CARD-FISH技术及其在微生物生态学研究中的应用

催化报告沉积荧光原位杂交技术(Catalyzed reporter deposition-fluorescence in situ hybridization,CARDFISH)是基于传统的FISH技术发展而来,由于其较高的灵敏度及稳定性,可以检测微生物的rRNA、mRNA和DNA上的目标基因等,获得环境微生物的群落及功能信息,现已成为微生物生态学研究领域中的重要技术手段。近些年,CARD-FISH与同位素示踪技术、纳米二次离子质谱技术(Nano SIMS)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、流式细胞仪等技术方法的联合使用,不仅可以研究复杂环境中微生物的物种组成、数量及其高分辨形态学信息,而且可以获得微生物在单细胞水平的生理代谢信息及其活性,对在单细胞水平认识原位环境微生物的生理生态功能具有重要意义。本文重点介绍了CARD-FISH的技术路线和要点,并探讨CARD-FISH与相关技术联用在环境微生物生态学研究中的应用及进展。     

多环芳烃(PAHs)微生物降解的原位表征方法

多环芳烃(polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,PAHs)是一类在环境中广泛存在的持久性有机污染物,微生物降解是去除环境中多环芳烃污染的主要途径。传统的有关PAHs微生物降解的研究主要依靠分离培养技术,难以准确认识PAHs微生物降解的原位过程及机制。近年来发展起来的原位表征方法可以在基因及单细胞水平研究PAHs在复杂环境中的微生物降解过程,能够原位表征具有PAHs降解功能的微生物及其功能基因和代谢活性,是阐明PAHs原位降解过程及分子机制的强有力的手段。该文综述了宏基因组技术(meta-genomics)、稳定同位素探针技术(stable isotope probe,SIP)、荧光原位杂交技术(fluorescence in situ hybridization,FISH)、拉曼光谱技术(Raman spectra)以及二次离子质谱技术(secondary ion mass spectrometry,SIMS)等原位表征技术在PAHs微生物降解研究领域的应用及其存在的问题和发展趋势等。PAHs微生物降解过程及机制的原位表征将为缓解与修复PAHs污染提供科学基础。     

单细胞稳定同位素标记技术在固氮微生物中的应用研究

生物固氮是指固氮微生物将大气中氮气还原为生物可利用氨的过程,是环境中新氮的主要来源,调控初级生产力并影响氮储库的收支平衡。由于环境中大部分固氮微生物不可纯培养,不依赖培养且具有高空间分辨率水平的单细胞技术,成为研究固氮微生物的有力手段。~(15)N_2稳定同位素标记技术,以微生物对~(15)N的同化量或速率为依据,是表征微生物固氮活性的最直接手段。本文对~(15)N_2稳定同位素标记结合两种单细胞技术,即纳米二次离子质谱(Nano SIMS)和单细胞拉曼光谱,用于固氮微生物研究的最新进展进行了综述,内容包括揭示环境中高活性固氮微生物、空间分布、与其他生物的共生关系、细胞生理状态等,并进一步对近期发展的基于单细胞拉曼光谱的固氮微生物研究进行了展望。     

分子生物学方法在环境微生物生态学中的应用研究进展

随着分子生物学方法的不断发展和改进,微生物在生态系统中的作用被更好的挖掘出来。目前快速发展的先进的分子生物学技术,已经开始应用于分析环境微生物的多样性、微生物的生物地理学及微生物对气候变化的响应等。一般环境微生物的研究目标主要有3个,即确定微生物的种类和多样性、微生物的功能或潜在作用及在特定时间点活跃的微生物等。然而,现有微生物的研究方法复杂多样,容易给研究者在方法的选择上带来困惑。将从微生物的多样性和功能研究两个方面介绍和分析相应的分子生物学方法,尤其是近年来快速发展的高通量测序、宏组学和单细胞水平研究方法(如纳米二次离子质谱与荧光原位杂交相结合的方法)等新技术及其应用情况,以期为研究者选择合适的研究方法进行环境微生物的研究提供依据。     

运用结构光照明的活细胞超高分辨率成像技术

<正>进入21世纪以来出现了多种超高分辨率荧光成像技术,打破了光学分辨率的极限,将光学分辨率提高到几十纳米的尺度,可以用来观察精细的细胞内器官的结构和位置信息,因此被广泛地应用于生物学研究中.超高分辨率荧光成像技术主要分为三大类,基于受激发射光淬灭(stimulated emission depletion,STED)技术,基于单分子开关的超高分辨率定位技术(包括光激活定位显微成像术     

碳同位素示踪技术及其在陆地生态系统碳循环研究中的应用与展望

碳同位素示踪技术具有高度的专一性和灵敏度, 经过几十年的发展, 形成了一系列成熟的标记方法, 在陆地生态系统碳循环过程的研究中已得到广泛应用。目前, 自然丰度法、与¹³C贫化示踪技术结合的自由空气中气体浓度增加(FACE)实验、脉冲与连续标记法以及碳同位素高丰度底物富集标记法是研究陆地生态系统碳循环过程常用的碳同位素示踪方法; 通过将长期定位实验和室内模拟实验结合, 量化光合碳在植物-土壤系统的传输与分配特征, 明确植物光合碳对土壤有机质的来源、稳定化过程的影响及其微生物驱动机制; 阐明土壤碳动态变化(迁移与转化)和新碳与老碳对土壤碳库储量的相对贡献, 评估有机碳输入、转化与稳定的生物与非生物微观界面过程机制。然而, 生态系统碳循环受气候、植被、人为活动等多因素影响, 碳同位素技术需要结合质谱、光谱技术实现原位示踪, 结合分子生物学技术阐明其微生物驱动机制, 从而构建灵敏、准确、多尺度、多方位的同位素示踪技术体系。因此, 该文以稳定碳同位素为主, 综述了碳同位素示踪技术的原理、分析方法和在陆地生态系统碳循环过程中的应用进展, 归纳总结了碳同位素示踪技术结合原位检测技术和分子生物学技术的研究进展和应用前景, 并对碳同位素示踪技术存在的问题进行了分析和展望。     

碳同位素示踪技术及其在陆地生态系统碳循环研究中的应用与展望

碳同位素示踪技术具有高度的专一性和灵敏度,经过几十年的发展,形成了一系列成熟的标记方法,在陆地生态系统碳循环过程的研究中已得到广泛应用。目前,自然丰度法、与13C贫化示踪技术结合的自由空气中气体浓度增加(FACE)实验、脉冲与连续标记法以及碳同位素高丰度底物富集标记法是研究陆地生态系统碳循环过程常用的碳同位素示踪方法;通过将长期定位实验和室内模拟实验结合,量化光合碳在植物-土壤系统的传输与分配特征,明确植物光合碳对土壤有机质的来源、稳定化过程的影响及其微生物驱动机制;阐明土壤碳动态变化(迁移与转化)和新碳与老碳对土壤碳库储量的相对贡献,评估有机碳输入、转化与稳定的生物与非生物微观界面过程机制。然而,生态系统碳循环受气候、植被、人为活动等多因素影响,碳同位素技术需要结合质谱、光谱技术实现原位示踪,结合分子生物学技术阐明其微生物驱动机制,从而构建灵敏、准确、多尺度、多方位的同位素示踪技术体系。因此,该文以稳定碳同位素为主,综述了碳同位素示踪技术的原理、分析方法和在陆地生态系统碳循环过程中的应用进展,归纳总结了碳同位素示踪技术结合原位检测技术和分子生物学技术的研究进展和应用前景,并对碳同位素示踪技术存在的问题进行了分析和展望。     

二次离子显微镜及其在生物医学中的应用

二次离子显微镜是由离子源激发样品表面原子产生二次离子,通过质谱仪将不同原子产生的离子分离并在显示系统上成像,以确定不同元素在样品中的分布图。较高的图像分辨率(0.5—1μm)和极高的灵敏度(浓度低于10^-19g/μm³)使得生物样品含有极低浓度甚至是痕迹量的元素分析成为可能。目前,二次离子显微镜已广泛应用于细胞生物学、核医学、植物生理学和人类病理学等领域。     

农田作物同化碳输入与周转的生物地球化学过程

作物同化碳在“大气-植物-土壤”系统中流通的生物地球化学过程,显著影响全球陆地生态系统碳循环过程。作物同化碳是土壤有机碳的重要来源,与根际环境及作物生长发育有密切联系,但由于其复杂性和多变性,作物生长期内同化碳在土壤中的分配、转化与稳定的机理尚不十分清楚。因此,综述了作物同化碳向土壤碳库输入及其对土壤有机碳库的贡献,在土壤碳库中的分配与转化特征,在土壤中流通的微生物机制以及同化碳在土壤-微生物系统分配、稳定的微观机制。探讨同化碳在地上部-根际-土壤系统中的分配及调节机制,土壤界面同化碳流动过程与土壤微生物多样性形成的关系;提出了在不同生态系统尺度上加强作物同化碳在土壤-作物系统中分配过程的定量研究对于明确陆地生态碳循环过程的重要意义;指出了研究作物同化碳向土壤碳库迁移、分配定量过程与机制的重要性,以及应用显微镜成像技术与同位素示踪技术相结合的纳米二次离子质谱技术、和微生物分子与群落生态相偶联的技术是未来研究作物同化碳生物地球化学特性的有效手段。     

二次谐波成像技术及其在胶原蛋白研究中的应用

二次谐波成像技术具有空间分辨率高、生物样本无需进行荧光标记、对样本光损伤小且穿透力强等优点,被广泛应用于生物学成像领域。本文介绍了二次谐波成像技术的特性,并对二次谐波成像和双光子荧光成像进行了比较,着重介绍了二次谐波成像技术在胶原蛋白研究及医学研究中的广泛应用。最后展望了二次谐波成像技术在生物成像领域的发展和前景。     

A critical review of NanoSIMS in analysis of microbial metabolic activities at single-cell level

Over 3.8 billion years of evolution has enabled many microbial species a versatile metabolism. However, limited by experimental methods, some unique metabolism remains unknown or unclear. A major obstacle is to attribute the incorporation of certain nutrients into a noncultivable species out of a complex microbial community. Such difficulty could be solved if we are able to directly observe substrate uptake at the single-cell level. Nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) is a powerful tool for revealing element distribution in nanometer-scale resolution in the fields such as material sciences, geosciences and astronomy. In this review, we focus on another applicability of NanoSIMS in microbiology. In such fields, physiological properties and metabolic activities of microorganisms can be revealed with a single-cell scale resolution by NanoSIMS solely or in combination with other techniques. This review will highlight the features of NanoSIMS in analyzing the metabolic activities of carbon, nitrogen, metal irons by mixed-culture assemblies. Some values of NanoSIMS in environmental microbiology are expected to be discussed via this review.     

Simultaneous analysis of microbial identity and function using NanoSIMS

Identifying the function of uncultured microbes in their environments today remains one of the main challenges for microbial ecologists. In this article, we describe a new method allowing simultaneous analysis of microbial identity and function. This method is based on the visualization of oligonucleotide probe-conferred hybridization signal in single microbial cells and isotopic measurement using high-resolution ion microprobe (NanoSIMS). In order to characterize the potential of the method, an oligonucleotide containing iodized cytidine was hybridized on fixed cells of Escherichia coli cultured on media containing different levels of ¹³C or ¹⁵N. Iodine signals could clearly be localized on targeted cells and the isotopic enrichment could be monitored at the single-cell level. The applicability of this new technique to the study of in situ ecophysiology of uncultured microorganisms within complex microbial communities is illustrated.     

Gold-ISH: A nano-size gold particle-based phylogenetic identification compatible with NanoSIMS

The linkage of microbial phylogenetic and metabolic analyses by combining ion imaging analysis with nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) has become a powerful means of exploring the metabolic functions of environmental microorganisms. Phylogenetic identification using NanoSIMS typically involves probing by horseradish peroxidase-mediated deposition of halogenated fluorescent tyramides, which permits highly sensitive detection of specific microbial cells. However, the methods require permeabilization of target microbial cells and inactivation of endogenous peroxidase activity, and the use of halogens as the target atom is limited because of heavy background signals due to the presence of halogenated minerals in soil and sediment samples. Here, we present “Gold-ISH,” a non-halogen phylogenetic probing method in which oligonucleotide probes are directly labeled with Undecagold, an ultra-small gold nanoparticle. Undecagold-labeled probes were generated using a thiol-maleimide chemical coupling reaction and they were purified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The method was optimized with a mixture of axenic ¹³C-labeled Escherichia coli and Methanococcus maripaludis cells and applied to investigate sulfate-reducing bacteria in an anaerobic sludge sample. Clear gold-derived target signals were detected in microbial cells using NanoSIMS ion imaging. It was concluded that Gold-ISH can be a useful approach for metabolic studies of naturally occurring microbial ecosystems using NanoSIMS.     

Linking environmental processes to the in situ functioning of microorganisms by high‐resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and scanning transmission X‐ray microscopy (STXM)

Environmental microbiology research increasingly focuses on the single microbial cell as the defining entity that drives environmental processes. The interactions of individual microbial cells with each other, the environment and with higher organisms shape microbial communities and control the functioning of whole ecosystems. A single‐cell view of microorganisms in their natural environment requires analytical tools that measure both cell function and chemical speciation at the submicrometre scale. Here we review the technical capabilities and limitations of high‐resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and scanning transmission (soft) X‐ray microscopy (STXM) and give examples of their applications. Whereas NanoSIMS can be combined with isotope‐labelling, thereby localizing the distribution of cellular activities (e.g. carbon/nitrogen fixation/turnover), STXM provides information on the location and chemical speciation of metabolites and products of redox reactions. We propose the combined use of both techniques and discuss the technical challenges of their joint application. Both techniques have the potential to enhance our understanding of cellular mechanisms and activities that contribute to microbially mediated processes, such as the biogeochemical cycling of elements, the transformation of contaminants and the precipitation of mineral phases.     

Supported membrane composition analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry with high lateral resolution

The lateral organization of lipid components within membranes is usually investigated with fluorescence microscopy, which, though highly sensitive, introduces bulky fluorophores that might alter the behavior of the components they label. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy performed with a NanoSIMS 50 instrument also provides high lateral resolution and sensitivity, and many species can be observed in parallel without the use of bulky labels. A tightly focused beam (approximately 100 nm) of Cs ions is scanned across a sample, and up to five of the resulting small negative secondary ions can be simultaneously analyzed by a high-resolution mass spectrometer. Thin layers of (15)N- and (19)F-labeled proteins were microcontact-printed on an oxidized silicon substrate and imaged using the NanoSIMS 50, demonstrating the sensitivity and selectivity of this approach. Supported lipid bilayers were assembled on an oxidized silicon substrate, then flash-frozen and freeze-dried to preserve their lateral organization. Lipid bilayers were analyzed with the NanoSIMS 50, where the identity of each specific lipid was determined through detection of its unique secondary ions, including (12)C(1)H(-), (12)C(2)H(-), (13)C(-), (12)C(14)N(-), and (12)C(15)N(-). Steps toward obtaining quantitative composition analysis of lipid membranes that varied spatially in isotopic composition are presented. This approach has the potential to provide a composition-specific analysis of membrane organization that compliments other imaging modalities.     

Linking Microbial and Ecosystem Ecology Using Ecological Stoichiometry: A Synthesis of Conceptual and Empirical Approaches

Currently, one of the biggest challenges in microbial and ecosystem ecology is to develop conceptual models that organize the growing body of information on environmental microbiology into a clear mechanistic framework with a direct link to ecosystem processes. Doing so will enable development of testable hypotheses to better direct future research and increase understanding of key constraints on biogeochemical networks. Although the understanding of phenotypic and genotypic diversity of microorganisms in the environment is rapidly accumulating, how controls on microbial physiology ultimately affect biogeochemical fluxes remains poorly understood. We propose that insight into constraints on biogeochemical cycles can be achieved by a more rigorous evaluation of microbial community biomass composition within the context of ecological stoichiometry. Multiple recent studies have pointed to microbial biomass stoichiometry as an important determinant of when microorganisms retain or recycle mineral nutrients. We identify the relevant cellular components that most likely drive changes in microbial biomass stoichiometry by defining a conceptual model rooted in ecological stoichiometry. More importantly, we show how X-ray microanalysis (XRMA), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectroscopy (NanoSIMS), Raman microspectroscopy, and in situ hybridization techniques (for example, FISH) can be applied in concert to allow for direct empirical evaluation of the proposed conceptual framework. This approach links an important piece of the ecological literature, ecological stoichiometry, with the molecular front of the microbial revolution, in an attempt to provide new insight into how microbial physiology could constrain ecosystem processes.     

Heavy water and 15N labelling with NanoSIMS analysis reveals growth rate‐dependent metabolic heterogeneity in chemostats

To measure single‐cell microbial activity and substrate utilization patterns in environmental systems, we employ a new technique using stable isotope labelling of microbial populations with heavy water (a passive tracer) and ¹⁵N ammonium in combination with multi‐isotope imaging mass spectrometry. We demonstrate simultaneous NanoSIMS analysis of hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen at high spatial and mass resolution, and report calibration data linking single‐cell isotopic compositions to the corresponding bulk isotopic equivalents for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Our results show that heavy water is capable of quantifying in situ single‐cell microbial activities ranging from generational time scales of minutes to years, with only light isotopic incorporation (～0.1 atom % ²H). Applying this approach to study the rates of fatty acid biosynthesis by single cells of S. aureus growing at different rates in chemostat culture (～6 h, 1 day and 2 week generation times), we observe the greatest anabolic activity diversity in the slowest growing populations. By using heavy water to constrain cellular growth activity, we can further infer the relative contributions of ammonium versus amino acid assimilation to the cellular nitrogen pool. The approach described here can be applied to disentangle individual cell activities even in nutritionally complex environments.     

Isotopic tracing reveals single-cell assimilation of a macroalgal polysaccharide by a few marine Flavobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria

Algal polysaccharides constitute a diverse and abundant reservoir of organic matter for marine heterotrophic bacteria, central to the oceanic carbon cycle. We investigated the uptake of alginate, a major brown macroalgal polysaccharide, by microbial communities from kelp-dominated coastal habitats. Congruent with cell growth and rapid substrate utilization, alginate amendments induced a decrease in bacterial diversity and a marked compositional shift towards copiotrophic bacteria. We traced ¹³C derived from alginate into specific bacterial incorporators and quantified the uptake activity at the single-cell level, using halogen in situ hybridization coupled to nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (HISH-SIMS) and DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP). Cell-specific alginate uptake was observed for Gammaproteobacteria and Flavobacteriales, with carbon assimilation rates ranging from 0.14 to 27.50 fg C µm⁻³ h⁻¹. DNA-SIP revealed that only a few initially rare Flavobacteriaceae and Alteromonadales taxa incorporated ¹³C from alginate into their biomass, accounting for most of the carbon assimilation based on bulk isotopic measurements. Functional screening of metagenomic libraries gave insights into the genes of alginolytic Alteromonadales active in situ. These results highlight the high degree of niche specialization in heterotrophic communities and help constraining the quantitative role of polysaccharide-degrading bacteria in coastal ecosystems.Subject terms: Water microbiology, Microbial ecology, Marine microbiology, Biogeochemistry, Microbial ecology