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Farrell MV, Airkin MY, Ali TN, Altoblani ZS, Bowman CR, Diaz AAB, Faurot PF, Frausto JE, Haji SF, Hamad BA, Lively JB, Luistro DCC, Macias Y, Mathew S, McKinley KM, Nasirimoseloo S, Tran BP, Trinh AN, Shikuma NJ. Draft genome sequence of Exiguobacterium sp. strain MMG028 isolated from a salt marsh. Microbiol Resour Announc 2024; 13:e0011623. [PMID: 38358284 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00116-23] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Exiguobacterium sp. strain MMG028, isolated from Rose Creek, San Diego, CA, USA, assembled and analyzed by undergraduate students participating in a marine microbial genomics course. A genomic comparison suggests that MMG028 is a novel species, providing a resource for future microbiology and biotechnology investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan V Farrell
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Mina Y Airkin
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Tatyana N Ali
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Zainalabdin S Altoblani
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Chynna R Bowman
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Abigail Anne B Diaz
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Paul F Faurot
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Joshua E Frausto
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Sazan F Haji
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Basma A Hamad
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - James B Lively
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Daniella Corene C Luistro
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Yvette Macias
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Steffy Mathew
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Kayla M McKinley
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Somayeh Nasirimoseloo
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Bradley P Tran
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Amanda N Trinh
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Nicholas J Shikuma
- Department of Biology, Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
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Alker AT, Farrell MV, Demko AM, Purdy TN, Adak S, Moore BS, Sneed JM, Paul VJ, Shikuma NJ. Linking bacterial tetrabromopyrrole biosynthesis to coral metamorphosis. ISME Commun 2023; 3:98. [PMID: 37726481 PMCID: PMC10509201 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00309-6] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
An important factor dictating coral fitness is the quality of bacteria associated with corals and coral reefs. One way that bacteria benefit corals is by stimulating the larval to juvenile life cycle transition of settlement and metamorphosis. Tetrabromopyrrole (TBP) is a small molecule produced by bacteria that stimulates metamorphosis with and without attachment in a range of coral species. A standing debate remains, however, about whether TBP biosynthesis from live Pseudoalteromonas bacteria is the primary stimulant of coral metamorphosis. In this study, we create a Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5 mutant lacking the TBP brominase gene, bmp2. Using this mutant, we confirm that the bmp2 gene is critical for TBP biosynthesis in Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5. Mutation of this gene ablates the bacterium's ability in live cultures to stimulate the metamorphosis of the stony coral Porites astreoides. We further demonstrate that expression of TBP biosynthesis genes is strongest in stationary and biofilm modes of growth, where Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5 might exist within surface-attached biofilms on the sea floor. Finally, we create a modular transposon plasmid for genomic integration and fluorescent labeling of Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5 cells. Our results functionally link a TBP biosynthesis gene from live bacteria to a morphogenic effect in corals. The genetic techniques established here provide new tools to explore coral-bacteria interactions and could help to inform future decisions about utilizing marine bacteria or their products for coral restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda T Alker
- Department of Biology and Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Morgan V Farrell
- Department of Biology and Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | | | - Trevor N Purdy
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Sanjoy Adak
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Bradley S Moore
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | | | | | - Nicholas J Shikuma
- Department of Biology and Viral Information Institute, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
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Alker AT, Farrell MV, Aspiras AE, Dunbar TL, Fedoriouk A, Jones JE, Mikhail SR, Salcedo GY, Moore BS, Shikuma NJ. A modular plasmid toolkit applied in marine bacteria reveals functional insights during bacteria-stimulated metamorphosis. mBio 2023; 14:e0150223. [PMID: 37530556 PMCID: PMC10470607 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01502-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A conspicuous roadblock to studying marine bacteria for fundamental research and biotechnology is a lack of modular synthetic biology tools for their genetic manipulation. Here, we applied, and generated new parts for, a modular plasmid toolkit to study marine bacteria in the context of symbioses and host-microbe interactions. To demonstrate the utility of this plasmid system, we genetically manipulated the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea, which stimulates the metamorphosis of the model tubeworm, Hydroides elegans. Using these tools, we quantified constitutive and native promoter expression, developed reporter strains that enable the imaging of host-bacteria interactions, and used CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to knock down a secondary metabolite and a host-associated gene. We demonstrate the broader utility of this modular system for testing the genetic tractability of marine bacteria that are known to be associated with diverse host-microbe symbioses. These efforts resulted in the successful conjugation of 12 marine strains from the Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria classes. Altogether, the present study demonstrates how synthetic biology strategies enable the investigation of marine microbes and marine host-microbe symbioses with potential implications for environmental restoration and biotechnology. IMPORTANCE Marine Proteobacteria are attractive targets for genetic engineering due to their ability to produce a diversity of bioactive metabolites and their involvement in host-microbe symbioses. Modular cloning toolkits have become a standard for engineering model microbes, such as Escherichia coli, because they enable innumerable mix-and-match DNA assembly and engineering options. However, such modular tools have not yet been applied to most marine bacterial species. In this work, we adapt a modular plasmid toolkit for use in a set of 12 marine bacteria from the Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria classes. We demonstrate the utility of this genetic toolkit by engineering a marine Pseudoalteromonas bacterium to study their association with its host animal Hydroides elegans. This work provides a proof of concept that modular genetic tools can be applied to diverse marine bacteria to address basic science questions and for biotechnology innovations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda T. Alker
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Morgan V. Farrell
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Alpher E. Aspiras
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Tiffany L. Dunbar
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Andriy Fedoriouk
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Jones
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Sama R. Mikhail
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | | | - Bradley S. Moore
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Shikuma
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
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Alker AT, Farrell MV, Demko AM, Purdy TN, Adak S, Moore BS, Sneed JM, Paul VJ, Shikuma NJ. Linking bacterial tetrabromopyrrole biosynthesis to coral metamorphosis. bioRxiv 2023:2023.05.08.539906. [PMID: 37214991 PMCID: PMC10197590 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.08.539906] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
An important factor dictating coral fitness is the quality of bacteria associated with corals and coral reefs. One way that bacteria benefit corals is by stimulating the larval to juvenile life cycle transition of settlement and metamorphosis. Tetrabromopyrrole (TBP) is a small molecule produced by bacteria that stimulates metamorphosis in a range of coral species. A standing debate remains, however, about whether TBP biosynthesis from live Pseudoalteromonas bacteria is the primary stimulant of coral metamorphosis. In this study, we create a Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5 mutant lacking the TBP brominase gene, bmp2 . Using this mutant, we confirm that the bmp2 gene is critical for TBP biosynthesis in Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5. Mutation of this gene ablates the bacterium's ability in live cultures to stimulate the metamorphosis of the stony coral Porites astreoides . We further demonstrate that expression of TBP biosynthesis genes is strongest in stationary and biofilm modes of growth, where Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5 might exist within surface-attached biofilms on the sea floor. Finally, we create a modular transposon plasmid for genomic integration and fluorescent labeling of Pseudoalteromonas sp. PS5 cells. Our results functionally link a TBP biosynthesis gene from live bacteria to a morphogenic effect in corals. The genetic techniques established here provide new tools to explore coral-bacteria interactions and could help to inform future decisions about utilizing marine bacteria or their products for restoring degraded coral reefs.
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Alker AT, Aspiras AE, Dunbar TL, Farrell MV, Fedoriouk A, Jones JE, Mikhail SR, Salcedo GY, Moore BS, Shikuma NJ. A modular plasmid toolkit applied in marine Proteobacteria reveals functional insights during bacteria-stimulated metamorphosis. bioRxiv 2023:2023.01.31.526474. [PMID: 36778221 PMCID: PMC9915575 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.31.526474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
A conspicuous roadblock to studying marine bacteria for fundamental research and biotechnology is a lack of modular synthetic biology tools for their genetic manipulation. Here, we applied, and generated new parts for, a modular plasmid toolkit to study marine bacteria in the context of symbioses and host-microbe interactions. To demonstrate the utility of this plasmid system, we genetically manipulated the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas luteoviolacea , which stimulates the metamorphosis of the model tubeworm, Hydroides elegans . Using these tools, we quantified constitutive and native promoter expression, developed reporter strains that enable the imaging of host-bacteria interactions, and used CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to knock down a secondary metabolite and a host-associated gene. We demonstrate the broader utility of this modular system for rapidly creating and iteratively testing genetic tractability by modifying marine bacteria that are known to be associated with diverse host-microbe symbioses. These efforts enabled the successful transformation of twelve marine strains across two Proteobacteria classes, four orders and ten genera. Altogether, the present study demonstrates how synthetic biology strategies enable the investigation of marine microbes and marine host-microbe symbioses with broader implications for environmental restoration and biotechnology.
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