Targeted metagenomics: a high-resolution metagenomics approach for specific gene clusters in complex microbial communities

A major research goal in microbial ecology is to understand the relationship between gene organization and function involved in environmental processes of potential interest. Given that more than an estimated 99% of microorganisms in most environments are not amenable to culturing, methods for culture-independent studies of genes of interest have been developed. The wealth of metagenomic approaches allows environmental microbiologists to directly explore the enormous genetic diversity of microbial communities. However, it is extremely difficult to obtain the appropriate sequencing depth of any particular gene that can entirely represent the complexity of microbial metagenomes and be able to draw meaningful conclusions about these communities. This review presents a summary of the metagenomic approaches that have been useful for collecting more information about specific genes. Specific subsets of metagenomes that focus on sequence analysis were selected in each metagenomic studies. This 'targeted metagenomics' approach will provide extensive insight into the functional, ecological and evolutionary patterns of important genes found in microorganisms from various ecosystems.     

土壤宏基因组学技术及其应用

传统的基于培养的研究方法只能反映土壤中少数(0.1%～10 %)微生物的信息,而大部分微生物目前还不能培养,因而这部分微生物资源尚难以被有效地开发利用.宏基因组学是分子生物学技术应用于环境微生物生态学研究而形成的一个新概念,主要技术包括土壤DNA的提取、文库的构建和目标基因克隆的筛选.它可为揭示微生物生态功能及其分子基础提供更全面的遗传信息,并已在微生物新功能基因筛选、活性物质开发和微生物多样性研究等方面取得了显著成果.本文对土壤宏基因组学技术的方法和应用作了详细介绍.     

Capturing the uncultivated majority

The metagenomic analysis of environmental microbial communities continues to be a rapidly developing area of study. DNA isolation, the first step in capturing the uncultivated majority, has seen many advances in recent years. Protocols have been developed to distinguish DNA from live versus dead cells and to separate extracellular from intracellular DNA. Looking to increase our understanding of the role that members of a microbial community play in ecological processes, several techniques have been developed that are enabling greater in-depth analysis of environmental metagenomes. These include the development of environmental gene tags and the serial analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequence tags. In addition, new screening methods have been designed to select for specific functional genes within metagenomic libraries. Finally, new cultivation methods continue to be developed to improve our ability to capture a greater diversity of microorganisms within the environment.     

The phylogenetic diversity of metagenomes

Phylogenetic diversity--patterns of phylogenetic relatedness among organisms in ecological communities--provides important insights into the mechanisms underlying community assembly. Studies that measure phylogenetic diversity in microbial communities have primarily been limited to a single marker gene approach, using the small subunit of the rRNA gene (SSU-rRNA) to quantify phylogenetic relationships among microbial taxa. In this study, we present an approach for inferring phylogenetic relationships among microorganisms based on the random metagenomic sequencing of DNA fragments. To overcome challenges caused by the fragmentary nature of metagenomic data, we leveraged fully sequenced bacterial genomes as a scaffold to enable inference of phylogenetic relationships among metagenomic sequences from multiple phylogenetic marker gene families. The resulting metagenomic phylogeny can be used to quantify the phylogenetic diversity of microbial communities based on metagenomic data sets. We applied this method to understand patterns of microbial phylogenetic diversity and community assembly along an oceanic depth gradient, and compared our findings to previous studies of this gradient using SSU-rRNA gene and metagenomic analyses. Bacterial phylogenetic diversity was highest at intermediate depths beneath the ocean surface, whereas taxonomic diversity (diversity measured by binning sequences into taxonomically similar groups) showed no relationship with depth. Phylogenetic diversity estimates based on the SSU-rRNA gene and the multi-gene metagenomic phylogeny were broadly concordant, suggesting that our approach will be applicable to other metagenomic data sets for which corresponding SSU-rRNA gene sequences are unavailable. Our approach opens up the possibility of using metagenomic data to study microbial diversity in a phylogenetic context.     

Cloning the soil metagenome: a strategy for accessing the genetic and functional diversity of uncultured microorganisms

Recent progress in molecular microbial ecology has revealed that traditional culturing methods fail to represent the scope of microbial diversity in nature, since only a small proportion of viable microorganisms in a sample are recovered by culturing techniques. To develop methods to investigate the full extent of microbial diversity, we used a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) vector to construct libraries of genomic DNA isolated directly from soil (termed metagenomic libraries). To date, we have constructed two such libraries, which contain more than 1 Gbp of DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from one of the libraries indicates that the BAC libraries contain DNA from a wide diversity of microbial phyla, including sequences from diverse taxa such as the low-G+C, gram-positive Acidobacterium, Cytophagales, and Proteobacteria. Initial screening of the libraries in Escherichia coli identified several clones that express heterologous genes from the inserts, confirming that the BAC vector can be used to maintain, express, and analyze environmental DNA. The phenotypes expressed by these clones include antibacterial, lipase, amylase, nuclease, and hemolytic activities. Metagenomic libraries are a powerful tool for exploring soil microbial diversity, providing access to the genetic information of uncultured soil microorganisms. Such libraries will be the basis of new initiatives to conduct genomic studies that link phylogenetic and functional information about the microbiota of environments dominated by microorganisms that are refractory to cultivation.     

Dead or Alive: Molecular Assessment of Microbial Viability

Nucleic acid-based analytical methods, ranging from species-targeted PCRs to metagenomics, have greatly expanded our understanding of microbiological diversity in natural samples. However, these methods provide only limited information on the activities and physiological states of microorganisms in samples. Even the most fundamental physiological state, viability, cannot be assessed cross-sectionally by standard DNA-targeted methods such as PCR. New PCR-based strategies, collectively called molecular viability analyses, have been developed that differentiate nucleic acids associated with viable cells from those associated with inactivated cells. In order to maximize the utility of these methods and to correctly interpret results, it is necessary to consider the physiological diversity of life and death in the microbial world. This article reviews molecular viability analysis in that context and discusses future opportunities for these strategies in genetic, metagenomic, and single-cell microbiology.     

土壤微生物群落多样性解析法:从培养到非培养

土壤微生物群落多样性是土壤微生物生态学和环境科学的重点研究内容之一.传统的土壤微生物群落多样性解析技术是指纯培养分离法(平板分离和形态分析法以及群落水平生理学指纹法).后来,研究者们建立了多样性评价较为客观的生物标记法(磷脂脂肪酸法和呼吸醌指纹法).随着土壤基因组提取技术和基因片段扩增(PCR)技术的发展,大量的现代分子生物学技术不断地涌现并极大地推动了土壤微生物群落多样性的研究进程.这些技术主要包括:G+C％含量、DNA复性动力学、核酸杂交法(FISH和DNA芯片技术)、土壤宏基因组学以及DNA指纹图谱技术等.综述了这些技术的基本原理、比较了各种技术的优缺点并且介绍了他们在土壤微生物群落多样性研究中的应用,展望了这些技术的发展方向.     

A Metagenomic Framework for the Study of Airborne Microbial Communities

Understanding the microbial content of the air has important scientific, health, and economic implications. While studies have primarily characterized the taxonomic content of air samples by sequencing the 16S or 18S ribosomal RNA gene, direct analysis of the genomic content of airborne microorganisms has not been possible due to the extremely low density of biological material in airborne environments. We developed sampling and amplification methods to enable adequate DNA recovery to allow metagenomic profiling of air samples collected from indoor and outdoor environments. Air samples were collected from a large urban building, a medical center, a house, and a pier. Analyses of metagenomic data generated from these samples reveal airborne communities with a high degree of diversity and different genera abundance profiles. The identities of many of the taxonomic groups and protein families also allows for the identification of the likely sources of the sampled airborne bacteria.     

Comparison of Metagenomic DNA Extraction Methods for Soil Sediments of High Elevation Puga Hot Spring in Ladakh,India to Explore Bacterial Diversity

Extraction of good-quality metagenomic DNA from extreme environments is quite challenging, particularly from high elevation hot spring sediments. Low microbial load, high humic acid content and other contaminants complicate the process of extraction of metagenomic DNA from hot spring sediments. In the present study, efficacy of five manual DNA extraction protocols with modifications has been evaluated for metagenomic DNA extraction from boron–sulfur rich high elevation Puga hot spring sediments. Best suited protocol was identified based on the cell lysis efficiency, DNA yield, humic acid content, PCR reproducibility and representation of bacterial diversity. Quantity as well as quality of crude metagenomic DNA differed remarkably between various protocols used and were not pure enough to give PCR amplification using 16S rRNA bacterial and archaeal primers. Crude metagenomic DNA extracted using five different DNA extraction protocols was purified using spin column based purification method. Even after purification, only three protocols C, D and E yielded metagenomic DNA that could be amplified using both archaeal and bacterial primers. To evaluate the degree of microbial diversity represented by protocols C, D and E, phylogenetic genes amplified were subjected to amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis (DGGE) analysis. ARDRA banding pattern of amplicons generated for all the three extraction protocols, i.e., C, D and E were found to be similar. DGGE of protocol E derived amplicons resulted in the similar number of dominant bands but a greater number of non-dominant bands, i.e., the highest microbial diversity in comparison to protocols C and D, respectively. In the present study, protocol E developed from Yeates et al. protocol has been found to be best in terms of DNA yield, DNA purity and bacterial diversity depiction associated with boron–sulfur rich sediment of high elevation hot springs.     

Life in Hot Spring Microbial Mats Located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: A 16S/18S rRNA Gene and Metagenomic Analysis

The geothermal system of the Araró region, located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt of México, hosts various hot springs with unique physicochemical characteristics, including temperatures ranging from 45°C to 78°C. The microbial diversity in these hot springs has been explored only by culture-dependent surveys. In this study, we performed metagenomic Illumina MiSeq, and 16S and 18S rRNA pyrosequencing analysis of the microbial life are residing in the microbial mats of the springs called “Tina–Bonita”. Our results show the presence of 186 operational taxonomic units, 99.7% of which belong to bacteria, 0.27% to eukaryotes, and 0.03% to archaea. The most abundant bacterial divisions are the Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Cyanobacteria, which include 105 genera. The ecological indexes indicate that the microbial mats have moderate microbial diversity. An abundant group of genes that participate in photosynthesis, including photosynthetic electron transport, as well as photosystems I and II, were detected. Another cluster of genes was found that participates in sulfur, nitrogen, and methane metabolism. Finally, this phylogenetic and metagenomic analysis revealed an unexpected taxonomic and genetic diversity, expanding our knowledge of microbial life under specific extreme conditions.     

Cloning the Soil Metagenome: a Strategy for Accessing the Genetic and Functional Diversity of Uncultured Microorganisms

Recent progress in molecular microbial ecology has revealed that traditional culturing methods fail to represent the scope of microbial diversity in nature, since only a small proportion of viable microorganisms in a sample are recovered by culturing techniques. To develop methods to investigate the full extent of microbial diversity, we used a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) vector to construct libraries of genomic DNA isolated directly from soil (termed metagenomic libraries). To date, we have constructed two such libraries, which contain more than 1 Gbp of DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from one of the libraries indicates that the BAC libraries contain DNA from a wide diversity of microbial phyla, including sequences from diverse taxa such as the low-G+C, gram-positive Acidobacterium, Cytophagales, and Proteobacteria. Initial screening of the libraries in Escherichia coli identified several clones that express heterologous genes from the inserts, confirming that the BAC vector can be used to maintain, express, and analyze environmental DNA. The phenotypes expressed by these clones include antibacterial, lipase, amylase, nuclease, and hemolytic activities. Metagenomic libraries are a powerful tool for exploring soil microbial diversity, providing access to the genetic information of uncultured soil microorganisms. Such libraries will be the basis of new initiatives to conduct genomic studies that link phylogenetic and functional information about the microbiota of environments dominated by microorganisms that are refractory to cultivation.     

基于高通量测序技术马肠道菌群研究进展

马肠道非常发达,其中定居着丰富又复杂的微生物菌群,这些微生物在宿主的生理、代谢、营养和免疫功能等方面有着重要作用.基于高通量测序的宏基因组学技术和分析手段的改进,对复杂环境中微生物的研究更加方便、透彻.本文就基于高通量测序的宏基因组技术在马肠道核心菌群、不同肠道段菌群结构、不同因素对肠道菌群结构的影响,以及马肠道微生物...     

阴道微生态宏基因组学研究进展

女性阴道内寄居着多种微生物群落,这些微生物种群间的平衡状态与妇女阴道疾病的发生密切相关。鉴定女性阴道菌群结构多样性的特征,有助于了解其在阴道疾病发生和转归中所发挥的作用。目前基于16SrRNA的聚合酶链式反应(PCR)及宏基因组相关技术在微生物群落研究中被广泛运用,这不仅可以帮助人们最大程度地获得阴道菌群的宏基因组信息,还可有效弥补单纯微生物培养法所产生的实验数据不充足等弊端。本文对阴道微生物菌群多样性的研究中应用的宏基因组学技术如基因测序、变性/温度梯度凝胶电泳(DGGE/TGGE)、分子克隆、末端限制性酶切长度多态性(T-RFLP)等进行综述。     

Microbial diversity associated with ascidians: a review of research methods and application

This paper reviews research in microbial diversity associated with ascidians (commonly known as sea squirts). The application of culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques is introduced in detail and these methods are analyzed for their advantages and limitations. Because of the limitations of available media and cultivation conditions, culture-dependent methods can only reveal a limited portion of the microorganisms in ascidians. However, the acquisition of typical microbial community members in culture remains a valuable resource for exploring their bioactive potential and relationships with the ascidian hosts. The application of metagenomic library methods has greatly accelerated ascidian metabolites studies. The next-generation sequencing techniques have led to the acquisition of an unprecedented quantity of ascidian microorganism data, providing the most comprehensive information about ascidian microbial diversity. Ascidians provide unique ecological niches that harbor an unexpected diversity of microorganisms different from planktonic bacteria in the local seawater. Microbial communities associated with ascidians tend to be species-specific and tissue-specific. Different tissue of the same ascidian may be associated with different microbial communities.     

Two-stage microbial community experimental design

Microbial community samples can be efficiently surveyed in high throughput by sequencing markers such as the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Often, a collection of samples is then selected for subsequent metagenomic, metabolomic or other follow-up. Two-stage study design has long been used in ecology but has not yet been studied in-depth for high-throughput microbial community investigations. To avoid ad hoc sample selection, we developed and validated several purposive sample selection methods for two-stage studies (that is, biological criteria) targeting differing types of microbial communities. These methods select follow-up samples from large community surveys, with criteria including samples typical of the initially surveyed population, targeting specific microbial clades or rare species, maximizing diversity, representing extreme or deviant communities, or identifying communities distinct or discriminating among environment or host phenotypes. The accuracies of each sampling technique and their influences on the characteristics of the resulting selected microbial community were evaluated using both simulated and experimental data. Specifically, all criteria were able to identify samples whose properties were accurately retained in 318 paired 16S amplicon and whole-community metagenomic (follow-up) samples from the Human Microbiome Project. Some selection criteria resulted in follow-up samples that were strongly non-representative of the original survey population; diversity maximization particularly undersampled community configurations. Only selection of intentionally representative samples minimized differences in the selected sample set from the original microbial survey. An implementation is provided as the microPITA (Microbiomes: Picking Interesting Taxa for Analysis) software for two-stage study design of microbial communities.     

土壤微生物总DNA提取方法的优化

【目的】土壤中未培养微生物约占总量的99%,这就意味着绝大多数微生物资源还未得到开发和利用。本研究通过优化土壤微生物总DNA的提取方法,获得较高质量的DNA,为后期研究土壤微生物的多样性及构建大插入片段的宏基因组文库奠定基础。【方法】通过综合比较已报道的微生物DNA提取方法的优缺点,我们设计出一种新的提取方案。对提取过程中的几个关键步骤进行了优化,包括联合使用SDS-CTAB和溶菌酶一起来破细胞,利用氯仿除蛋白,使用PVPP柱纯化DNA等。比较分析了优化后的方法和3种已报道方法所获得的土壤总DNA的产量、纯度及片段大小。【结果】优化后的方法所获得的土壤DNA质量明显有所提高:每克土壤最高能提取95μg DNA,A260/A280和A260/A230比值更接近理想水平,PCR扩增能够得到明显的目标条带,DNA片段最大能达到100 kb左右。【结论】通过比较分析,最终确立了一种较理想的土壤微生物总DNA提取方法,为更好地开发利用土壤未培养微生物资源提供了有力工具。     

宏基因组测序分析东寨港红树林淤泥和水体微生物的多样性

为深入了解海南东寨港红树林生态系统微生物多样性及其在氮、磷、硫等代谢循环中的功能特点,本研究采用宏基因组测序,从物种注释与丰度、群落功能及多样性指数等角度,分析红树林淤泥和水体生境中微生物群落结构及生态功能的特异性。结果显示,在淤泥中检测到53个门、909个属的微生物类群,有3个占比超过1%的优势门类,其中变形杆菌门为83.78%,处于绝对优势,其下的12个优势属全部来自变形杆菌门;不动杆菌属是聚磷微生物的主要类群,其在淤泥中含量是水体的107.7倍,硫氧化单胞菌属、脱硫杆菌属是硫化物代谢的主要菌属,主要存在于淤泥生境当中。在水体中检测到64个门、1 522个属,包括13个优势门类、7个优势属;Nitrospinae和硝化螺旋菌门是亚硝酸盐氧化代谢的关键类群,两者在水体中占比分别是淤泥中的28.1倍和6.8倍。多样性评估得知,水体样品中的Shannon Wiener指数和Simpson指数均高于淤泥样品,两样品在属分类学单元上的Simpson指数趋近于1,表明红树林生态系统具有非常高的微生物多样性,水体生境的微生物多样性高于淤泥;亚硝酸盐的微生物代谢循环主要发生在水体生境中,微生物对磷的富集作用和硫化合物的氧化还原代谢主要发生在淤泥生境中。本研究有助于认识东寨港红树林湿地生境中的微生物资源状况,为保护红树林生态系统和开发利用其中的微生物资源提供依据。     

Microscopic and biomolecular complementary approaches to characterize bioweathering processes at petroglyph sites from the Negev Desert,Israel

Throughout the Negev Desert highlands, thousands of ancient petroglyphs sites are susceptible to deterioration processes that may result in the loss of this unique rock art. Therefore, the overarching goal of the current study was to characterize the composition, diversity and effects of microbial colonization of the rocks to find ways of protecting these unique treasures. The spatial organization of the microbial colonizers and their relationships with the lithic substrate were analysed using scanning electron microscopy. This approach revealed extensive epilithic and endolithic colonization and close microbial–mineral interactions. Shotgun sequencing analysis revealed various taxa from the archaea, bacteria and some eukaryotes. Metagenomic coding sequences (CDS) of these microbial lithobionts exhibited specific metabolic pathways involved in the rock elements' cycles and uptake processes. Thus, our results provide evidence for the potential participation of the microorganisms colonizing these rocks during different solubilization and mineralization processes. These damaging actions may contribute to the deterioration of this extraordinary rock art and thus threaten this valuable heritage. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing, in conjunction with the in situ scanning electron microscopy study, can thus be considered an effective strategy to understand the complexity of the weathering processes occurring at petroglyph sites and other cultural heritage assets.