Uncultivated cyanobacteria, Chloroflexus-like inhabitants, and spirochete-like inhabitants of a hot spring microbial mat.

Analysis of 16S rRNA sequences retrieved as cDNA (16S rcDNA) from the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat has permitted phylogenetic characterization of some uncultivated community members, expanding our knowledge or diversity within this microbial community. Two new cyanobacterial 16S rRNA sequences were discovered, raising to four the number of cyanobacterial sequence types known to occur in the mat. None of the sequences found is that of the cultivated thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus lividus. A new 16S rRNA sequence characteristic of green nonsulfur bacteria and their relatives was discovered, raising to two the number of such sequences known to exist in the mat. Both are unique among the 16S rRNA sequences of cultivated members of this group, including an Octopus Spring isolate of Chloroflexus aurantiacus and Heliothrix oregonensis, whose sequences we report herein. Two spirochete-like 16S rRNA sequences were discovered. One can be placed in the leptospira subdivision of the spirochete group, but the other has such a loose affiliation with the spirochete group that it might actually belong to an as yet unrecognized subdivision or even to a new eubacterial line of descent.     

16S rRNA sequences of uncultivated hot spring cyanobacterial mat inhabitants retrieved as randomly primed cDNA.

Cloning and analysis of cDNAs synthesized from rRNAs is one approach to assess the species composition of natural microbial communities. In some earlier attempts to synthesize cDNA from 16S rRNA (16S rcDNA) from the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat, a dominance of short 16S rcDNAs was observed, which appear to have originated only from certain organisms. Priming of cDNA synthesis from small ribosomal subunit RNA with random deoxyhexanucleotides can retrieve longer sequences, more suitable for phylogenetic analysis. Here we report the retrieval of 16S rRNA sequences from three formerly uncultured community members. One sequence type, which was retrieved three times from a total of five sequences analyzed, can be placed in the cyanobacterial phylum. A second sequence type is related to 16S rRNAs from green nonsulfur bacteria. The third sequence type may represent a novel phylogenetic type.     

16S rRNA sequences of uncultivated hot spring cyanobacterial mat inhabitants retrieved as randomly primed cDNA.

Cloning and analysis of cDNAs synthesized from rRNAs is one approach to assess the species composition of natural microbial communities. In some earlier attempts to synthesize cDNA from 16S rRNA (16S rcDNA) from the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat, a dominance of short 16S rcDNAs was observed, which appear to have originated only from certain organisms. Priming of cDNA synthesis from small ribosomal subunit RNA with random deoxyhexanucleotides can retrieve longer sequences, more suitable for phylogenetic analysis. Here we report the retrieval of 16S rRNA sequences from three formerly uncultured community members. One sequence type, which was retrieved three times from a total of five sequences analyzed, can be placed in the cyanobacterial phylum. A second sequence type is related to 16S rRNAs from green nonsulfur bacteria. The third sequence type may represent a novel phylogenetic type.     

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles of 16S rRNA-defined populations inhabiting a hot spring microbial mat community.

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene segments was used to profile microbial populations inhabiting different temperature regions in the microbial mat community of Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park. DGGE allowed a rapid evaluation of the distributions of amplifiable sequence types. Profiles were essentially identical within regions of the mat defined by one temperature range but varied between sites with different temperature ranges. Individual DGGE bands were sequenced, and the sequences were compared with those previously obtained from the mat by cloning and from cultivated Octopus Spring isolates. Two known cyanobacterial populations and one known green nonsulfur bacterium-like population were detected by DGGE, as were many new cyanobacterial and green nonsulfur and green sulfur bacterium-like populations and a novel bacterial population of uncertain phylogenetic affiliation. The distributions of several cyanobacterial populations compared favorably with results obtained previously by oligonucleotide probe analyses and suggest that adaptation to temperature has occurred among cyanobacteria which are phylogenetically very similar.     

16S rRNA sequences reveal uncultured inhabitants of a well-studied thermal community

Molecular methods are beginning to reveal inhabitants of natural microbial communities which have never before been cultured. Our approach involves selective cloning of naturally occurring 16S rRNA sequences as cDNA, and comparison of these sequences to a database which includes 16S rRNA sequences of isolated community members. We provide here an overview of the method and its potential for community analysis. A 16S rRNA sequence retrieved from the well-studied hot spring cyanobacterial mat in Octopus Spring (Yellowstone National Park) is shown as an example of one contributed by an uncultured member of the community.     

Enrichment culture and microscopy conceal diverse thermophilic Synechococcus populations in a single hot spring microbial mat habitat

Recent molecular studies have shown a great disparity between naturally occurring and cultivated microorganisms. We investigated the basis for disparity by studying thermophilic unicellular cyanobacteria whose morphologic simplicity suggested that a single cosmopolitan species exists in hot spring microbial mats worldwide. We found that partial 16S rRNA sequences for all thermophilic Synechococcus culture collection strains from diverse habitats are identical. Through oligonucleotide probe analysis and cultivation, we provide evidence that this species is strongly selected for in laboratory culture to the exclusion of many more-predominant cyanobacterial species coexisting in the Octopus Spring mat in Yellowstone National Park. The phylogenetic diversity among Octopus Spring cyanobacteria is of similar magnitude to that exhibited by all cyanobacteria so far investigated. We obtained axenic isolates of two predominant cyanobacterial species by diluting inocula prior to enrichment. One isolate has a 16S rRNA sequence we have not yet detected by cloning. The other has a 16S rRNA sequence identical to a new cloned sequence we report herein. This is the first cultivated species whose 16S rRNA sequence has been detected in this mat system by cloning. We infer that biodiversity within this community is linked to guild structure.     

Enrichment culture and microscopy conceal diverse thermophilic Synechococcus populations in a single hot spring microbial mat habitat.

Recent molecular studies have shown a great disparity between naturally occurring and cultivated microorganisms. We investigated the basis for disparity by studying thermophilic unicellular cyanobacteria whose morphologic simplicity suggested that a single cosmopolitan species exists in hot spring microbial mats worldwide. We found that partial 16S rRNA sequences for all thermophilic Synechococcus culture collection strains from diverse habitats are identical. Through oligonucleotide probe analysis and cultivation, we provide evidence that this species is strongly selected for in laboratory culture to the exclusion of many more-predominant cyanobacterial species coexisting in the Octopus Spring mat in Yellowstone National Park. The phylogenetic diversity among Octopus Spring cyanobacteria is of similar magnitude to that exhibited by all cyanobacteria so far investigated. We obtained axenic isolates of two predominant cyanobacterial species by diluting inocula prior to enrichment. One isolate has a 16S rRNA sequence we have not yet detected by cloning. The other has a 16S rRNA sequence identical to a new cloned sequence we report herein. This is the first cultivated species whose 16S rRNA sequence has been detected in this mat system by cloning. We infer that biodiversity within this community is linked to guild structure.     

16S rRNA sequences reveal uncultured inhabitants of a well-studied thermal community

Abstract Molecular methods are beginning to reveal inhabitants of natural microbial communities which have nerver before been cultured. Our approach involves selective cloning of naturally occurring 16S rRNA sequences as cDNA, and comparison of these sequences to a database which includes 16S rRNA sequences of isolated community members. We provide here an overview of the method and its potential for community analysis. A 16S rRNA sequence retrieved from the well-studied hot spring cyanobacterial mat in Octopus Spring (Yellowstone National Park) is shown as an example of one contributed by an uncultured member of the community.     

Cultivation of aerobic chemoorganotrophic proteobacteria and gram-positive bacteria from a hot spring microbial mat.

The diversity of aerobic chemoorganotrophic bacteria inhabiting the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat community (Yellowstone National Park) was examined by using serial-dilution enrichment culture and a variety of enrichment conditions to cultivate the numerically significant microbial populations. The most abundant bacterial populations cultivated from dilutions to extinction were obtained from enrichment flasks which contained 9.0 x 10(2) primary producer (Synechococcus spp.) cells in the inoculum. Two isolates exhibited 16S rRNA nucleotide sequences typical of beta-proteobacteria. One of these isolates contained a 16S rRNA sequence identical to a sequence type previously observed in the mat by molecular retrieval techniques. Both are distantly related to a new sequence directly retrieved from the mat and contributed by a beta-proteobacterial community member. Phenotypically diverse gram-positive isolates genetically similar to Bacillus flavothermus were obtained from a variety of dilutions and enrichment types. These isolates exhibited identical 16S rRNA nucleotide sequences through a variable region of the molecule. Of the three unique sequences observed, only one had been previously retrieved from the mat, illustrating both the inability of the cultivation methods to describe the composition of a microbial community and the limitations of the ability of molecular retrieval techniques to describe populations which may be less abundant in microbial communities.     

Effect of temperature and light on growth of and photosynthesis by Synechococcus isolates typical of those predominating in the octopus spring microbial mat community of Yellowstone National Park

Previous molecular analysis of the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat revealed numerous genetically distinct 16S rRNA sequences from predominant Synechococcus populations distantly related to the readily cultivated unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus lividus. Patterns in genotype distribution relative to temperature and light conditions suggested that the organisms contributing these 16S rRNA sequences may fill distinct ecological niches. To test this hypothesis, Synechococcus isolates were cultivated using a dilution and filtration approach and then shown to be genetically relevant to natural mat populations by comparisons of similarities of 16S rRNA genes and 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Most isolates were identical or nearly identical at both loci to predominant mat genotypes; others showed 1- to 2-nucleotide differences at the 16S rRNA locus and even greater difference in ITS sequences. Isolates with predominant mat genotypes had distinct temperature ranges and optima for growth that were consistent with their distributions in the mat. Isolates with genotypes not previously detected or known to be predominant in the mat exhibited temperature ranges and optima that were not representative of predominant mat populations and also grew more slowly. Temperature effects on photosynthesis did not reflect temperature relations for growth. However, the isolate with the highest temperature optimum and upper limit was capable of performing photosynthesis at a higher temperature than other isolates. Growth rate and photosynthetic responses provided evidence for light acclimation but evidence of, at best, only subtle light adaptation.     

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis used to monitor the enrichment culture of aerobic chemoorganotrophic bacteria from a hot spring cyanobacterial mat.

Previous studies investigating microbial diversity in the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat community (Yellowstone National Park) have shown a discrepancy between bacterial populations observed by molecular retrieval and cultivation techniques. To investigate how selective enrichment culture techniques affect species composition, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) separation of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments to monitor the populations contained within enrichment cultures of aerobic chemoorganotrophic bacteria from the ca. 50 degrees C region of the mat community. By varying the degree of dilution of the inoculum, medium composition, and enrichment conditions and duration and by analyzing the cultures by DGGE, we detected 14 unique 16S rRNA sequence types. These corresponded to alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-proteobacteria, Thermus relatives, and gram-positive bacteria with high G + C ratio and, at the highest inoculum dilutions, Chloroflexus aurantiacus relatives, which were estimated to still be approximately 300 times less abundant than cells of the mat primary producer, Synechococcus spp. Only three of these populations were previously cultivated on solidified medium after similar enrichment. Only two of these population have 16S rRNA sequences which were previously cloned directly from the mat. These results reveal a diversity of bacterial populations in enrichment culture which were not detected by either molecular retrieval or strain purification techniques.     

Effect of Temperature and Light on Growth of and Photosynthesis by Synechococcus Isolates Typical of Those Predominating in the Octopus Spring Microbial Mat Community of Yellowstone National Park

Previous molecular analysis of the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat revealed numerous genetically distinct 16S rRNA sequences from predominant Synechococcus populations distantly related to the readily cultivated unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus lividus. Patterns in genotype distribution relative to temperature and light conditions suggested that the organisms contributing these 16S rRNA sequences may fill distinct ecological niches. To test this hypothesis, Synechococcus isolates were cultivated using a dilution and filtration approach and then shown to be genetically relevant to natural mat populations by comparisons of similarities of 16S rRNA genes and 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Most isolates were identical or nearly identical at both loci to predominant mat genotypes; others showed 1- to 2-nucleotide differences at the 16S rRNA locus and even greater difference in ITS sequences. Isolates with predominant mat genotypes had distinct temperature ranges and optima for growth that were consistent with their distributions in the mat. Isolates with genotypes not previously detected or known to be predominant in the mat exhibited temperature ranges and optima that were not representative of predominant mat populations and also grew more slowly. Temperature effects on photosynthesis did not reflect temperature relations for growth. However, the isolate with the highest temperature optimum and upper limit was capable of performing photosynthesis at a higher temperature than other isolates. Growth rate and photosynthetic responses provided evidence for light acclimation but evidence of, at best, only subtle light adaptation.     

A Natural View of Microbial Biodiversity within Hot Spring Cyanobacterial Mat Communities

This review summarizes a decade of research in which we have used molecular methods, in conjunction with more traditional approaches, to study hot spring cyanobacterial mats as models for understanding principles of microbial community ecology. Molecular methods reveal that the composition of these communities is grossly oversimplified by microscopic and cultivation methods. For example, none of 31 unique 16S rRNA sequences detected in the Octopus Spring mat, Yellowstone National Park, matches that of any prokaryote previously cultivated from geothermal systems; 11 are contributed by genetically diverse cyanobacteria, even though a single cyanobacterial species was suspected based on morphologic and culture analysis. By studying the basis for the incongruity between culture and molecular samplings of community composition, we are beginning to cultivate isolates whose 16S rRNA sequences are readily detected. By placing the genetic diversity detected in context with the well-defined natural environmental gradients typical of hot spring mat systems, the relationship between gene and species diversity is clarified and ecological patterns of species occurrence emerge. By combining these ecological patterns with the evolutionary patterns inherently revealed by phylogenetic analysis of gene sequence data, we find that it may be possible to understand microbial biodiversity within these systems by using principles similar to those developed by evolutionary ecologists to understand biodiversity of larger species. We hope that such an approach guides microbial ecologists to a more realistic and predictive understanding of microbial species occurrence and responsiveness in both natural and disturbed habitats.     

Seasonal distributions of dominant 16S rRNA-defined populations in a hot spring microbial mat examined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene segments was used to examine the distributions of bacterial populations within a hot spring microbial mat (Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park). Populations at sites along the thermal gradient of the spring's effluent channel were surveyed at seasonal intervals. No shift in the thermal gradient was detected, and populations at spatially or temperature-defined sites exhibited only slight changes over the annual sampling period. A new cyanobacterial 16S rRNA sequence type was detected at temperatures from 63 to 75 degrees C. A new green nonsulfur bacterium-like sequence type was also detected at temperatures from 53 to 62 degrees C. Genetically unique though closely related cyanobacterial and green nonsulfur bacterium-like populations were successively distributed along the thermal gradient of the Octopus Spring effluent channel. At least two cyanobacterial populations were detected at each site; however, a limited ability to detect some cyanobacterial populations suggests that only dominant populations were observed.     

Biodiversity within hot spring microbial mat communities: molecular monitoring of enrichment cultures

We have begun to examine the basis for incongruence between hot spring microbial mat populations detected by cultivation or by 16S rRNA methods. We used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) to monitor enrichments and isolates plated therefrom. At near extincting inoculum dilutions we observed Chloroflexus-like and cyanobacterial populations whose 16S rRNA sequences have been detected in the New Pit Spring Chloroflexus mat and the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat. Cyanobacterial populations enriched from 44 to 54°C and 56 to 63°C samples at near habitat temperatures were similar to those previously detected in mat samples of comparable temperatures. However, a lower temperature enrichment from the higher temperature sample selected for the populations found in the lower temperature sample. Three Thermus populations detected by both DGGE and isolation exemplify even more how enrichment may bias our view of community structure. The most abundant population was adap ted to the habitat temperature (50°C), while populations adapted to 65°C and 70°C were 102- and 104-fold less abundant, respectively. However, enrichment at 70°C favored the least abundant strain. Inoculum dilution and incubation at the habitat temperature favored the more numerically relevant populations. We enriched many other aerobic chemoorganotropic populations at various inoculum dilutions and substrate concentrations, most of whose 16S rRNA sequences have not been detected in mats. A common feature of numerically relevant cyanobacterial, Chloroflexus-like and aerobic chemorganotrophic populations, is that they grow poorly and resist cultivation on solidified medium, suggesting plating bias, and that the medium composition and incubation conditions may not reflect the natural microenvironments these populations inhabit.     

Analysis of a marine picoplankton community by 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing.

The phylogenetic diversity of an oligotrophic marine picoplankton community was examined by analyzing the sequences of cloned ribosomal genes. This strategy does not rely on cultivation of the resident microorganisms. Bulk genomic DNA was isolated from picoplankton collected in the north central Pacific Ocean by tangential flow filtration. The mixed-population DNA was fragmented, size fractionated, and cloned into bacteriophage lambda. Thirty-eight clones containing 16S rRNA genes were identified in a screen of 3.2 x 10(4) recombinant phage, and portions of the rRNA gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. The resulting sequences were used to establish the identities of the picoplankton by comparison with an established data base of rRNA sequences. Fifteen unique eubacterial sequences were obtained, including four from cyanobacteria and eleven from proteobacteria. A single eucaryote related to dinoflagellates was identified; no archaebacterial sequences were detected. The cyanobacterial sequences are all closely related to sequences from cultivated marine Synechococcus strains and with cyanobacterial sequences obtained from the Atlantic Ocean (Sargasso Sea). Several sequences were related to common marine isolates of the gamma subdivision of proteobacteria. In addition to sequences closely related to those of described bacteria, sequences were obtained from two phylogenetic groups of organisms that are not closely related to any known rRNA sequences from cultivated organisms. Both of these novel phylogenetic clusters are proteobacteria, one group within the alpha subdivision and the other distinct from known proteobacterial subdivisions. The rRNA sequences of the alpha-related group are nearly identical to those of some Sargasso Sea picoplankton, suggesting a global distribution of these organisms.     

Complex polar lipids of a hot spring cyanobacterial mat and its cultivated inhabitants

The complex polar lipids of the hot spring cyanobacterial mat in the 50 to 55 degrees C region of Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park, and of thermophilic bacteria cultivated from this or similar habitats, were compared in an attempt to understand the microbial sources of the major lipid biomarkers in this community. Intact complex lipids were analyzed directly by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS), two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and combined TLC-FAB-MS. FAB-MS and TLC gave qualitatively similar results, suggesting that the mat contains major lipids most like those of the cyanobacterial isolate we studied, Synechococcus sp. strain Y-7c-s. These include monoglycosyl, diglycosyl, and sulfoquinosovyl diglycerides (MG, DG, and SQ, respectively) and phosphatidyl glycerol (PG). Though Chloroflexus aurantiacus also contains MG, DG, and PG, the fatty acid chain lengths of mat MGs, DGs, and PGs resemble more those of cyanobacterial than green nonsulfur bacterial lipids. FAB-MS spectra of the lipids of nonphototrophic bacterial isolates were distinctively different from those of the mat and phototrophic isolates. The lipids of these nonphototrophic isolates were not detected in the mat, but most could be detected when added to mat samples. The mat also contains major glycolipids and aminophospholipids of unknown structure and origin. FAB-MS and TLC did not always give quantitatively similar results. In particular, PG and SQ may give disproportionately high FAB-MS responses.     

Comparative microbial diversity analyses of modern marine thrombolitic mats by barcoded pyrosequencing

Thrombolites are unlaminated carbonate structures that form as a result of the metabolic interactions of complex microbial mat communities. Thrombolites have a long geological history; however, little is known regarding the microbes associated with modern structures. In this study, we use a barcoded 16S rRNA gene-pyrosequencing approach coupled with morphological analysis to assess the bacterial, cyanobacterial and archaeal diversity associated with actively forming thrombolites found in Highborne Cay, Bahamas. Analyses revealed four distinct microbial mat communities referred to as black, beige, pink and button mats on the surfaces of the thrombolites. At a coarse phylogenetic resolution, the domain bacterial sequence libraries from the four mats were similar, with Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria being the most abundant. At the finer resolution of the rRNA gene sequences, significant differences in community structure were observed, with dramatically different cyanobacterial communities. Of the four mat types, the button mats contained the highest diversity of Cyanobacteria, and were dominated by two sequence clusters with high similarity to the genus Dichothrix, an organism associated with the deposition of carbonate. Archaeal diversity was low, but varied in all mat types, and the archaeal community was predominately composed of members of the Thaumarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. The morphological and genetic data support the hypothesis that the four mat types are distinctive thrombolitic mat communities.     

Phylogenetic diversity of winter bacterioplankton of eutrophic siberian reservoirs as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequence

Using 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses we investigated the bacterial diversity of winter bacterioplankton of two eutrophic Siberian reservoirs. These reservoirs show similarity in phytoplankton community composition in spring and autumn but tend to differ in summer in exhibiting cyanobacterial bloom. Forty-eight unique partial 16S RNA gene sequences retrieved from two libraries were mostly affiliated with the class Actinobacteria, b subdivision of the class Proteobacteria, and the phylum Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides. The clone library of the pond exhibiting summer cyanobacterial bloom showed more diversity in sequence composition. A significant number of bacterial 16S rRNA gene clones were closely related to freshwater bacteria previously found in different aquatic ecosystems. This finding confirms the assumption that some bacterial clades are globally distributed.     

Complex polar lipids of a hot spring cyanobacterial mat and its cultivated inhabitants.

The complex polar lipids of the hot spring cyanobacterial mat in the 50 to 55 degrees C region of Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park, and of thermophilic bacteria cultivated from this or similar habitats, were compared in an attempt to understand the microbial sources of the major lipid biomarkers in this community. Intact complex lipids were analyzed directly by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS), two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and combined TLC-FAB-MS. FAB-MS and TLC gave qualitatively similar results, suggesting that the mat contains major lipids most like those of the cyanobacterial isolate we studied, Synechococcus sp. strain Y-7c-s. These include monoglycosyl, diglycosyl, and sulfoquinosovyl diglycerides (MG, DG, and SQ, respectively) and phosphatidyl glycerol (PG). Though Chloroflexus aurantiacus also contains MG, DG, and PG, the fatty acid chain lengths of mat MGs, DGs, and PGs resemble more those of cyanobacterial than green nonsulfur bacterial lipids. FAB-MS spectra of the lipids of nonphototrophic bacterial isolates were distinctively different from those of the mat and phototrophic isolates. The lipids of these nonphototrophic isolates were not detected in the mat, but most could be detected when added to mat samples. The mat also contains major glycolipids and aminophospholipids of unknown structure and origin. FAB-MS and TLC did not always give quantitatively similar results. In particular, PG and SQ may give disproportionately high FAB-MS responses.