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Imminger S, Meier DV, Schintlmeister A, Legin A, Schnecker J, Richter A, Gillor O, Eichorst SA, Woebken D. Survival and rapid resuscitation permit limited productivity in desert microbial communities. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3056. [PMID: 38632260 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46920-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial activity in drylands tends to be confined to rare and short periods of rain. Rapid growth should be key to the maintenance of ecosystem processes in such narrow activity windows, if desiccation and rehydration cause widespread cell death due to osmotic stress. Here, simulating rain with 2H2O followed by single-cell NanoSIMS, we show that biocrust microbial communities in the Negev Desert are characterized by limited productivity, with median replication times of 6 to 19 days and restricted number of days allowing growth. Genome-resolved metatranscriptomics reveals that nearly all microbial populations resuscitate within minutes after simulated rain, independent of taxonomy, and invest their activity into repair and energy generation. Together, our data reveal a community that makes optimal use of short activity phases by fast and universal resuscitation enabling the maintenance of key ecosystem functions. We conclude that desert biocrust communities are highly adapted to surviving rapid changes in soil moisture and solute concentrations, resulting in high persistence that balances limited productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Imminger
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- University of Vienna, Doctoral School in Microbiology and Environmental Science, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dimitri V Meier
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Ecological Microbiology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Arno Schintlmeister
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Large-Instrument Facility for Environmental and Isotope Mass Spectrometry, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anton Legin
- Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jörg Schnecker
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Richter
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Osnat Gillor
- Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben Gurion, Israel
| | - Stephanie A Eichorst
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Salas E, Gorfer M, Bandian D, Eichorst SA, Schmidt H, Horak J, Rittmann SKMR, Schleper C, Reischl B, Pribasnig T, Jansa J, Kaiser C, Wanek W. Reevaluation and novel insights into amino sugar and neutral sugar necromass biomarkers in archaea, bacteria, fungi, and plants. Sci Total Environ 2024; 906:167463. [PMID: 37793447 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167463] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Soil microbial necromass is an important contributor to soil organic matter (>50%) and it is largely composed of microbial residues. In soils, fragmented cell wall residues are mostly found in their polysaccharide forms of fungal chitin and bacterial peptidoglycan. Microbial necromass biomarkers, particularly amino sugars (AS) such as glucosamine (GlcN) and muramic acid (MurA) have been used to trace fungal and bacterial residues in soils, and to distinguish carbon (C) found in microbial residues from non-microbial organic C. Neutral sugars (NS), particularly the hexose/pentose ratio, have also been proposed as tracers of plant polysaccharides in soils. In our study, we extended the range of biomarkers to include AS and NS compounds in the biomass of 120 species belonging to archaea, bacteria, fungi, or plants. GlcN was the most common AS found in all taxa, contributing 42-91% to total AS content, while glucose was the most common NS found, contributing 56-79% to total NS. We identified talosaminuronic acid, found in archaeal pseudopeptidoglycan, as a new potential biomarker specific for Euryarchaeota. We compared the variability of these compounds between the different taxonomic groups using multivariate approaches, such as non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and statistically evaluated their biomarker potential via indicator species analysis. Both NMDS and PLS-DA showcased the variability in the AS and NS contents between the different taxonomic groups, highlighting their potential as necromass residue biomarkers and allowing their extension from separating bacterial and fungal necromass to separating microbes from plants. Finally, we estimated new conversion factors where fungal GlcN is converted to fungal C by multiplying by 10 and MurA is converted to bacterial C by multiplying by 54. Conversion factors for talosaminuronic acid and galactosamine are also proposed to allow estimation of archaeal or all-microbial necromass residue C, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Salas
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Doctoral School in Microbiology and Environmental Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Markus Gorfer
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Bioresources, Tulln, Austria
| | - Dragana Bandian
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Bioresources, Tulln, Austria
| | - Stephanie A Eichorst
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hannes Schmidt
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Horak
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon K-M R Rittmann
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christa Schleper
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Reischl
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Pribasnig
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jan Jansa
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Christina Kaiser
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Wanek
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Angel R, Panhölzl C, Gabriel R, Herbold C, Wanek W, Richter A, Eichorst SA, Woebken D. Application of stable-isotope labelling techniques for the detection of active diazotrophs. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:4962-4963. [PMID: 36254867 PMCID: PMC10117591 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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4
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Huber KJ, Pester M, Eichorst SA, Navarrete AA, Foesel BU. Editorial: Acidobacteria – Towards Unraveling the Secrets of a Widespread, Though Enigmatic, Phylum. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:960602. [PMID: 35814658 PMCID: PMC9267355 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.960602] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Katharina J. Huber
- Department Microorganisms, Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Michael Pester
- Department Microorganisms, Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
- Institute for Microbiology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stephanie A. Eichorst
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Acacio A. Navarrete
- Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences, University Brazil, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bärbel U. Foesel
- Working Group Biobank, Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Bärbel U. Foesel
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5
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Giguere AT, Eichorst SA, Meier DV, Herbold CW, Richter A, Greening C, Woebken D. Acidobacteria are active and abundant members of diverse atmospheric H 2-oxidizing communities detected in temperate soils. ISME J 2020; 15:363-376. [PMID: 33024291 PMCID: PMC8027828 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00750-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Significant rates of atmospheric dihydrogen (H2) consumption have been observed in temperate soils due to the activity of high-affinity enzymes, such as the group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase. We designed broadly inclusive primers targeting the large subunit gene (hhyL) of group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenases for long-read sequencing to explore its taxonomic distribution across soils. This approach revealed a diverse collection of microorganisms harboring hhyL, including previously unknown groups and taxonomically not assignable sequences. Acidobacterial group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes were abundant and expressed in temperate soils. To support the participation of acidobacteria in H2 consumption, we studied two representative mesophilic soil acidobacteria, which expressed group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenases and consumed atmospheric H2 during carbon starvation. This is the first time mesophilic acidobacteria, which are abundant in ubiquitous temperate soils, have been shown to oxidize H2 down to below atmospheric concentrations. As this physiology allows bacteria to survive periods of carbon starvation, it could explain the success of soil acidobacteria. With our long-read sequencing approach of group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes, we show that the ability to oxidize atmospheric levels of H2 is more widely distributed among soil bacteria than previously recognized and could represent a common mechanism enabling bacteria to persist during periods of carbon deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Giguere
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Center for Microbial Communities, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Stephanie A Eichorst
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Dimitri V Meier
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Craig W Herbold
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Richter
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chris Greening
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Zheng Q, Hu Y, Zhang S, Noll L, Böckle T, Dietrich M, Herbold CW, Eichorst SA, Woebken D, Richter A, Wanek W. Soil multifunctionality is affected by the soil environment and by microbial community composition and diversity. Soil Biol Biochem 2019; 136:107521. [PMID: 31700196 PMCID: PMC6837881 DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.107521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms are critical in mediating carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling processes in soils. Yet, it has long been debated whether the processes underlying biogeochemical cycles are affected by the composition and diversity of the soil microbial community or not. The composition and diversity of soil microbial communities can be influenced by various environmental factors, which in turn are known to impact biogeochemical processes. The objectives of this study were to test effects of multiple edaphic drivers individually and represented as the multivariate soil environment interacting with microbial community composition and diversity, and concomitantly on multiple soil functions (i.e. soil enzyme activities, soil C and N processes). We employed high-throughput sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) to analyze bacterial/archaeal and fungal community composition by targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the ITS1 region of soils collected from three land uses (cropland, grassland and forest) deriving from two bedrock forms (silicate and limestone). Based on this data set we explored single and combined effects of edaphic variables on soil microbial community structure and diversity, as well as on soil enzyme activities and several soil C and N processes. We found that both bacterial/archaeal and fungal communities were shaped by the same edaphic factors, with most single edaphic variables and the combined soil environment representation exerting stronger effects on bacterial/archaeal communities than on fungal communities, as demonstrated by (partial) Mantel tests. We also found similar edaphic controls on the bacterial/archaeal/fungal richness and diversity. Soil C processes were only directly affected by the soil environment but not affected by microbial community composition. In contrast, soil N processes were significantly related to bacterial/archaeal community composition and bacterial/archaeal/fungal richness/diversity but not directly affected by the soil environment. This indicates direct control of the soil environment on soil C processes and indirect control of the soil environment on soil N processes by structuring the microbial communities. The study further highlights the importance of edaphic drivers and microbial communities (i.e. composition and diversity) on important soil C and N processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Zheng
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Yuntao Hu
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Shasha Zhang
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Noll
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Theresa Böckle
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlies Dietrich
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Craig W. Herbold
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephanie A. Eichorst
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Richter
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Wanek
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Corresponding author. (W. Wanek)
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7
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Gorka S, Dietrich M, Mayerhofer W, Gabriel R, Wiesenbauer J, Martin V, Zheng Q, Imai B, Prommer J, Weidinger M, Schweiger P, Eichorst SA, Wagner M, Richter A, Schintlmeister A, Woebken D, Kaiser C. Rapid Transfer of Plant Photosynthates to Soil Bacteria via Ectomycorrhizal Hyphae and Its Interaction With Nitrogen Availability. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:168. [PMID: 30863368 PMCID: PMC6399413 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [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: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant roots release recent photosynthates into the rhizosphere, accelerating decomposition of organic matter by saprotrophic soil microbes ("rhizosphere priming effect") which consequently increases nutrient availability for plants. However, about 90% of all higher plant species are mycorrhizal, transferring a significant fraction of their photosynthates directly to their fungal partners. Whether mycorrhizal fungi pass on plant-derived carbon (C) to bacteria in root-distant soil areas, i.e., incite a "hyphosphere priming effect," is not known. Experimental evidence for C transfer from mycorrhizal hyphae to soil bacteria is limited, especially for ectomycorrhizal systems. As ectomycorrhizal fungi possess enzymatic capabilities to degrade organic matter themselves, it remains unclear whether they cooperate with soil bacteria by providing photosynthates, or compete for available nutrients. To investigate a possible C transfer from ectomycorrhizal hyphae to soil bacteria, and its response to changing nutrient availability, we planted young beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) into "split-root" boxes, dividing their root systems into two disconnected soil compartments. Each of these compartments was separated from a litter compartment by a mesh penetrable for fungal hyphae, but not for roots. Plants were exposed to a 13C-CO2-labeled atmosphere, while 15N-labeled ammonium and amino acids were added to one side of the split-root system. We found a rapid transfer of recent photosynthates via ectomycorrhizal hyphae to bacteria in root-distant soil areas. Fungal and bacterial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers were significantly enriched in hyphae-exclusive compartments 24 h after 13C-CO2-labeling. Isotope imaging with nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) allowed for the first time in situ visualization of plant-derived C and N taken up by an extraradical fungal hypha, and in microbial cells thriving on hyphal surfaces. When N was added to the litter compartments, bacterial biomass, and the amount of incorporated 13C strongly declined. Interestingly, this effect was also observed in adjacent soil compartments where added N was only available for bacteria through hyphal transport, indicating that ectomycorrhizal fungi were acting on soil bacteria. Together, our results demonstrate that (i) ectomycorrhizal hyphae rapidly transfer plant-derived C to bacterial communities in root-distant areas, and (ii) this transfer promptly responds to changing soil nutrient conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Gorka
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlies Dietrich
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Werner Mayerhofer
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raphael Gabriel
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia Wiesenbauer
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Victoria Martin
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Qing Zheng
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bruna Imai
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Judith Prommer
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marieluise Weidinger
- Core Facility Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Schweiger
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephanie A. Eichorst
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Wagner
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Richter
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arno Schintlmeister
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christina Kaiser
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network “Chemistry meets Microbiology”, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Hausmann B, Pelikan C, Herbold CW, Köstlbacher S, Albertsen M, Eichorst SA, Glavina Del Rio T, Huemer M, Nielsen PH, Rattei T, Stingl U, Tringe SG, Trojan D, Wentrup C, Woebken D, Pester M, Loy A. Peatland Acidobacteria with a dissimilatory sulfur metabolism. ISME J 2018; 12:1729-1742. [PMID: 29476143 PMCID: PMC6018796 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0077-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 12/21/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Sulfur-cycling microorganisms impact organic matter decomposition in wetlands and consequently greenhouse gas emissions from these globally relevant environments. However, their identities and physiological properties are largely unknown. By applying a functional metagenomics approach to an acidic peatland, we recovered draft genomes of seven novel Acidobacteria species with the potential for dissimilatory sulfite (dsrAB, dsrC, dsrD, dsrN, dsrT, dsrMKJOP) or sulfate respiration (sat, aprBA, qmoABC plus dsr genes). Surprisingly, the genomes also encoded DsrL, which so far was only found in sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms. Metatranscriptome analysis demonstrated expression of acidobacterial sulfur-metabolism genes in native peat soil and their upregulation in diverse anoxic microcosms. This indicated an active sulfate respiration pathway, which, however, might also operate in reverse for dissimilatory sulfur oxidation or disproportionation as proposed for the sulfur-oxidizing Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus. Acidobacteria that only harbored genes for sulfite reduction additionally encoded enzymes that liberate sulfite from organosulfonates, which suggested organic sulfur compounds as complementary energy sources. Further metabolic potentials included polysaccharide hydrolysis and sugar utilization, aerobic respiration, several fermentative capabilities, and hydrogen oxidation. Our findings extend both, the known physiological and genetic properties of Acidobacteria and the known taxonomic diversity of microorganisms with a DsrAB-based sulfur metabolism, and highlight new fundamental niches for facultative anaerobic Acidobacteria in wetlands based on exploitation of inorganic and organic sulfur molecules for energy conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bela Hausmann
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Claus Pelikan
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Craig W Herbold
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephan Köstlbacher
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mads Albertsen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Center for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Stephanie A Eichorst
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Martin Huemer
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Per H Nielsen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Center for Microbial Communities, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich Stingl
- Department for Microbiology and Cell Science, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, UF/IFAS, University of Florida, Davie, FL, USA
| | - Susannah G Tringe
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
| | - Daniela Trojan
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cecilia Wentrup
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Pester
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ, Braunschweig, Germany.
| | - Alexander Loy
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network Chemistry meets Microbiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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9
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Angel R, Nepel M, Panhölzl C, Schmidt H, Herbold CW, Eichorst SA, Woebken D. Evaluation of Primers Targeting the Diazotroph Functional Gene and Development of NifMAP - A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Analyzing nifH Amplicon Data. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:703. [PMID: 29760683 PMCID: PMC5936773 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [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: 01/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Diazotrophic microorganisms introduce biologically available nitrogen (N) to the global N cycle through the activity of the nitrogenase enzyme. The genetically conserved dinitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene is phylogenetically distributed across four clusters (I-IV) and is widely used as a marker gene for N2 fixation, permitting investigators to study the genetic diversity of diazotrophs in nature and target potential participants in N2 fixation. To date there have been limited, standardized pipelines for analyzing the nifH functional gene, which is in stark contrast to the 16S rRNA gene. Here we present a bioinformatics pipeline for processing nifH amplicon datasets - NifMAP ("NifH MiSeq Illumina Amplicon Analysis Pipeline"), which as a novel aspect uses Hidden-Markov Models to filter out homologous genes to nifH. By using this pipeline, we evaluated the broadly inclusive primer pairs (Ueda19F-R6, IGK3-DVV, and F2-R6) that target the nifH gene. To evaluate any systematic biases, the nifH gene was amplified with the aforementioned primer pairs in a diverse collection of environmental samples (soils, rhizosphere and roots samples, biological soil crusts and estuarine samples), in addition to a nifH mock community consisting of six phylogenetically diverse members. We noted that all primer pairs co-amplified nifH homologs to varying degrees; up to 90% of the amplicons were nifH homologs with IGK3-DVV in some samples (rhizosphere and roots from tall oat-grass). In regards to specificity, we observed some degree of bias across the primer pairs. For example, primer pair F2-R6 discriminated against cyanobacteria (amongst others), yet captured many sequences from subclusters IIIE and IIIL-N. These aforementioned subclusters were largely missing by the primer pair IGK3-DVV, which also tended to discriminate against Alphaproteobacteria, but amplified sequences within clusters IIIC (affiliated with Clostridia) and clusters IVB and IVC. Primer pair Ueda19F-R6 exhibited the least bias and successfully captured diazotrophs in cluster I and subclusters IIIE, IIIL, IIIM, and IIIN, but tended to discriminate against Firmicutes and subcluster IIIC. Taken together, our newly established bioinformatics pipeline, NifMAP, along with our systematic evaluations of nifH primer pairs permit more robust, high-throughput investigations of diazotrophs in diverse environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roey Angel
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network ‘Chemistry meets Microbiology’, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dagmar Woebken
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research Network ‘Chemistry meets Microbiology’, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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10
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Eichorst SA, Trojan D, Roux S, Herbold C, Rattei T, Woebken D. Genomic insights into the Acidobacteria reveal strategies for their success in terrestrial environments. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:1041-1063. [PMID: 29327410 PMCID: PMC5900883 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [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: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Members of the phylum Acidobacteria are abundant and ubiquitous across soils. We performed a large-scale comparative genome analysis spanning subdivisions 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 23 (n = 24) with the goal to identify features to help explain their prevalence in soils and understand their ecophysiology. Our analysis revealed that bacteriophage integration events along with transposable and mobile elements influenced the structure and plasticity of these genomes. Low- and high-affinity respiratory oxygen reductases were detected in multiple genomes, suggesting the capacity for growing across different oxygen gradients. Among many genomes, the capacity to use a diverse collection of carbohydrates, as well as inorganic and organic nitrogen sources (such as via extracellular peptidases), was detected - both advantageous traits in environments with fluctuating nutrient environments. We also identified multiple soil acidobacteria with the potential to scavenge atmospheric concentrations of H2 , now encompassing mesophilic soil strains within the subdivision 1 and 3, in addition to a previously identified thermophilic strain in subdivision 4. This large-scale acidobacteria genome analysis reveal traits that provide genomic, physiological and metabolic versatility, presumably allowing flexibility and versatility in the challenging and fluctuating soil environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A. Eichorst
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch Network “Chemistry Meets Biology”, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Daniela Trojan
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch Network “Chemistry Meets Biology”, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Simon Roux
- Department of EnergyJoint Genome InstituteWalnut CreekCAUSA
| | - Craig Herbold
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch Network “Chemistry Meets Biology”, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Rattei
- Division of Computational Systems Biology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch Network “Chemistry Meets Biology”, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch Network “Chemistry Meets Biology”, University of ViennaViennaAustria
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11
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Angel R, Panhölzl C, Gabriel R, Herbold C, Wanek W, Richter A, Eichorst SA, Woebken D. Application of stable-isotope labelling techniques for the detection of active diazotrophs. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:44-61. [PMID: 29027346 PMCID: PMC5814836 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 09/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Investigating active participants in the fixation of dinitrogen gas is vital as N is often a limiting factor for primary production. Biological nitrogen fixation is performed by a diverse guild of bacteria and archaea (diazotrophs), which can be free-living or symbionts. Free-living diazotrophs are widely distributed in the environment, yet our knowledge about their identity and ecophysiology is still limited. A major challenge in investigating this guild is inferring activity from genetic data as this process is highly regulated. To address this challenge, we evaluated and improved several 15 N-based methods for detecting N2 fixation activity (with a focus on soil samples) and studying active diazotrophs. We compared the acetylene reduction assay and the 15 N2 tracer method and demonstrated that the latter is more sensitive in samples with low activity. Additionally, tracing 15 N into microbial RNA provides much higher sensitivity compared to bulk soil analysis. Active soil diazotrophs were identified with a 15 N-RNA-SIP approach optimized for environmental samples and benchmarked to 15 N-DNA-SIP. Lastly, we investigated the feasibility of using SIP-Raman microspectroscopy for detecting 15 N-labelled cells. Taken together, these tools allow identifying and investigating active free-living diazotrophs in a highly sensitive manner in diverse environments, from bulk to the single-cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roey Angel
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
| | - Christopher Panhölzl
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
| | - Raphael Gabriel
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
- Present address:
Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Emeryville, CA, USA;Institute for Genetics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Craig Herbold
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
| | - Wolfgang Wanek
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
| | - Andreas Richter
- Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
| | - Stephanie A. Eichorst
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem ScienceResearch network “Chemistry meets Microbiology,” University of ViennaVienna 1090Austria
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12
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Kolinko S, Wu YW, Tachea F, Denzel E, Hiras J, Gabriel R, Bäcker N, Chan LJG, Eichorst SA, Frey D, Chen Q, Azadi P, Adams PD, Pray TR, Tanjore D, Petzold CJ, Gladden JM, Simmons BA, Singer SW. A bacterial pioneer produces cellulase complexes that persist through community succession. Nat Microbiol 2017; 3:99-107. [PMID: 29109478 PMCID: PMC6794216 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-017-0052-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [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: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cultivation of microbial consortia provides low-complexity communities that can serve as tractable models to understand community dynamics. Time-resolved metagenomics demonstrated that an aerobic cellulolytic consortium cultivated from compost exhibited community dynamics consistent with the definition of an endogenous heterotrophic succession. The genome of the proposed pioneer population, ‘Candidatus Reconcilibacillus cellulovorans’, possessed a gene cluster containing multidomain glycoside hydrolases (GHs). Purification of the soluble cellulase activity from a 300litre cultivation of this consortium revealed that ~70% of the activity arose from the ‘Ca. Reconcilibacillus cellulovorans’ multidomain GHs assembled into cellulase complexes through glycosylation. These remarkably stable complexes have supramolecular structures for enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis that are distinct from cellulosomes. The persistence of these complexes during cultivation indicates that they may be active through multiple cultivations of this consortium and act as public goods that sustain the community. The provision of extracellular GHs as public goods may influence microbial community dynamics in native biomass-deconstructing communities relevant to agriculture, human health and biotechnology. Cultivation of a cellulolytic consortium reveals successional community dynamics and the presence of multidomain glycoside hydrolases assembled into stable complexes distinct from cellulosomes, which are produced by a potential pioneer population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Kolinko
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yu-Wei Wu
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Firehiwot Tachea
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Emeryville, CA, USA
| | - Evelyn Denzel
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jennifer Hiras
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Corning Incorporated, Corning, NY, USA
| | - Raphael Gabriel
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Institut für Genetik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Nora Bäcker
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Leanne Jade G Chan
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie A Eichorst
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research network "Chemistry meets Microbiology", University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dario Frey
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Qiushi Chen
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Paul D Adams
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Todd R Pray
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Emeryville, CA, USA
| | - Deepti Tanjore
- Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Advanced Biofuels Process Development Unit, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Emeryville, CA, USA
| | - Christopher J Petzold
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - John M Gladden
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological and Materials Science Center, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Blake A Simmons
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Steven W Singer
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA. .,Biological Systems and Engineering Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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13
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Eichorst SA, Strasser F, Woyke T, Schintlmeister A, Wagner M, Woebken D. Advancements in the application of NanoSIMS and Raman microspectroscopy to investigate the activity of microbial cells in soils. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2015; 91:fiv106. [PMID: 26324854 PMCID: PMC4629873 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiv106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [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] [Revised: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The combined approach of incubating environmental samples with stable isotope-labeled substrates followed by single-cell analyses through high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) or Raman microspectroscopy provides insights into the in situ function of microorganisms. This approach has found limited application in soils presumably due to the dispersal of microbial cells in a large background of particles. We developed a pipeline for the efficient preparation of cell extracts from soils for subsequent single-cell methods by combining cell detachment with separation of cells and soil particles followed by cell concentration. The procedure was evaluated by examining its influence on cell recoveries and microbial community composition across two soils. This approach generated a cell fraction with considerably reduced soil particle load and of sufficient small size to allow single-cell analysis by NanoSIMS, as shown when detecting active N2-fixing and cellulose-responsive microorganisms via (15)N2 and (13)C-UL-cellulose incubations, respectively. The same procedure was also applicable for Raman microspectroscopic analyses of soil microorganisms, assessed via microcosm incubations with a (13)C-labeled carbon source and deuterium oxide (D2O, a general activity marker). The described sample preparation procedure enables single-cell analysis of soil microorganisms using NanoSIMS and Raman microspectroscopy, but should also facilitate single-cell sorting and sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Eichorst
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research network 'Chemistry meets Microbiology', University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 Austria
| | - Florian Strasser
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research network 'Chemistry meets Microbiology', University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 Austria
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, USA
| | - Arno Schintlmeister
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research network 'Chemistry meets Microbiology', University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 Austria Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 Austria
| | - Michael Wagner
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research network 'Chemistry meets Microbiology', University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 Austria Large-Instrument Facility for Advanced Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 Austria
| | - Dagmar Woebken
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Research network 'Chemistry meets Microbiology', University of Vienna, Vienna 1090 Austria
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14
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Hiras J, Wu YW, Eichorst SA, Simmons BA, Singer SW. Refining the phylum Chlorobi by resolving the phylogeny and metabolic potential of the representative of a deeply branching, uncultivated lineage. ISME J 2015; 10:833-45. [PMID: 26325358 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2015.158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Revised: 07/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have expanded the phylum Chlorobi, demonstrating that the green sulfur bacteria (GSB), the original cultured representatives of the phylum, are a part of a broader lineage whose members have more diverse metabolic capabilities that overlap with members of the phylum Bacteroidetes. The 16S rRNA gene of an uncultivated clone, OPB56, distantly related to the phyla Chlorobi and Bacteroidetes, was recovered from Obsidian Pool in Yellowstone National Park; however, the detailed phylogeny and function of OPB56 and related clones have remained unknown. Culturing of thermophilic bacterial consortia from compost by adaptation to grow on ionic-liquid pretreated switchgrass provided a consortium in which one of the most abundant members, NICIL-2, clustered with OPB56-related clones. Phylogenetic analysis using the full-length 16S rRNA gene from NICIL-2 demonstrated that it was part of a monophyletic clade, referred to as OPB56, distinct from the Bacteroidetes and Chlorobi. A near complete draft genome (>95% complete) was recovered from metagenomic data from the culture adapted to grow on ionic-liquid pretreated switchgrass using an automated binning algorithm, and this genome was used for marker gene-based phylogenetic analysis and metabolic reconstruction. Six additional genomes related to NICIL-2 were reconstructed from metagenomic data sets obtained from thermal springs at Yellowstone National Park and Nevada Great Boiling Spring. In contrast to the 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis, protein phylogenetic analysis was most consistent with the clustering of the Chlorobea, Ignavibacteria and OPB56 into a single phylum level clade. Metabolic reconstruction of NICIL-2 demonstrated a close linkage with the class Ignavibacteria and the family Rhodothermaceae, a deeply branching Bacteroidetes lineage. The combined phylogenetic and functional analysis of the NICIL-2 genome has refined the membership in the phylum Chlorobi and emphasized the close evolutionary and metabolic relationship between the phyla Chlorobi and the Bacteroidetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Hiras
- Deconstruction Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yu-Wei Wu
- Deconstruction Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie A Eichorst
- Deconstruction Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Blake A Simmons
- Deconstruction Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Sandia National Laboratories, Biofuels and Biomaterials Science and Technology Department, Livermore, CA, USA
| | - Steven W Singer
- Deconstruction Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, USA.,Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
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15
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Eichorst SA, Varanasi P, Stavila V, Zemla M, Auer M, Singh S, Simmons BA, Singer SW. Community dynamics of cellulose-adapted thermophilic bacterial consortia. Environ Microbiol 2013; 15:2573-87. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2013] [Revised: 04/29/2013] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vatalie Stavila
- Biological and Materials Sciences Center; Sandia National Laboratories; Livermore; CA; 94551; USA
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16
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Gans JD, Dunbar J, Eichorst SA, Gallegos-Graves LV, Wolinsky M, Kuske CR. A robust PCR primer design platform applied to the detection of Acidobacteria Group 1 in soil. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:e96. [PMID: 22434885 PMCID: PMC3384349 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 11/18/2011] [Revised: 01/18/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental biosurveillance and microbial ecology studies use PCR-based assays to detect and quantify microbial taxa and gene sequences within a complex background of microorganisms. However, the fragmentary nature and growing quantity of DNA-sequence data make group-specific assay design challenging. We solved this problem by developing a software platform that enables PCR-assay design at an unprecedented scale. As a demonstration, we developed quantitative PCR assays for a globally widespread, ecologically important bacterial group in soil, Acidobacteria Group 1. A total of 33,684 Acidobacteria 16S rRNA gene sequences were used for assay design. Following 1 week of computation on a 376-core cluster, 83 assays were obtained. We validated the specificity of the top three assays, collectively predicted to detect 42% of the Acidobacteria Group 1 sequences, by PCR amplification and sequencing of DNA from soil. Based on previous analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, Acidobacteria Group 1 species were expected to decrease in response to elevated atmospheric CO(2). Quantitative PCR results, using the Acidobacteria Group 1-specific PCR assays, confirmed the expected decrease and provided higher statistical confidence than the 16S rRNA gene-sequencing data. These results demonstrate a powerful capacity to address previously intractable assay design challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Gans
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
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17
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Dunbar J, Eichorst SA, Gallegos-Graves LV, Silva S, Xie G, Hengartner NW, Evans RD, Hungate BA, Jackson RB, Megonigal JP, Schadt CW, Vilgalys R, Zak DR, Kuske CR. Common bacterial responses in six ecosystems exposed to 10 years of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. Environ Microbiol 2012; 14:1145-58. [PMID: 22264231 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2011.02695.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Six terrestrial ecosystems in the USA were exposed to elevated atmospheric CO(2) in single or multifactorial experiments for more than a decade to assess potential impacts. We retrospectively assessed soil bacterial community responses in all six-field experiments and found ecosystem-specific and common patterns of soil bacterial community response to elevated CO(2) . Soil bacterial composition differed greatly across the six ecosystems. No common effect of elevated atmospheric CO(2) on bacterial biomass, richness and community composition across all of the ecosystems was identified, although significant responses were detected in individual ecosystems. The most striking common trend across the sites was a decrease of up to 3.5-fold in the relative abundance of Acidobacteria Group 1 bacteria in soils exposed to elevated CO(2) or other climate factors. The Acidobacteria Group 1 response observed in exploratory 16S rRNA gene clone library surveys was validated in one ecosystem by 100-fold deeper sequencing and semi-quantitative PCR assays. Collectively, the 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach revealed influences of elevated CO(2) on multiple ecosystems. Although few common trends across the ecosystems were detected in the small surveys, the trends may be harbingers of more substantive changes in less abundant, more sensitive taxa that can only be detected by deeper surveys. Representative bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone sequences were deposited in GenBank with Accession No. JQ366086–JQ387568.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Dunbar
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
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18
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Gladden JM, Eichorst SA, Hazen TC, Simmons BA, Singer SW. Substrate perturbation alters the glycoside hydrolase activities and community composition of switchgrass-adapted bacterial consortia. Biotechnol Bioeng 2011; 109:1140-5. [PMID: 22125273 DOI: 10.1002/bit.24388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2011] [Revised: 11/11/2011] [Accepted: 11/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria modulate glycoside hydrolase expression in response to the changes in the composition of lignocellulosic biomass. The response of switchgrass-adapted thermophilic bacterial consortia to perturbation with a variety of biomass substrates was characterized to determine if bacterial consortia also responded to changes in biomass composition. Incubation of the switchgrass-adapted consortia with these alternative substrates produced shifts in glycoside hydrolase activities and bacterial community composition. Substantially increased endoglucanase activity was observed upon incubation with microcrystalline cellulose and trifluororacetic acid-pretreated switchgrass. In contrast, culturing the microbial consortia with ionic liquid-pretreated switchgrass increased xylanase activity dramatically. Microbial community analyses of these cultures indicated that the increased endoglucanase activity correlated with an increase in bacteria related to Rhodothermus marinus. Inclusion of simple organic substrates in the culture medium abrogated glycoside hydrolase activity and enriched for bacteria related to Thermus thermophilus. These results demonstrate that the composition of biomass substrates influences the glycoside hydrolase activities and community composition of biomass-deconstructing bacterial consortia.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Gladden
- Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, California 94608, USA
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19
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Challacombe JF, Eichorst SA, Hauser L, Land M, Xie G, Kuske CR. Biological consequences of ancient gene acquisition and duplication in the large genome of Candidatus Solibacter usitatus Ellin6076. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24882. [PMID: 21949776 PMCID: PMC3174227 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [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: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 08/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the bacterial phylum Acidobacteria are widespread in soils and sediments worldwide, and are abundant in many soils. Acidobacteria are challenging to culture in vitro, and many basic features of their biology and functional roles in the soil have not been determined. Candidatus Solibacter usitatus strain Ellin6076 has a 9.9 Mb genome that is approximately 2–5 times as large as the other sequenced Acidobacteria genomes. Bacterial genome sizes typically range from 0.5 to 10 Mb and are influenced by gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer, gene loss and other evolutionary processes. Our comparative genome analyses indicate that the Ellin6076 large genome has arisen by horizontal gene transfer via ancient bacteriophage and/or plasmid-mediated transduction, and widespread small-scale gene duplications, resulting in an increased number of paralogs. Low amino acid sequence identities among functional group members, and lack of conserved gene order and orientation in regions containing similar groups of paralogs, suggest that most of the paralogs are not the result of recent duplication events. The genome sizes of additional cultured Acidobacteria strains were estimated using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to determine the prevalence of the large genome trait within the phylum. Members of subdivision 3 had larger genomes than those of subdivision 1, but none were as large as the Ellin6076 genome. The large genome of Ellin6076 may not be typical of the phylum, and encodes traits that could provide a selective metabolic, defensive and regulatory advantage in the soil environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean F Challacombe
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States of America.
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Eichorst SA, Breznak JA, Schmidt TM. Isolation and characterization of soil bacteria that define Terriglobus gen. nov., in the phylum Acidobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2007; 73:2708-17. [PMID: 17293520 PMCID: PMC1855589 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02140-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria in the phylum Acidobacteria are widely distributed and abundant in soils, but their ecological roles are poorly understood, owing in part to a paucity of cultured representatives. In a molecular survey of acidobacterial diversity at the Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research site, 27% of acidobacterial 16S rRNA gene clones in a never-tilled, successional plant community belonged to subdivision 1, whose relative abundance varied inversely with soil pH. Strains of subdivision 1 were isolated from these never-tilled soils using low-nutrient medium incubated for 3 to 4 weeks under elevated levels of carbon dioxide, which resulted in a slightly acidified medium that matched the pH optima of the strains (between 5 and 6). Colonies were approximately 1 mm in diameter and either white or pink, the latter due to a carotenoid(s) that was synthesized preferentially under 20% instead of 2% oxygen. Strains were gram-negative, aerobic, chemo-organotrophic, nonmotile rods that produced an extracellular matrix. All strains contained either one or two copies of the 16S rRNA encoding gene, which along with a relatively slow doubling time (10 to 15 h at ca. 23 degrees C) is suggestive of an oligotrophic lifestyle. Six of the strains are sufficiently similar to one another, but distinct from previously named Acidobacteria, to warrant creation of a new genus, Terriglobus, with Terriglobus roseus defined as the type species. The physiological and nutritional characteristics of Terriglobus are consistent with its potential widespread distribution in soil.
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MESH Headings
- Bacterial Typing Techniques
- Blotting, Southern
- Carbon/metabolism
- Carotenoids/biosynthesis
- DNA, Bacterial/chemistry
- DNA, Bacterial/genetics
- DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry
- DNA, Ribosomal/genetics
- Extracellular Matrix
- Fatty Acids/analysis
- Fatty Acids/chemistry
- Genes, rRNA/genetics
- Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci/classification
- Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci/cytology
- Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci/isolation & purification
- Gram-Negative Aerobic Rods and Cocci/physiology
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Movement
- Phylogeny
- Pigments, Biological/biosynthesis
- RNA, Bacterial/genetics
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
- Soil Microbiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Eichorst
- Michigan State University, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, 6180 Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-4320, USA
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Abstract
An integrative approach was used to obtain pure cultures of previously uncultivated members of the divisions Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia from agricultural soil and from the guts of wood-feeding termites. Some elements of the cultivation procedure included the following: the use of agar media with little or no added nutrients; relatively long periods of incubation (more than 30 days); protection of cells from exogenous peroxides; and inclusion of humic acids or a humic acid analogue (anthraquinone disulfonate) and quorum-signaling compounds (acyl homoserine lactones) in growth media. The bacteria were incubated in the presence of air and in hypoxic (1 to 2% O(2) [vol/vol]) and anoxic atmospheres. Some bacteria were incubated with elevated concentrations of CO(2) (5% [vol/vol]). Significantly more Acidobacteria were found on isolation plates that had been incubated with 5% CO(2). A simple, high-throughput, PCR-based surveillance method (plate wash PCR) was developed. This method greatly facilitated detection and ultimate isolation of target bacteria from as many as 1,000 colonies of nontarget microbes growing on the same agar plates. Results illustrate the power of integrating culture methods with molecular techniques to isolate bacteria from phylogenetic groups underrepresented in culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley S Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, 2209 Biomedical Physical Sciences, East Lansing, MI 48824-4320, USA.
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