistance in defense processes such as toxin production. Conclusions This study provides insight into potential bacterial involvement in cnidarian defense tissues and highlights the need to study bacterial communities in individual compartments within a holobiont. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-021-02211-4.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Maire
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Phan HC, Wade SA, Blackall LL. Microbial Communities of Orange Tubercles in Accelerated Low-Water Corrosion. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:e00610-20. [PMID: 32332140 PMCID: PMC7301844 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00610-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid degradation of marine infrastructure at the low tide level due to accelerated low-water corrosion (ALWC) is a problem encountered worldwide. Despite this, there is limited understanding of the microbial communities involved in this process. We obtained samples of the orange-colored tubercles commonly associated with ALWC from two different types of steel sheet piling, located adjacent to each other but with different levels of localized corrosion, at a seaside harbor. The microbial communities from the outer and inner layers of the orange tubercles and from adjacent seawater were studied by pure culture isolation and metabarcoding of the 16S rRNA genes. A collection of 119 bacterial isolates was obtained from one orange tubercle sample, using a range of media in anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The metabarcoding results showed that sulfur and iron oxidizers were more abundant on the outer sections of the orange tubercles compared to the inner layers, where Deltaproteobacteria (which include many sulfate reducers) were more abundant. The microbial communities varied significantly between the inner and outer layers of the orange tubercles and also with the seawater but overall did not differ significantly between the two steel sheet types. Hence, we saw similar microbial communities in orange tubercles present, but different levels of localized corrosion, for two different types of colocated steel sheet piling. Metallurgical analysis found differences in composition, grain size, ferrite-pearlite ratio, and the extent of inclusions present between the two steel types investigated.IMPORTANCE The presence of orange tubercles on marine steel pilings is often used as an indication that accelerated low-water corrosion is taking place. We studied the microbial communities in attached orange tubercles on two closely located sheet pilings that were of different steel types. The attached orange tubercles were visually similar, but the extents of underlying corrosion on the different steel surfaces were substantially different. No clear difference was found between the microbial communities present on the two different types of sheet piling. However, there were clear differences in the microbial communities in the corrosion layers of tubercles, which were also different from the microbes present in adjacent seawater. The overall results suggest that the presence of orange tubercles, a single measurement of water quality, or the detection of certain general types of microbes (e.g., sulfate-reducing bacteria) should not be taken alone as definitive indications of accelerated corrosion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hoang C Phan
- Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Scott A Wade
- Faculty of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Damjanovic K, Menéndez P, Blackall LL, van Oppen MJH. Early Life Stages of a Common Broadcast Spawning Coral Associate with Specific Bacterial Communities Despite Lack of Internalized Bacteria. Microb Ecol 2020; 79:706-719. [PMID: 31435691 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01428-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Coral-associated bacteria are critical for the well-being of their host and may play essential roles during ontogeny, as suggested by the vertical transmission of some bacteria in brooding corals. Bacterial acquisition patterns in broadcast spawners remain uncertain, as 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding of coral early life stages suggests the presence of bacterial communities, which have not been detected by microscopic examinations. Here, we combined 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) microscopy to analyze bacterial assemblages in Acropora tenuis egg-sperm bundles, embryos, and larvae following a spawning event. Metabarcoding results indicated that A. tenuis offspring ≤ 4-day-old were associated with diverse and dynamic bacterial microbiomes, dominated by Rhodobacteraceae, Alteromonadaceae, and Oceanospirillaceae. While FISH analyses confirmed the lack of internalized bacteria in A. tenuis offspring, metabarcoding showed that even the earliest life stages examined (egg-sperm bundles and two-cell stages) were associated with a diverse bacterial community, suggesting the bacteria were confined to the mucus layer. These results can be explained by vertical transmission of certain taxa (mainly Endozoicomonas) in the mucus surrounding the gametes within bundles, or by horizontal bacterial transmission through the release of bacteria by spawning adults into the water column.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Damjanovic
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia.
| | - Patricia Menéndez
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
- Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Topa SH, Palombo EA, Kingshott P, Blackall LL. Activity of Cinnamaldehyde on Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Susceptibility to Antibiotics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8030455. [PMID: 32210139 PMCID: PMC7143970 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8030455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Quorum sensing (QS) plays an important role during infection for the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Quorum sensing inhibition (QSI) can disrupt this initial event of infection without killing bacterial cells, and thus QS inhibitors have been suggested as novel approaches for anti-infective therapy. Cinnamaldehyde (CAD) is a P. aeruginosa biofilm inhibitor and disperser of preformed biofilms. In this study, the combined use of CAD and colistin (COL) revealed a synergistic activity, but this was not the case for CAD combined with carbenicillin, tobramycin (TOB), or erythromycin in checkerboard assays for P. aeruginosa. CAD demonstrated QSI activity by repression of the expression of lasB, rhlA and pqsA in GFP reporter assays. Approximately 70% reduction in GFP production was observed with the highest CAD concentration tested in all the QS reporter strains. TOB also showed strong QSI when combined with CAD in reporter assays. Combination treatments revealed an additive activity of CAD with COL and TOB in biofilm inhibition (75.2% and 83.9%, respectively) and preformed biofilm dispersion (~90% for both) when compared to the individual treatments. Therefore, a proposed method to mitigate P. aeruginosa infection is a combination therapy of CAD with COL or CAD with TOB as alternatives to current individual drug therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanjida Halim Topa
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia; (E.A.P.); (P.K.); (L.L.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-426201626
| | - Enzo A. Palombo
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia; (E.A.P.); (P.K.); (L.L.B.)
| | - Peter Kingshott
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia; (E.A.P.); (P.K.); (L.L.B.)
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia; (E.A.P.); (P.K.); (L.L.B.)
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Abstract
Coral reefs are found in warm, oligotrophic, euphotic marine waters and occupy <0.1% of the sea floor, yet support ~25% of earth’s marine species. They provide critical ecosystem services to human populations including coastal protection, food (e.g. fish) and personal income by way of fishing and tourism. However, recent pan-tropical coral ‘bleaching’ (the paling of corals due to the separation of corals and their algal endosymbionts following exposure to environmental stress) has led to coral mortality, thus jeopardising the persistence of reef ecosystems. Consequently, it has been recognised that direct interventions may be needed for coral survival, and ‘manipulation of the community composition of microbial organisms associated with the coral holobiont’ has been proposed as one solution. Such probiotic strategies would allow corals to adapt rapidly (days to weeks) to changing environmental conditions, relative to mutation and selection taking many years. This review describes corals, and research that has demonstrated the potential of probiotic approaches to protect them from environmental stressors.
Collapse
|
29
|
Ricci F, Rossetto Marcelino V, Blackall LL, Kühl M, Medina M, Verbruggen H. Beneath the surface: community assembly and functions of the coral skeleton microbiome. Microbiome 2019; 7:159. [PMID: 31831078 PMCID: PMC6909473 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-019-0762-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Coral microbial ecology is a burgeoning field, driven by the urgency of understanding coral health and slowing reef loss due to climate change. Coral resilience depends on its microbiota, and both the tissue and the underlying skeleton are home to a rich biodiversity of eukaryotic, bacterial and archaeal species that form an integral part of the coral holobiont. New techniques now enable detailed studies of the endolithic habitat, and our knowledge of the skeletal microbial community and its eco-physiology is increasing rapidly, with multiple lines of evidence for the importance of the skeletal microbiota in coral health and functioning. Here, we review the roles these organisms play in the holobiont, including nutritional exchanges with the coral host and decalcification of the host skeleton. Microbial metabolism causes steep physico-chemical gradients in the skeleton, creating micro-niches that, along with dispersal limitation and priority effects, define the fine-scale microbial community assembly. Coral bleaching causes drastic changes in the skeletal microbiome, which can mitigate bleaching effects and promote coral survival during stress periods, but may also have detrimental effects. Finally, we discuss the idea that the skeleton may function as a microbial reservoir that can promote recolonization of the tissue microbiome following dysbiosis and help the coral holobiont return to homeostasis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Ricci
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Australia
| | - Vanessa Rossetto Marcelino
- Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School, Westmead Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Australia
| | - Michael Kühl
- Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, DK-3000 Helsingør, Denmark
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007 Australia
| | - Mónica Medina
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Heroen Verbruggen
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Damjanovic K, Menéndez P, Blackall LL, Oppen MJH. Mixed‐mode bacterial transmission in the common brooding coral
Pocillopora acuta. Environ Microbiol 2019; 22:397-412. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Damjanovic
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic 3010 Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science PMB No 3, Townsville, MC 4810 Qld Australia
| | - Patricia Menéndez
- Australian Institute of Marine Science PMB No 3, Townsville, MC 4810 Qld Australia
- Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics Monash University Vic 3800 Australia
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic 3010 Australia
| | - Madeleine J. H. Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne Parkville Vic 3010 Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science PMB No 3, Townsville, MC 4810 Qld Australia
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Damjanovic K, van Oppen MJH, Menéndez P, Blackall LL. Experimental Inoculation of Coral Recruits With Marine Bacteria Indicates Scope for Microbiome Manipulation in Acropora tenuis and Platygyra daedalea. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1702. [PMID: 31396197 PMCID: PMC6668565 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral-associated microorganisms are essential for maintaining the health of the coral holobiont by participating in nutrient cycling and protecting the coral host from pathogens. Under stressful conditions, disruption of the coral prokaryotic microbiome is linked to increased susceptibility to diseases and mortality. Inoculation of corals with beneficial microbes could confer enhanced stress tolerance to the host and may be a powerful tool to help corals thrive under challenging environmental conditions. Here, we explored the feasibility of coral early life stage microbiome manipulation by repeatedly inoculating coral recruits with a bacterial cocktail generated in the laboratory. Co-culturing the two species Acropora tenuis and Platygyra daedalea allowed us to simultaneously investigate the effect of host factors on the coral microbiome. Inoculation cocktails were regularly prepared from freshly grown pure bacterial cultures, which were hence assumed viable, and characterized via the optical density measurement of each individual strain put in suspension. Coral early recruits were inoculated seven times over 3 weeks and sampled once 36 h following the last inoculation event. At this time point, the cumulative inoculations with the bacterial cocktails had a strong effect on the bacterial community composition in recruits of both coral species. While the location of bacterial cells within the coral hosts was not assessed, metabarcoding using the 16S rRNA gene revealed that two and six of the seven bacterial strains administered through the cocktails were significantly enriched in inoculated recruits of A. tenuis and P. daedalea, respectively, compared to control recruits. Despite being reared in the same environment, A. tenuis and P. daedalea established significantly different bacterial communities, both in terms of taxonomic composition and diversity measurements. These findings indicate that coral host factors as well as the environmental bacterial pool play a role in shaping coral-associated bacterial community composition. Host factors may include microbe transmission mode (horizontal versus maternal) and host specificity. While the long-term stability of taxa included in the bacterial inocula as members of the host-associated microbiome remains to be evaluated, our results provide support for the feasibility of coral microbiome manipulation, at least in a laboratory setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Damjanovic
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Patricia Menéndez
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD, Australia.,School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
van Oppen MJH, Blackall LL. Coral microbiome dynamics, functions and design in a changing world. Nat Rev Microbiol 2019; 17:557-567. [DOI: 10.1038/s41579-019-0223-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
|
33
|
Phan HC, Wade SA, Blackall LL. Is marine sediment the source of microbes associated with accelerated low water corrosion? Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 103:449-459. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9455-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
34
|
Topa SH, Subramoni S, Palombo EA, Kingshott P, Rice SA, Blackall LL. Cinnamaldehyde disrupts biofilm formation and swarming motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Microbiology (Reading) 2018; 164:1087-1097. [PMID: 29993359 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial biofilms can cause serious health care complications associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is an urge to discover and develop new biofilm inhibitors from natural products or by modifying natural compounds or understanding the modes of action of existing compounds. Cinnamaldehyde (CAD), one of the major components of cinnamon oil, has been demonstrated to act as an antimicrobial agent against a number of Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Helicobacter pylori and Listeria monocytogenes. Despite the mechanism of action of CAD against the model organism P. aeruginosa being undefined, based on its antimicrobial properties, we hypothesized that it may disrupt preformed biofilms of P. aeruginosa. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CAD for planktonic P. aeruginosa was determined to be 11.8 mM. Membrane depolarization assays demonstrated disruption of the transmembrane potential of P. aeruginosa. CAD at 5.9 mM (0.5 MIC) disrupted preformed biofilms by 75.6 % and 3 mM CAD (0.25 MIC) reduced the intracellular concentrations of the secondary messenger, bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), which controls P. aeruginosa biofilm formation. The swarming motility of P. aeruginosa was also reduced by CAD in a concentration-dependent manner. Collectively, these findings show that sub-MICs of CAD can disrupt biofilms and other surface colonization phenotypes through the modulation of intracellular signalling processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanjida Halim Topa
- 1Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sujatha Subramoni
- 2Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore
| | - Enzo A Palombo
- 1Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Kingshott
- 1Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
| | - Scott A Rice
- 2Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore.,3The School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore.,4The ithree Institute, The University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- 1Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Science, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.,5School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Abstract
The March 2015 issue of Microbiology Australia was devoted to ‘Mammalian microbiomes’ and this March 2018 issue on ‘Environmental microbiomes’ complements that previous one. Additionally, authors of articles in the current issue were largely chosen from oral presenters at the inaugural ASM-sponsored Australian Microbial Ecology (AUSME2017) conference held a year ago in Melbourne. That 3-day conference in February 2017 celebrated the field of Microbial Ecology.
Collapse
|
36
|
Kurtböke I, Ivshina I, Blackall LL. Microbial biodeterioration and biodegradation. Microbiol Aust 2018. [DOI: 10.1071/ma18036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms including bacteria and fungi can use a wide variety of organic compounds as their carbon and energy sources and exploit numerous options as electron acceptors facilitating their ability to live in diverse environments. Such microbial biodegradative activities can result in the bioremediation of polluted sites or cause biodeterioration. Biodegradation and biodeterioration are closely related processes, and they often involve the same organisms, processes and materials.
Collapse
|
37
|
van Oppen MJH, Gates RD, Blackall LL, Cantin N, Chakravarti LJ, Chan WY, Cormick C, Crean A, Damjanovic K, Epstein H, Harrison PL, Jones TA, Miller M, Pears RJ, Peplow LM, Raftos DA, Schaffelke B, Stewart K, Torda G, Wachenfeld D, Weeks AR, Putnam HM. Shifting paradigms in restoration of the world's coral reefs. Glob Chang Biol 2017; 23:3437-3448. [PMID: 28247459 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Many ecosystems around the world are rapidly deteriorating due to both local and global pressures, and perhaps none so precipitously as coral reefs. Management of coral reefs through maintenance (e.g., marine-protected areas, catchment management to improve water quality), restoration, as well as global and national governmental agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., the 2015 Paris Agreement) is critical for the persistence of coral reefs. Despite these initiatives, the health and abundance of corals reefs are rapidly declining and other solutions will soon be required. We have recently discussed options for using assisted evolution (i.e., selective breeding, assisted gene flow, conditioning or epigenetic programming, and the manipulation of the coral microbiome) as a means to enhance environmental stress tolerance of corals and the success of coral reef restoration efforts. The 2014-2016 global coral bleaching event has sharpened the focus on such interventionist approaches. We highlight the necessity for consideration of alternative (e.g., hybrid) ecosystem states, discuss traits of resilient corals and coral reef ecosystems, and propose a decision tree for incorporating assisted evolution into restoration initiatives to enhance climate resilience of coral reefs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine J H van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Ruth D Gates
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Kaneohe, HI, 96744, USA
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Neal Cantin
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
| | - Leela J Chakravarti
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Wing Y Chan
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Craig Cormick
- ThinkOutsideThe, 12 Giffen Close, Holt, ACT, 2615, Australia
| | - Angela Crean
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Katarina Damjanovic
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Hannah Epstein
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
- AIMS@JCU, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Peter L Harrison
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
| | - Thomas A Jones
- USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT, 84322-6300, USA
| | - Margaret Miller
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Rachel J Pears
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, PO Box 1379, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia
| | - Lesa M Peplow
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
| | - David A Raftos
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Britta Schaffelke
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
| | - Kristen Stewart
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210-2788, USA
| | - Gergely Torda
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville MC, QLD, 4810, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - David Wachenfeld
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, PO Box 1379, Townsville, QLD, 4810, Australia
| | - Andrew R Weeks
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Damjanovic K, Blackall LL, Webster NS, van Oppen MJH. The contribution of microbial biotechnology to mitigating coral reef degradation. Microb Biotechnol 2017; 10:1236-1243. [PMID: 28696067 PMCID: PMC5609283 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.12769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The decline of coral reefs due to anthropogenic disturbances is having devastating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Here we highlight the potential and challenges of microbial manipulation strategies to enhance coral tolerance to stress and contribute to coral reef restoration and protection.
![]()
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katarina Damjanovic
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, 4810, Qld, Australia
| | - Linda L Blackall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia
| | - Nicole S Webster
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, 4810, Qld, Australia.,Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia
| | - Madeleine J H van Oppen
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., 3010, Australia.,Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, 4810, Qld, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Bird PS, Trott DJ, Mikkelsen D, Milinovich GJ, Hillman KM, Burrell PC, Blackall LL. Porphyromonas loveana sp. nov., isolated from the oral cavity of Australian marsupials. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2016; 66:3771-3778. [DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.000898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Philip S. Bird
- School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia
| | - Darren J. Trott
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, South Australia 5371, Australia
| | - Deirdre Mikkelsen
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Gabriel J. Milinovich
- School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Kristine M. Hillman
- QIMR Berghofer, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Queensland 4029, Australia
| | - Paul C. Burrell
- Science and Engineering Faculty, Gardens Point Campus, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
| | - Linda L. Blackall
- School of Science, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Blackall LL, Wilson B, van Oppen MJH. Coral-the world's most diverse symbiotic ecosystem. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:5330-47. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2015] [Revised: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda L. Blackall
- Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology; Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology; Swinburne University of Technology; Melbourne Vic. 3122 Australia
| | - Bryan Wilson
- Marine Microbiology Research Group; Department of Biology; University of Bergen; Thormøhlensgate 53B 5020 Bergen Norway
| | - Madeleine J. H. van Oppen
- Australian Institute of Marine Science; PMB No. 3 Townsville MC Qld. 4810 Australia
- School of BioSciences; The University of Melbourne; Parkville Vic. 3010 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Blackall LL. Interesting anaerobes in the environment. Microbiol Aust 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/ma15046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea) have a wide range of capacities to survive by generating energy in environments and situations lacking oxygen, which abound on Earth. Anaerobic metabolic strategies include anaerobic respiration (numerous types – e.g. nitrate reduction – Paracoccus denitrificans; sulfur respiration – Desulfuromonadales; methanogenesis – Methanosarsina spp.; iron reduction – Geobacter spp.; dehalorespiration – Dehalococcoides ethenogenes) and fermentation (sugars converted to simpler organic compounds like acids, gases and alcohols – e.g. Lactobacillus spp.). Relatively novel environmental anaerobic strategies include anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox – e.g. Brocadia spp.) and anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO)1, which is a syntrophic association between anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) and sulfate-, iron-, manganese- or nitrate-reducing bacteria2. The classic anaerobic synthrophic example is interspecies hydrogen/formate transfer between a hydrogen/formate producing fatty acid oxidising bacterium (the syntroph) and a hydrogen/formate consumer (methanogen or sulfate-reducer)3. Microbes vary in their oxygen tolerance and are described as obligate anaerobes if they are killed by atmospheric levels of oxygen due to the lack of catalase and superoxide dismutase that provide oxygen radical protection.
Collapse
|
42
|
|
43
|
|
44
|
Siboni N, Abrego D, Seneca F, Motti CA, Andreakis N, Tebben J, Blackall LL, Harder T. Using bacterial extract along with differential gene expression in Acropora millepora larvae to decouple the processes of attachment and metamorphosis. PLoS One 2012; 7:e37774. [PMID: 22655067 PMCID: PMC3359992 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2011] [Accepted: 04/24/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Biofilms of the bacterium Pseudoalteromonas induce metamorphosis of acroporid coral larvae. The bacterial metabolite tetrabromopyrrole (TBP), isolated from an extract of Pseudoalteromonas sp. associated with the crustose coralline alga (CCA) Neogoniolithon fosliei, induced coral larval metamorphosis (100%) with little or no attachment (0–2%). To better understand the molecular events and mechanisms underpinning the induction of Acropora millepora larval metamorphosis, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, migration, adhesion and biomineralisation, two novel coral gene expression assays were implemented. These involved the use of reverse-transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and employed 47 genes of interest (GOI), selected based on putative roles in the processes of settlement and metamorphosis. Substantial differences in transcriptomic responses of GOI were detected following incubation of A. millepora larvae with a threshold concentration and 10-fold elevated concentration of TBP-containing extracts of Pseudoalteromonas sp. The notable and relatively abrupt changes of the larval body structure during metamorphosis correlated, at the molecular level, with significant differences (p<0.05) in gene expression profiles of 24 GOI, 12 hours post exposure. Fourteen of those GOI also presented differences in expression (p<0.05) following exposure to the threshold concentration of bacterial TBP-containing extract. The specificity of the bacterial TBP-containing extract to induce the metamorphic stage in A. millepora larvae without attachment, using a robust, low cost, accurate, ecologically relevant and highly reproducible RT-qPCR assay, allowed partially decoupling of the transcriptomic processes of attachment and metamorphosis. The bacterial TBP-containing extract provided a unique opportunity to monitor the regulation of genes exclusively involved in the process of metamorphosis, contrasting previous gene expression studies that utilized cues, such as crustose coralline algae, biofilms or with GLW-amide neuropeptides that stimulate the entire onset of larval metamorphosis and attachment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nachshon Siboni
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Tebben J, Tapiolas DM, Motti CA, Abrego D, Negri AP, Blackall LL, Steinberg PD, Harder T. Induction of larval metamorphosis of the coral Acropora millepora by tetrabromopyrrole isolated from a Pseudoalteromonas bacterium. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19082. [PMID: 21559509 PMCID: PMC3084748 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2010] [Accepted: 03/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The induction of larval attachment and metamorphosis of benthic marine invertebrates is widely considered to rely on habitat specific cues. While microbial biofilms on marine hard substrates have received considerable attention as specific signals for a wide and phylogenetically diverse array of marine invertebrates, the presumed chemical settlement signals produced by the bacteria have to date not been characterized. Here we isolated and fully characterized the first chemical signal from bacteria that induced larval metamorphosis of acroporid coral larvae (Acropora millepora). The metamorphic cue was identified as tetrabromopyrrole (TBP) in four bacterial Pseudoalteromonas strains among a culture library of 225 isolates obtained from the crustose coralline algae Neogoniolithon fosliei and Hydrolithon onkodes. Coral planulae transformed into fully developed polyps within 6 h, but only a small proportion of these polyps attached to the substratum. The biofilm cell density of the four bacterial strains had no influence on the ratio of attached vs. non-attached polyps. Larval bioassays with ethanolic extracts of the bacterial isolates, as well as synthetic TBP resulted in consistent responses of coral planulae to various doses of TBP. The lowest bacterial density of one of the Pseudoalteromonas strains which induced metamorphosis was 7,000 cells mm−2 in laboratory assays, which is on the order of 0.1 –1% of the total numbers of bacteria typically found on such surfaces. These results, in which an actual cue from bacteria has been characterized for the first time, contribute significantly towards understanding the complex process of acroporid coral larval settlement mediated through epibiotic microbial biofilms on crustose coralline algae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Tebben
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Cherie A. Motti
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
| | - David Abrego
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
| | - Andrew P. Negri
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
| | | | - Peter D. Steinberg
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, Australia
| | - Tilmann Harder
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Slater FR, Johnson CR, Blackall LL, Beiko RG, Bond PL. Monitoring associations between clade-level variation, overall community structure and ecosystem function in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems using terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Water Res 2010; 44:4908-4923. [PMID: 20701946 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2010.07.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2010] [Revised: 06/26/2010] [Accepted: 07/09/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The role of Candidatus "Accumulibacter phosphatis" (Accumulibacter) in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) is well established but the relevance of different Accumulibacter clades to the performance of EBPR systems is unknown. We developed a terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) technique to monitor changes in the relative abundance of key members of the bacterial community, including Accumulibacter clades, in four replicate mini-sequencing batch reactors (mSBRs) operated for EBPR over a 35-day period. The ability of the T-RFLP technique to detect trends was confirmed using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). EBPR performance varied between reactors and over time; by day 35, performance was maintained in mSBR2 whilst it had deteriorated in mSBR1. However, reproducible trends in structure-function relationships were detected in the mSBRs. EBPR performance was strongly associated with the relative abundance of total Accumulibacter. A shift in the ratio of the dominant Accumulibacter clades was also detected, with Type IA associated with good EBPR performance and Type IIC associated with poor EBPR performance. Changes in ecosystem function of the mSBRs in the early stages of the experiment were more closely associated with changes in the abundance of (unknown) members of the flanking community than of either Accumulibacter or Candidatus "Competibacter phosphatis". This study therefore reveals a hitherto unrecorded and complex relationship between Accumulibacter clades, the flanking community and ecosystem function of laboratory-scale EBPR systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F R Slater
- The University of Queensland, Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), Qld 4072, Australia.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
Burow LC, Mabbett AN, Borrás L, Blackall LL. Induction of membrane permeability in Escherichia coli mediated by lysis protein of the ColE7 operon. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2009; 298:85-92. [PMID: 19673051 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01705.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A glycogen nonpolyphosphate-accumulating organism (GAO) enrichment culture dominated by the Alphaproteobacteria cluster 1 Defluviicoccus was investigated to determine the metabolic pathways involved in the anaerobic formation of polyhydroxyalkanoates, carbon storage polymers important for the proliferation of microorganisms in enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes. FISH-microautoradiography and post-FISH fluorescent chemical staining confirmed acetate assimilation as polyhydroxyalkanoates in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus under anaerobic conditions. Chemical inhibition of glycolysis using iodoacetate, and of isocitrate lyase by 3-nitropropionate and itaconate, indicated that carbon is likely to be channelled through both glycolysis and the glyoxylate cycle in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus. The effect of metabolic inhibitors of aconitase (monofluoroacetate) and succinate dehydrogenase (malonate) suggested that aconitase, but not succinate dehydrogenase, was active, providing further support for the role of the glyoxylate cycle in these GAOs. Metabolic inhibition of fumarate reductase using oxantel decreased polyhydroxyalkanoate production. This indicated reduction of fumarate to succinate and the operation of the reductive branch of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which is possibly important in the production of the polyhydroxyvalerate component of polyhydroxyalkanoates observed in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus enrichment cultures. These findings were integrated with previous metabolic models for GAOs and enabled an anaerobic central metabolic pathway model for polyhydroxyalkanoate formation in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus to be proposed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luke C Burow
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Burow LC, Mabbett AN, Borrás L, Blackall LL. Anaerobic central metabolic pathways active during polyhydroxyalkanoate production in uncultured cluster 1 Defluviicoccus enriched in activated sludge communities. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2009; 298:79-84. [PMID: 19622073 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01695.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A glycogen nonpolyphosphate-accumulating organism (GAO) enrichment culture dominated by the Alphaproteobacteria cluster 1 Defluviicoccus was investigated to determine the metabolic pathways involved in the anaerobic formation of polyhydroxyalkanoates, carbon storage polymers important for the proliferation of microorganisms in enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes. FISH-microautoradiography and post-FISH fluorescent chemical staining confirmed acetate assimilation as polyhydroxyalkanoates in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus under anaerobic conditions. Chemical inhibition of glycolysis using iodoacetate, and of isocitrate lyase by 3-nitropropionate and itaconate, indicated that carbon is likely to be channelled through both glycolysis and the glyoxylate cycle in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus. The effect of metabolic inhibitors of aconitase (monofluoroacetate) and succinate dehydrogenase (malonate) suggested that aconitase, but not succinate dehydrogenase, was active, providing further support for the role of the glyoxylate cycle in these GAOs. Metabolic inhibition of fumarate reductase using oxantel decreased polyhydroxyalkanoate production. This indicated reduction of fumarate to succinate and the operation of the reductive branch of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which is possibly important in the production of the polyhydroxyvalerate component of polyhydroxyalkanoates observed in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus enrichment cultures. These findings were integrated with previous metabolic models for GAOs and enabled an anaerobic central metabolic pathway model for polyhydroxyalkanoate formation in cluster 1 Defluviicoccus to be proposed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luke C Burow
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Qld, Australia
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
49
|
Blackall LL. The global climate is changing. It’s true! How do we know it’s happening? What has it got to do with microbes. Microbiol Aust 2009. [DOI: 10.1071/ma09056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This issue of Microbiology Australia is mostly dedicated to global climate change (GCC), the effects of climate change on disease agents and ecosystems, and the role that microbes play and potentially can play in the production and mitigation of GCC.
Collapse
|
50
|
Abstract
Microbes constitute the largest diversity and biomass of all marine organisms, yet they are often ignored during discussions about the impacts of environmental change. This is despite the fact that, of all the organisms on the planet, it is the microbes that will play the largest fundamental role in either mitigating or exacerbating the effects of global climate change. Microbes will also be the first and fastest to shift their metabolic capabilities, host range, function and community dynamics as a result of climate change. Therefore, an understanding of microbial community composition and function in individual niche habitats is vital.
Collapse
|