活性污泥微生物解壳聚糖松江菌中菌胶团形成相关大型基因簇的鉴定和分析

【背景】活性污泥法已广泛应用于城市污水和工业废水的处理,微生物菌胶团的形成在污泥通过重力沉淀实现泥水分离和污泥回用的过程中起着重要作用。从西安北石桥污水处理厂活性污泥中分离到一株菌胶团形成菌XHY-A6,经鉴定为解壳聚糖松江菌(Mitsuariachitosanitabida)。【目的】旨在揭示该株解壳聚糖松江菌菌胶团形成相关的基因及其菌胶团形成机制。【方法】结合分子遗传学,包括转座子插入突变技术和遗传互补分析以及基因组学方法分析与菌胶团形成相关的基因和基因簇。【结果】通过转座子插入突变技术获得了两株菌胶团形成缺陷的突变株,转座子插入位点在糖基转移酶(称为gt3)和多糖链长决定蛋白(wzz)基因内,且这两个基因位于一个与菌胶团形成相关的大型基因簇内,该基因簇内还包括与胞外多糖生物合成和分泌相关的基因、epsB2-prsK-psrR-prsT基因以及一个编码PEP-CTERM蛋白A的基因,遗传互补分析证明gt3基因、wzz基因及其下游wzc基因在菌胶团形成过程中是必需的。【结论】松江菌中菌胶团形成和调控机制极可能与活性污泥优势菌动胶菌(Zoogloea)非常相似,即由胞外多糖和PEP-CTERM家族胞外蛋白质共同介导。从武汉二郎庙、汤逊湖和深圳南山污水处理厂活性污泥中分离纯化出松江菌,这些松江菌属细菌可以用于富含几丁质和壳聚糖的市政污水和虾蟹类食品加工废水的净化和资源化利用。     

活性污泥菌胶团/生物絮团形成菌的分离鉴定及基因组分析

从云南省泸西县的污水处理厂分离到一株菌胶团形成菌YN12, 经过鉴定与象牙白伪杜擀氏菌(Pseudoduganella eburnea)10R5-21T模式株具有较近的亲缘关系, 属于同一物种。为揭示该菌株与其他活性污泥细菌间菌胶团形成机制及碳源利用方面的异同, 对该菌株进行全基因组测序、组装、注释及比较基因组学分析。结果表明: P. eburnea YN12株基因组大小约为5934 kb, G+C含量为63.9%, 包含5313个蛋白质编码序列, 具有与喜树脂动胶菌(Zoogloea resiniphila)MMB株、解叔丁醇水居菌(Aquincola tertiaricarbonis)RN12株及解壳聚糖松江菌(Mitsuaria chitosanitabida)XHY-A6株相似的胞外多糖生物合成途径、PrsK-PrsR双组分系统和PEP-CTERM胞外蛋白家族, 共同介导和调控的菌胶团形成机制。与后者相比, 菌株YN12中胞外多聚物(Extracellular polymeric substances, EPS)形成相关基因集中在大小约为72 kb的大型基因簇上, 且能吸收利用的碳源特别是单糖、二糖和多糖更为丰富多样。同时, 我们还从河流及养殖水体中也分离到象牙白伪杜擀氏菌, 这些菌株可用于生物絮团技术(Biofloc Technology), 改善水产养殖水质。     

植物乳杆菌C88胞外多糖生物合成基因的克隆及序列比对

乳酸菌胞外多糖能显著改善发酵乳制品及食品的流变学和质构特性.为进一步了解乳酸菌胞外多糖的生物合成途径及调控机制,本研究对参与植物乳杆菌C88胞外多糖生物合成基因簇的部分序列进行了克隆和鉴定.根据GenBank中已报道植物乳杆菌基因序列的保守区域设计特异性引物,扩增出植物乳杆菌C88生物合成蛋白基因(cps4A)序列,并通过染色体步移方法克隆了植物乳杆菌C88 参与胞外多糖合成基因簇的部分序列(4.9 kb).利用生物信息学方法预测基因簇中6个阅读框的结构和功能,结果表明该序列与已报道的乳酸杆菌胞外多糖生物合成基因具有高度的同源性(>96%);对各阅读框功能预测分析发现,这6个基因主要编码参与胞外多糖合成中的多糖合成蛋白、糖链长度检测蛋白、UDP-葡萄糖-4-异构酶和糖基转移酶.本研究将为利用基因工程方法调控多糖的合成和产量提供理论依据.     

细菌胞外多糖的生物合成与基因控制

细菌胞外多糖是指细菌在生长发育过程中合成并分泌到细胞外的长链,高分子糖类聚合物。细菌胞外多糖的生物合成途径涉及装配、多聚化及运输三个过程,是多种酶和转运系统的结果,其发生的部位包括胞内和胞外,有些合成过程会发生在细胞壁上,对于胞外多糖合成相关基因的报道,发现控制胞外多糖合成是一大类基因簇,不同的菌株其基因簇的数量和种类各不相同。这些研究的不断更新为将来胞外多糖的应用提供了更加广阔的前景。     

嗜热链球菌IMAU20246胞外多糖基因簇及其表达分析北大核心

【目的】嗜热链球菌IMAU20246是一株具有良好发酵特性且高产胞外多糖(exopolysaccharides,EPS)的菌株,但其EPS基因簇及合成途径尚不清晰。因此可通过全基因组测序及生物信息学分析菌株基因组序列,探究EPS合成及调控机制。【方法】本实验对嗜热链球菌IMAU20246进行全基因组测序并进行生物信息学分析,解析EPS生物合成相关基因簇及EPS合成途径,同时采用实时荧光定量PCR技术(quantitative real-time PCR,qRT-PCR)对其不同时间点EPS基因簇的表达进行定量分析。【结果】嗜热链球菌IMAU20246基因组中有一个18.1 kb的EPS生物合成基因簇,编码15个与EPS生物合成相关的基因。嗜热链球菌IMAU20246通过转运葡萄糖、甘露糖、果糖、半乳糖、乳糖、海藻糖、纤维二糖及蔗糖合成UDP-葡萄糖、dTDP-葡萄糖、dTDP-鼠李糖、UDP-半乳糖、UDP-呋喃半乳糖、UDP-N-乙酰葡萄糖胺和UDP-N-乙酰半乳糖胺等7种糖核苷酸。qRT-PCR的结果表明,EPS基因簇中的基因在细胞生长阶段均能表达,特别是糖基转移酶基因epsE、epsF、epsH和epsJ在培养6 h时表达量最高,此时EPS产量达到最高。【结论】本研究从基因组解析了嗜热链球菌IMAU20246 EPS基因簇及其合成途径,为菌株的进一步开发提供了理论依据。     

细菌胞外多糖生物合成转录调控因子研究进展

细菌胞外多糖(Exopolysaccharide,EPS)因其独特的理化特性和生理活性,在食品、制药和化工等领域广泛应用。在食品行业中,黄原胶、结冷胶和热凝胶等细菌EPS备受青睐。转录调控因子能在转录水平上调控eps基因的表达,影响细菌EPS的生物合成。目前细菌EPS转录调控因子的研究报道较少,且多数已知的EPS转录因子调控机制尚未阐明。本文总结了近年来细菌EPS调控因子的研究进展,重点介绍其研究方法和调控机制,以期为细菌EPS转录调控研究提供借鉴。     

假单胞菌生物被膜核心胞外多糖生物合成系统研究进展

胞外多糖是假单胞菌生物被膜的重要组成部分,能增强菌体对外界环境、抗菌剂和宿主防御的耐受性.假单胞菌能产生3种与生物被膜形成密切相关的核心胞外多糖:褐藻胶、Psl和Pel,它们在细菌细胞中的合成和转运分别依赖对应的褐藻胶、Psl和Pel生物合成系统.因此,本综述系统全面地总结了假单胞菌3种胞外多糖生物合成系统结构生物学的...     

精氨酸代谢调控蛋白ArgR调控嗜热链球菌胞外多糖合成

[目的] 研究精氨酸代谢调控蛋白ArgR对嗜热链球菌胞外多糖（EPS）合成的调控作用。[方法] 利用大肠杆菌异源表达嗜热链球菌ArgR蛋白,通过尿素变性-复性和Ni²⁺亲和层析纯化。采用凝胶电泳迁移（EMSA）和生物膜层干涉（BLI）分析ArgR和eps基因簇中P_epsA启动子的相互作用和动力学信息。构建过表达和弱化argR基因菌株,利用苯酚-硫酸法测定其合成EPS差异。[结果] 大肠杆菌异源表达的ArgR为包涵体,使用尿素变性-复性纯化可获得2.95 mg/mL可溶性蛋白;EMSA和BLI结果显示ArgR和启动子P_epsA有特异性结合,且结合因解离水平低而稳定;过表达argR基因可显著降低嗜热链球菌EPS合成,而弱化argR基因则提高EPS合成。[结论] 本研究表明ArgR能特异性结合嗜热链球菌eps基因簇启动子,并负调控EPS生物合成。     

活性污泥污水处理系统中胞外多聚物的作用及提取方法

活性污泥污水处理系统依靠微生物代谢作用净化污水。活性污泥胞外多聚物(extracellular polymeric substances,EPS)对水中污染物的去除及污泥的絮凝、沉降、脱水性能都有着重要作用,从而影响活性污泥污水处理系统的稳定运行和性能改进。本文综述了活性污泥污水处理系统中EPS维持系统的功能作用,并对目前常见的多种活性污泥EPS提取方法进行了比较。不同的提取方法显著影响EPS的组成成分和数量,从而影响活性污泥的物理化学性质。最佳的EPS提取方法是指既能获得高的EPS数量又对污泥微生物细胞破坏最小的方法。EPS提取方法的标准化是研究活性污泥胞外多聚物的基础。根据研究目的选用适宜的EPS提取方法是阐明EPS在污水生物处理系统中的作用、改善活性污泥性能的基础。     

The half-saturation coefficient for dissolved oxygen: A dynamic method for its determination and its effect on dual species competition

A simple approach was developed to determine the half-saturation coefficient for dissolved oxygen (K(DO)) for three bacteria by maintaining a constant oxygen concentration in continuous culture, and employing a dynamic method to obtain the specific growth rate (mu) for each species. Measurement of mu at selected dissolved oxygen concentrations (DO) resulted in a typical Monod curve for a plot of mu vs. DO. Values for K(DO) and mu(max) were obtained from the Lineweaver-Burk reciprocal plot. The bacteria studied included representative strains of three microorganisms isolated in pure culture from poorly settling activated sludge: two filamentous microorganisms, Sphaerotilus natans and a second Sphaerotilus sp., and an unidentified floc-forming microorganism. The K(DO) values obtained for Sphaerotilus sp., S. natans, and the floc former were 0.014, 0.033, and 0.073 mg/L, respectively. Dual species competition experiments were conducted in continuous culture under low and high DO conditions. Successful growth competition by these microorganisms under DO-limiting conditions was consistent with experimentally determined K(DO) values. The finding of lower K(DO) values for the two Sphaerotilus species, compared to the floc former, confirmed the hypothesis that these filamentous microorganisms can outgrow floc-forming microorganisms in activated sludge when DO in the aeration basin is low.     

The Removal of Nitrate from Solution by Floc-forming Bacteria on Decomposing Cellulose Particles

S ummary : Cellulose particles in aerated liquid medium inoculated with activated sludge quickly became enveloped in floccular microbial growth (cellulose floc) able to assimilate nitrate rapidly from solution. Sedimenting the floc removed assimilated nitrogen, excess cellulose and biomass. At 18 and 22°, nitrate was removed from solution at 1·76 and 1·83 μg of nitrate-N/ml/h, respectively. Similar results were found with floc formed by a cellulose decomposing isolate and some noncellulolytic floc-forming bacterial contaminants. Washed preformed cellulose floc removed nitrate from dilute solution at 0·89 μg of nitrate-N/ml/h at pH 7·1–8·6. The C : N ratio of the supernatant fluid changed rapidly as nitrate became exhausted; the significance of this is considered in relation to complete removal of C and N by further biological oxidation.     

Quantification of Hyphomicrobium populations in activated sludge from an industrial wastewater treatment system as determined by 16S rRNA analysis

The bacterial community structure of the activated sludge from a 25 million-gal-per-day industrial wastewater treatment plant was investigated using rRNA analysis. 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) libraries were created from three sludge samples taken on different dates. Partial rRNA gene sequences were obtained for 46 rDNA clones, and nearly complete 16S rRNA sequences were obtained for 18 clones. Seventeen of these clones were members of the beta subdivision, and their sequences showed high homology to sequences of known bacterial species as well as published 16S rDNA sequences from other activated sludge sources. Sixteen clones belonged to the alpha subdivision, 7 of which showed similarity to Hyphomicrobium species. This cluster was chosen for further studies due to earlier work on Hyphomicrobium sp. strain M3 isolated from this treatment plant. A nearly full-length 16S rDNA sequence was obtained from Hyphomicrobium sp. strain M3. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Hyphomicrobium sp. strain M3 was 99% similar to Hyphomicrobium denitrificans DSM 1869(T) in Hyphomicrobium cluster II. Three of the cloned sequences from the activated sludge samples also grouped with those of Hyphomicrobium cluster II, with a 96% sequence similarity to that of Hyphomicrobium sp. strain M3. The other four cloned sequences from the activated sludge sample were more closely related to those of the Hyphomicrobium cluster I organisms (95 to 97% similarity). Whole-cell fluorescence hybridization of microorganisms in the activated sludge with genus-specific Hyphomicrobium probe S-G-Hypho-1241-a-A-19 enhanced the visualization of Hyphomicrobium and revealed that Hyphomicrobium appears to be abundant both on the outside of flocs and within the floc structure. Dot blot hybridization of activated sludge samples from 1995 with probes designed for Hyphomicrobium cluster I and Hyphomicrobium cluster II indicated that Hyphomicrobium cluster II-positive 16S rRNA dominated over Hyphomicrobium cluster I-positive 16S rRNA by 3- to 12-fold. Hyphomicrobium 16S rRNA comprised approximately 5% of the 16S rRNA in the activated sludge.     

Oxidation of hydrogen sulfide by flocculated Thiobaccillus denitrificans in a continuous culture

In a continuous fermentation, significant advantages may be gained by immobilization of microbial cells. Immobilization allows cells to be retained in the fermenter or to be readily recovered and recycled. Therefore, the hydraulic retention time and the biomass retention time are decoupled. A novel cell immobilization has been developed for the immobilization of autotrophic bacteria by coculture with floc-forming heterotrophic bacteria with growth of the latter limited by the availability of organic carbon. The result is an immobilization matrix which grows along with the immobilized autotroph. We have previously demonstrated the utility of this approach by immobilizing the chemoautotroph Thiobacillus denitrificans in macroscopic floc by coculture with floc-forming heterotrophs from an activated sludge treatment facility. Floc with excellent settling characteristics were produced. These floc have now been used to remove H(2)S from a gas stream bubbled through continuous cultures. The stoichiometry and kinetics of H(2)S oxidation by immobilized T. denitrificans were comparable to that reported previously for free-cell cultures. Oxygen uptake measurements indicated the growth of both T. denitrificans and the heterotrophs although the medium contained no added organic carbon. Continuous cultures with total biomass recycle were maintained for up to four months indicating the long-term stability of the commensal relationship between the immobilized autotroph and the heterotrophs which composed the immobilization matrix. It was observed that at any given H(2)S loading the biomass concentration reached a maximum and leveled out. The ultimate biomass concentration was dependent upon the H(2)S feed rate.     

Formation of cellulose fibrils by gram-negative bacteria and their role in bacterial flocculation

Summary Exocellular fibrils, consisting of true cellulose, were found to be produced by many bacteria. These bacteria have been selected out of a large number of strains isolated from activated sludge on the basis of their flocculent growth habit in liquid medium.The amount of cellulose, present in the bacterial flocs, varied from 1.0 to 4.0%. In addition to strains isolated from activated sludge, like Pseudomonas, Achromobacter, Alcaligenes and Aerobacter, also strains of the genera Rhizobium, Agrobacterium and Azotobacter were found to give flocculent growth due to the formation of cellulose fibrils.Bacterial flocculation in pure cultures of the strains examined was mainly caused by the production of exocellular fibrils. Apparently, the formation of cellulose fibrils seems to be a common property of Gram-negative, floc-forming bacteria, and may not be restricted to Acetobacter xylinum.     

The Microbiota and Abundance of the Class 1 Integron-Integrase Gene in Tropical Sewage Treatment Plant Influent and Activated Sludge

Bacteria are assumed to efficiently remove organic pollutants from sewage in sewage treatment plants, where antibiotic-resistance genes can move between species via mobile genetic elements known as integrons. Nevertheless, few studies have addressed bacterial diversity and class 1 integron abundance in tropical sewage. Here, we describe the extant microbiota, using V6 tag sequencing, and quantify the class 1 integron-integrase gene (intI1) in raw sewage (RS) and activated sludge (AS). The analysis of 1,174,486 quality-filtered reads obtained from RS and AS samples revealed complex and distinct bacterial diversity in these samples. The RS sample, with 3,074 operational taxonomic units, exhibited the highest alpha-diversity indices. Among the 25 phyla, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes represented 85% (AS) and 92% (RS) of all reads. Increased relative abundance of Micrococcales, Myxococcales, and Sphingobacteriales and reduced pathogen abundance were noted in AS. At the genus level, differences were observed for the dominant genera Simplicispira and Diaphorobacter (AS) as well as for Enhydrobacter (RS). The activated sludge process decreased (55%) the amount of bacteria harboring the intI1 gene in the RS sample. Altogether, our results emphasize the importance of biological treatment for diminishing pathogenic bacteria and those bearing the intI1 gene that arrive at a sewage treatment plant.     

Bacteria and microeukaryotes are differentially segregated in sympatric wastewater microhabitats

Wastewater purification is mostly performed in activated sludge reactors by bacterial and microeukaryotic communities, populating organic flocs and a watery liquor. While there are numerous molecular community studies of the bacterial fraction, those on microeukaryotes are rare. We performed a year-long parallel 16S rRNA gene and 18S rRNA-gene based analysis of the bacterial and of the microeukaryote communities, respectively, of physically separated flocs and particle-free liquor samples from three WWTPs. This uncovered a hitherto unknown large diversity of microeukaryotes largely composed of potential phagotrophs preferentially feeding on either bacteria or other microeukaryotes. We further explored whether colonization of the microhabitats was selective, showing that for both microbial communities, different but often closely taxonomically and functionally related populations exhibiting different dynamic patterns populated the microhabitats. An analysis of their between plants-shared core populations showed the microeukaryotes to be dispersal limited in comparison to bacteria. Finally, a detailed analysis of a weather-caused operational disruption in one of the plants suggested that the absence of populations common to the floc and liquor habitat may negatively affect resilience and stability.