Microbial communities in wetlands of the Athabasca oil sands: genetic and metabolic characterization

Naphthenic acids are a complex family of naturally occurring cyclic and acyclic carboxylic acids that are present in the acidic fraction of petroleum. Naphthenic acids are acutely toxic to aquatic organisms. Previous studies showed that wetland sediments exposed to oil sands process water containing naphthenic acids had higher rates of naphthenic acid degradation in vitro compared with unexposed wetlands. In this study we compare the microbial community structures in sediments from wetlands exposed to different amounts of oil sands process water using BIOLOG, phospholipid fatty acid analysis and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of total bacterial DNA. Community profiles were compared using cluster analysis. BIOLOG profiles were primarily influenced by seasonal trends rather than naphthenic acids content. In contrast, phospholipid fatty acid analysis comparisons clustered communities that had higher levels of residual oil, although this association was not strong. In contrast, cluster diagrams produced from the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis data clearly separated bacterial communities according to naphthenic acids concentrations, indicating that naphthenic acids content was a major influence on the composition of the bacterial community. In addition, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles indicated that naphthenic acids-exposed bacterial communities were homogeneous on a scale of meters, whereas unexposed (off-site) wetlands were less homogeneous.     

Effect of antibiotics on the bacterial population of the rabbit caecum

The effect feeding antibiotics has on the bacterial population of the rabbit caecum was investigated. No changes in total volatile fatty acid production or total bacterial counts were observed compared with nonantibiotic treated controls. However, treatment with chlortetracycline resulted in an increase of propionate at the apparent cost of butyrate (P<0.05). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that the two antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis (chlortetracycline and tiamulin) exerted the most similar changes on the bacterial population structure, decreasing the diversity of the profiles. Sequence analysis of DNA from excised denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis bands was carried out. The majority of the sequences observed were most similar to bacterial sequences previously described in other gut environments, with 11% being most similar to those previously reported from the rabbit, and 95% of the sequences having 95% or greater identity to sequences already in GenBank.     

耕作和施肥对不同深度黑土中细菌群落结构的影响

【目的】为探讨耕作和施加有机肥、化肥对黑土表层(0-30cm)、中层(100-130cm)及深层(200-230cm)细菌群落结构的影响,【方法】应用DGGE技术对相应土层中细菌群落结构进行了解析。【结果】结果表明,与对照相比,耕作和施加有机肥、化肥对表层黑土细菌群落结构影响较大,二者差异度为4%;而对中层和深层细菌群落结构影响较小,二者差异度为2%。对于细菌群落结构的垂向变化,中层和深层中细菌群落结构的相似性远远高于同表层的相似性。【结论】可见,耕作和施加有机肥、化肥仅对黑土表层土壤(0-30cm)具有一定的影响,而对100cm以下土壤细菌群落影响较小,细菌群落随土壤深度不同的垂向变化要远高于土壤管理措施造成的影响。     

Electrophoresis time impacts the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis-based assessment of bacterial community structure

We investigated the impact of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) run time on the assessment of bacterial community structure. Results indicated that increased electrophoresis run time (while maintaining 1000 volt-hours) resulted in dissimilar profiles, likely due to instability of the denaturing gradient. We recommend that DGGE run times be minimized to provide optimal band resolution, as extended electrophoresis times can greatly impact subsequent band-based analyses.     

Biodegradation of Phenanthrene by a Halophilic Bacterial Consortium Under Aerobic Conditions

A halophilic bacterial consortium that degraded phenanthrene was developed from oil-contaminated saline soil containing 10% salinity. The biodegradation of phenanthrene occurred at 5%, 10%, and 15% salinity, whereas no biodegradation took place at 0.1% and 20% salinity. A 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that all sequences from the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profile were similar to those of halophilic bacteria. This is the first report of a halophilic bacterial consortium capable of degrading phenanthrene under hypersaline conditions.     

PCR-DGGE analysis of bacterial population attached to the bovine rumen wall

We isolated and amplified by PCR 16S rDNA from bacteria attached to the bovine rumen wall and analyzed it by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with subsequent sequence analysis. The attached bacterial community differed from the bacteria of rumen content; however, no differences were observed among the five epithelial sampling sites taken from each animal. The DGGE profile of the bacterial population attached to the rumen wall represented a high inter-animal variation.     

利用时间进程法优化活性污泥DG-DGGE图谱

目的:为了探讨电泳时间对双梯度-变性梯度凝胶电泳(DG-DGGE)分析活性污泥样品时的影响。方法:提取污泥DNA后,以通用引物338f/534r扩增16S rDNA序列,采用时间进程法优化PCR扩增产物的DG-DGGE分离效果。结果:采用不同电泳时间进行DGGE分析时,DGGE图谱存在显著的差异。16S rDNA V3区(200 bp)在凝胶梯度6%~12%,变性剂梯度30%~60%时,在200V电压下,最佳电泳时间为5h。     

Comparative analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis in separating Escherichia coli uidA amplicons differing in single base substitutions

A set of Escherichia coli freshwater isolates was chosen to compare the effectiveness of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) vs temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) for separating homologous amplicons from the respective uidA region differing in one to seven single base substitutions. Both methods revealed congruent results but DGGE showed a five to eight times higher spatial separation of the uidA amplicons as compared with TTGE, although the experiments were performed at comparable denaturing gradients. In contrast to TTGE, DGGE displayed clear and focused bands. The results strongly indicated a significantly higher discrimination efficiency of the spatial chemical denaturing gradient as compared with the temporal temperature denaturing gradient for separating the uidA amplicons. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis proved to be highly efficient in the differentiation of E. coli uidA sequence types.     

Structure of bacterial communities in diverse freshwater habitats

The structures and dynamics of bacterial communities from raw source water, groundwater, and drinking water before and after filtration were studied in four seasons of a year, with culture-independent methods. Genomic DNA from water samples was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction?- denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis system and by cloning of the 16S rRNA gene. Water samples exhibited complex denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis genetic profiles composed of many bands, corresponding to a great variety of bacterial taxa. The bacterial communities of different seasons from the four sampling sites clustered into two major groups: (i) water before and after filtration, and (ii) source water and groundwater. Phylogenetic analyses of the clones from the autumn sampling revealed 13 phyla, 19 classes, and 155 operational taxonomic units. Of the clones, 66% showed less than 97% similarities to known bacterial species. Representatives of the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were found at all four sampling sites. Species belonging to the phylum Firmicutes were an important component of the microbial community in filtered water. Representatives of Enterobacteriaceae were not detected, indicating the absence of fecal pollution in the drinking water. Differences were found in the bacterial populations that were sampled from the same sites in different seasons. Each water habitat had a unique bacterial profile. Drinking water harbors diverse and dynamic microbial communities, part of which may be active and resilient to chlorine disinfection. This study provides, for the first time, basic data for uncultivable drinking water bacteria in Israel.     

PCR-DGGE对长江河口八种野生鱼类肠道菌群多样性的比较研究

目的分析长江河口捕获的8种野生鱼类的肠道菌群多样性的差异并观察这种差异与食性的联系。方法采用PCR-DGGE(denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis)技术,DGGE图谱用PCA(principal component analy-sis)方法进行分析。结果建立了长江口8种鱼野生条件下肠道菌群的DGGE指纹图谱,观察到它们在野生条件下的肠道菌群的差异。其中,营底栖生活的舌鰕虎鱼的肠道菌群和其他7种野生鱼有着明显的差异,其他7种鱼的肠道菌群多样性的差异与它们的食性差异相关。结论PCR-DGGE技术是一种能够快速有效地分析研究鱼类肠道菌群结构的技术。8种野生鱼的肠道菌群的结构有明显的差别,并且食性差异大的鱼类之间肠道菌群差异也     

不同覆土基质微生物结构特征研究及其对双孢蘑菇产量的影响

覆土是影响双孢蘑菇产量、质量和出菇整齐度的重要因子,利用现代分子生态学的方法快速、准确地对不同覆土基质微生物结构特征进行检测,以进一步了解微生物群落与双孢蘑菇相互作用关系。测定了不同覆土的理化特性,应用PCR技术对不同覆土材料提取总DNA,扩增细菌16S rDNA和真菌28S rDNA,运用变性梯度凝胶电泳技术对PCR产物进行分析,研究双孢蘑菇不同覆土基质微生物结构特征。结果表明：不同处理的覆土材料微生物群落的基因具有多样性,其中细菌群落基因多样性存在差异,使用纯泥炭与粉碎稻草处理差异最大,相似性仅为62%;通过真菌28S rDNA变性梯度凝胶电泳结果显示,粉碎稻草处理多样性指数最高,达3.576,但随着泥炭比例的提高,覆土处理中真菌群落的多样性相对减少;栽培试验发现,双孢蘑菇子实体形成量、总产量可能与覆土中的真菌群落多样性呈负相关。     

Phylogenetic analysis of bacteria associated with Laminaria saccharina

Bacterial communities associated with the brown alga Laminaria saccharina from the Baltic Sea and from the North Sea were investigated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. The rhizoid, cauloid, meristem and phyloid revealed different 16S rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis banding patterns indicating a specific association of bacterial communities with different parts of the alga. Associations with cauloid and meristem were more specific, while less specific associations were obtained from the old phyloid. In addition, seasonal and geographical differences in the associated communities were observed. Results from 16S rRNA gene libraries supported these findings. Bacterial phylotypes associated with the alga were affiliated with the Alphaproteobacteria (nine phylotypes), Gammaproteobacteria (nine phylotypes) and the Bacteroidetes group (four phylotypes). A number of bacteria associated with other algae and other marine macroorganisms were among the closest relatives of phylotypes associated with L. saccharina.     

Performance and Microbial Diversity of a Trickle‐Bed Air Biofilter under Interchanging Contaminants

A trickle‐bed air biofilter (TBAB) was evaluated under conditions of interchanging the feed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the sequence methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK), styrene, and then back to MEK. The obtained performance results revealed that the biofilter provided high removal efficiency within the critical loading of each VOC, which was previously defined in the non‐interchanging VOC fed biofilter. The biofilter easily acclimated to the oxygenated compounds (MEK and MIBK), but re‐acclimation was delayed for the aromatic compounds (toluene and styrene). Ratios of the molar mass of CO₂ produced per molar mass of VOC removed were investigated. It has been found that the ratios for the aromatic compounds closely resembled the theoretical complete chemical oxidation based ratios while larger differences were encountered with the oxygenated compounds. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of 16S rRNA genes was used to assess the impact of interchanging VOCs on the bacterial community structure in the biofilter. The results from denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that the structure of the microbial community in the biofilter was different after each interchange of VOCs.     

Expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant human flotillin-1 in Escherichia coli

Human flotillin-1 (reggie-2), a major hydrophobic protein of biomembrane microdomain lipid rafts, was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli with four different fusion tags (hexahistidine, glutathione S-transferase, NusA, and thioredoxin) to increase the yield. The best expressed flotillin-1 with thioredoxin tag was solubilized from inclusion bodies, first purified by immobilized metal affinity column under denaturing condition and direct refolded on column by decreasing urea gradient method. The thioredoxin tag was cleaved by thrombin, and the flotillin-1 protein was further purified by anion exchanger and gel filtration column. The purified protein was verified by denaturing gel electrophoresis and Western blot. The typical yield was 3.4 mg with purity above 98% from 1L culture medium. Using pull-down assay, the interaction of both the recombinant flotillin-1 and the native flotillin-1 from human erythrocyte membranes with c-Cbl-associated protein or neuroglobin was confirmed, which demonstrated that the recombinant proteins were functional active. This is the first report describing expression, purification, and characterization of active recombinant raft specific protein in large quantity and highly purity, which would facilitate further research such as X-ray crystallography.     

Competitive PCR-DGGE analysis of bacterial mixtures: an internal standard and an appraisal of template enumeration accuracy

Analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified 16S rDNA fragments from environmental samples by denaturing gradients of chemicals or heat [denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and thermal gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE)] within polyacrylamide gels is a popular tool in microbial ecology. Difficulties in acceptance of the technique and interpretation of the results remain, due to its qualitative nature. In this study we have addressed this problem by the construction and evaluation of a quantitative standard for incorporation into test DNA samples. The standard was based on a naturally occurring 16S rRNA gene carried by the X-endosymbiont of the psyllid Anomoneura mori, a gamma-proteobacterium. This sequence is the most AT-rich 16S rDNA gene recovered from any cultured organism or environmental sample described to date, and a specifically amplified rDNA fragment denatured under exceptionally low stringency denaturing conditions. The native sequence was modified to incorporate perfect matches to the PCR primers used. The efficiency of amplification of this standard in comparison to a range of 16S rDNA sequences and the errors involved in enumerating template molecules under a range of PCR conditions are demonstrated and quantified. Tests indicated that highly accurate counts of released target molecules from a range of bacterial cells could be achieved in both laboratory mixtures and compost.     

Composition of the bacterial biota in slime developed in two machines at a Canadian paper mill

During the process of papermaking by pulp and paper plants, a thick and viscous deposits, termed slime, is quickly formed around the paper machines, which can affect the papermaking process. In this study, we explored the composition of the bacterial biota in slime that developed on shower pipes from 2 machines at a Canadian paper mill. Firstly, the composition was assessed for 12 months by DNA profiling with polymerase chain reaction coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Except for short periods (2-3 months), clustered analyses showed that the bacterial composition of the slime varied substantially over the year, with less than 50% similarity between the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles. Secondly, the screening of 16S rRNA gene libraries derived from 2 slime samples showed that the most abundant bacteria were related to 6 lineages, including Chloroflexi, candidate division OP10, Clostridiales, Bacillales, Burkholderiales, and the genus Deinococcus. Finally, the proportion of 8 bacterial lineages, such as Deinococcus sp., Meiothermus sp., and Chloroflexi, was determined by the Catalyzed Reporter Deposition-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization in 2 slime samples. The results showed a high proportion of Chloroflexi, Tepidimonas spp., and Schlegelella spp. in the slime samples.     

大连长山群岛海岸带沉积物微生物群落结构特征

【目的】为揭示海岸带微生物群落结构在人类活动影响下的分布差异及对环境因子变化的响应趋势,【方法】本实验采用t-RFLP和DGGE技术,对大连长山群岛不同功能类型海岸潮间带沉积物中的微生物群落结构特征进行比对和分析,并通过16S rRNA基因文库解析养殖污染站位的微生物群落结构特征。【结果】T-RFLP的t-RF分析显示,养殖污染严重站位的微生物丰度、香农指数和均匀度明显高于其它站位。通过对t-RFLP色谱峰和DGGE图谱聚类分析发现,处于旅游区的2个站位微生物群落结构相似度较高,养殖区随污染程度加重与旅游区的群落结构差异增大。对污染严重站位建立的克隆文库显示变形菌门(Proteobacteria)为优势菌群,其中γ-变形菌门是主要存在的亚门微生物。【结论】T-RFLP和DGGE技术从不同方面反映了环境中的微生物群落结构特征,研究结果表明养殖污染区的微生物群落结构发生明显变化,其影响大于地理隔离效应,污染严重区域的微生物群落中存在大量肠杆菌属,且多个物种与富营养化和赤潮相关联,如拟杆菌门和α-变形细菌红细菌目的细菌。     

Bacterial discrimination by means of a universal array approach mediated by LDR (ligase detection reaction)

Background  

PCR amplification of bacterial 16S rRNA genes provides the most comprehensive and flexible means of sampling bacterial communities. Sequence analysis of these cloned fragments can provide a qualitative and quantitative insight of the microbial population under scrutiny although this approach is not suited to large-scale screenings. Other methods, such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, heteroduplex or terminal restriction fragment analysis are rapid and therefore amenable to field-scale experiments. A very recent addition to these analytical tools is represented by microarray technology.     

Genetic evidence for highly diversified bacterial populations in wastewater sludge during biological leaching of metals

By coupling the sensitivity of 16S rRNA gene amplification by PCR (<30 bacteria/ml), and the resolution of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), we studied the bacterial populations involved in the metal biological leaching of wastewater sludge. We were thus able to enumerate more than 20 different bands, revealing a bacterial diversity undetected by cultivation techniques.