Microbial diversity of extant stromatolites in the hypersaline marine environment of Shark Bay, Australia

Stromatolites have been present on Earth, at various levels of distribution and diversity, for more than 3 billion years. Today, the best examples of stromatolites forming in hypersaline marine environments are in Hamelin Pool at Shark Bay, Western Australia. Despite their evolutionary significance, little is known about their associated microbial communities. Using a polyphasic approach of culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, we report the discovery of a wide range of microorganisms associated with these biosedimentary structures. There are no comparable reports combining these methodologies in the survey of cyanobacteria, bacteria, and archaea in marine stromatolites. The community was characterized by organisms of the cyanobacterial genera Synechococcus, Xenococcus, Microcoleus, Leptolyngbya, Plectonema, Symploca, Cyanothece, Pleurocapsa and Nostoc. We also report the discovery of potentially free-living Prochloron. The other eubacterial isolates and clones clustered into seven phylogenetic groups: OP9, OP10, Marine A group, Proteobacteria, Low G+C Gram-positive, Planctomycetes and Acidobacteria. We also demonstrate the presence of sequences corresponding to members of halophilic archaea of the divisions Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota and methanogenic archaea of the order Methanosarcinales. This is the first report of such archaeal diversity from this environment. This study provides a better understanding of the microbial community associated with these living rocks.     

新疆阿牙克库木湖可培养嗜盐古菌的种群结构

从新疆南部的阿牙克库木湖采集了19个水样和15个土样,分离培养嗜盐微生物。采用PCR方法获取其中62株嗜盐古菌16S rRNA基因序列。序列分析结果表明,分离到的菌株分属6个属,占已报道嗜盐古菌属总数的27%,其中以Halorubrum和Natrinema属的菌株为优势菌株。通过Shannon多样性指数分析发现,阿牙克库木湖冬春两季嗜盐古菌多样性差异不明显。研究还发现4个嗜盐古菌新物种,表明阿牙克库木湖蕴藏着具有地域特点的嗜盐古菌资源。     

Halophilic archaea in the human intestinal mucosa

The human gastrointestinal tract microbiota, despite its key roles in health and disease, remains a diverse, variable and poorly understood entity. Current surveys reveal a multitude of undefined bacterial taxa and a low diversity of methanogenic archaea. In an analysis of the microbiota in colonic mucosal biopsies from patients with inflammatory bowel disease we found 16S rDNA sequences representing a phylogenetically rich diversity of halophilic archaea from the Halobacteriaceae (haloarchaea), including novel phylotypes. As the human colon is not considered a salty environment and haloarchaea are described as extreme halophiles, we evaluated and further discarded the possibility that these sequences originated from pre‐colonoscopy saline lavage solutions. Furthermore, aerobic enrichment cultures prepared from a patient biopsy at low salinity (2.5% NaCl) yielded haloarchaeal sequence types. Microscopic observation after fluorescence in situ hybridization provided evidence of the presence of viable archaeal cells in these cultures. These results prove the survival of haloarchaea in the digestive system and suggest that they may be members of the mucosal microbiota, even if present in low numbers in comparison with methanogenic archaea. Investigation of a potential physiological basis of this association may lead to new insights into gastrointestinal health and disease.     

内蒙古锡林浩特地区嗜盐古菌多样性的研究

从内蒙古锡林浩特地区3个不同的盐湖中共分离到165株古菌,通过ARDRA分析后得到不同的类群,从各个类群中随机选取1~2个代表菌株进行16S rDNA序列测定和系统发育的分析。结果表明分离的菌株分布在Halorubrum,Natronococcus,Natronorubrum,Haloterrigena,Halorhabdus,Halobiforma,Haloarcula,Haloferax8个属和另外两个分支中,表现了锡林浩特地区嗜盐古菌的多样性。部分菌株的16S rDNA序列同源性低于97%,可能是潜在的新属或新种,代表了该地区嗜盐古菌的独特类型。     

Metabolism of halophilic archaea

In spite of their common hypersaline environment, halophilic archaea are surprisingly different in their nutritional demands and metabolic pathways. The metabolic diversity of halophilic archaea was investigated at the genomic level through systematic metabolic reconstruction and comparative analysis of four completely sequenced species: Halobacterium salinarum, Haloarcula marismortui, Haloquadratum walsbyi, and the haloalkaliphile Natronomonas pharaonis. The comparative study reveals different sets of enzyme genes amongst halophilic archaea, e.g. in glycerol degradation, pentose metabolism, and folate synthesis. The carefully assessed metabolic data represent a reliable resource for future system biology approaches as it also links to current experimental data on (halo)archaea from the literature. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Comparative Characterization of the Microbial Diversities of an Artificial Microbialite Model and a Natural Stromatolite

Microbialites are organosedimentary structures that result from the trapping, binding, and lithification of sediments by microbial mat communities. In this study we developed a model artificial microbialite system derived from natural stromatolites, a type of microbialite, collected from Exuma Sound, Bahamas. We demonstrated that the morphology of the artificial microbialite was consistent with that of the natural system in that there was a multilayer community with a pronounced biofilm on the surface, a concentrated layer of filamentous cyanobacteria in the top 5 mm, and a lithified layer of fused oolitic sand grains in the subsurface. The fused grain layer was comprised predominantly of the calcium carbonate polymorph aragonite, which corresponded to the composition of the Bahamian stromatolites. The microbial diversity of the artificial microbialites and that of natural stromatolites were also compared using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The ARISA profiling indicated that the Shannon indices of the two communities were comparable and that the overall diversity was not significantly lower in the artificial microbialite model. Bacterial clone libraries generated from each of the three artificial microbialite layers and natural stromatolites indicated that the cyanobacterial and crust layers most closely resembled the ecotypes detected in the natural stromatolites and were dominated by Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria. We propose that such model artificial microbialites can serve as experimental analogues for natural stromatolites.     

Culturable halophilic archaeal diversity of Ayakekumu salt lake located in Xinjiang, China

Molecular diversity of halophilic archaea from Ayakekumu salt lake was investigated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and culture methods. 19 water samples and 15 soil samples were taken from 19 sites within Ayakekumu salt lake in winter and spring. Under aerobic culture conditions, some halophilic microorganisms were isolated by five different media. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of 62 red strains were amplified by using PCR, determined by the DNA sequencer and analyzed through the BLASTn program subsequently. Results revealed that all sequences belonged to six genera grouped within the Halobacteriaceae. Mostly 16S rRNA gene sequences related to the genera Halorubrum (47%) and Natrinema (24%) were detected. Subsequent analysis by using Shannon index indicated that cultured halophilic archaeal diversities are not significantly different between winter and spring samplings in Ayakekumu salt lake. Similarity values of haloarchaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences to known sequences were less than 97%, suggesting the presence of two novel taxa. In addition, taxonomic characteristics of Natrinema altunense and Halobiforma lacisalsi isolated from Ayakekumu salt lake had been described previously. The discovery of the novel species provides new opportunity to further examine the diversity of these halophilic microorganisms in Ayakekumu salt lake.     

Culturable halophilic archaeal diversity of Ayakekumu salt lake located in Xinjiang, China

Molecular diversity of halophilic archaea from Ayakekumu salt lake was investigated by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and culture methods. 19 water samples and 15 soil samples were taken from 19 sites within Ayakekumu salt lake in winter and spring. Under aerobic culture conditions, some halophilic microorganisms were isolated by five different media. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of 62 red strains were amplified by using PCR, determined by the DNA sequencer and analyzed through the BLASTn program subsequently. Results revealed that all sequences belonged to six genera grouped within the Halobacteriaceae. Mostly 16S rRNA gene sequences related to the genera Halorubrum (47%) and Natrinema (24%) were detected. Subsequent analysis by using Shannon index indicated that cultured halophilic archaeal diversities are not significantly different between winter and spring samplings in Ayakekumu salt lake. Similarity values of haloarchaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences to known sequences were less than 97%, suggesting the presence of two novel taxa. In addition, taxonomic characteristics of Natrinema altunense and Halobiforma lacisalsi isolated from Ayakekumu salt lake had been described previously. The discovery of the novel species provides new opportunity to further examine the diversity of these halophilic microorganisms in Ayakekumu salt lake.     

岱山盐场可培养嗜盐菌的多样性及其产酶活性筛选

从岱山盐场采集样品,利用选择性培养基分离培养嗜盐菌,对盐田环境中可培养嗜盐菌的多样性及产酶活性进行研究.共分离得到181株嗜盐菌菌株,通过真细菌和古生菌两对通用引物扩增其16S rRNA 基因,并采用限制性内切酶Hinf I进行ARDRA(amplified rDNA restriction analysis)多态性分析,共分为21个不同的操作分类单元(operation taxonomy units, OTUs),其中嗜盐细菌有12个OTUs,嗜盐古菌有9个OTUs.选取具有不同酶切图谱的代表菌株进行克隆测序,BLAST 比对及系统发育分析将嗜盐细菌归于7个属,其中嗜盐单胞菌属(Halomonas)的菌株数占优势,是嗜盐细菌总数的46.8%;嗜盐古菌归于4个属,盐盒菌属(Haloarcula)的菌株数占优势,是嗜盐古菌总数的49.1%.对分离菌株的产酶活性进行检测表明,岱山盐田环境蕴含丰富的产淀粉酶、蛋白酶和脂肪酶等生物活性酶的嗜盐菌, 其中盐盒菌属产酶菌株数最丰富.研究结果表明,岱山盐田环境中具有较为丰富的嗜盐菌多样性,是筛选产酶菌株的重要资源库.     

Phylogenetic analysis of bacterial populations in waters of the former Texcoco Lake, Mexico

Molecular techniques were used to compare the compositions of the bacterial communities of the 2 following lagoons from the former soda Texcoco Lake, Mexico: the restored Facultativa lagoon and the Nabor Carrillo lagoon. Ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA) revealed that bacterial communities of the 2 lagoons were different and presented a relatively low diversity. Clone libraries of 16S rDNA genes were constructed, and significant phylotypes were distinguished by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). A representative clone from each phylotype was partially sequenced. Molecular identification and phylogenetic analyses based on ribosomal sequences revealed that the Facultativa lagoon harbored mainly gamma- and beta-Proteobacteria, low G+C Gram-positive bacteria, and several members of the Halobacteriaceae family of archaea. The Nabor Carrillo lagoon mainly included typical halophilic and alkaliphilic low G+C Gram-positive bacteria, gamma-Proteobacteria, and beta-Proteobacteria similar to those found in other soda lakes. Several probably noncultured new bacterial species were detected. Three strains were isolated from the Nabor Carrillo lagoon, their partial 16S rDNA sequences were obtained. On this basis, they were identified as Halomonas magadiensis (H1), Halomonas eurihalina (H2), and Staphylococcus sciuri (H3). This is the first study that uses molecular techniques to investigate potential genetic diversity in the Texcoco lakes. In this preliminary evaluation, we infer the presence of alkalophilic, halophilic, or haloalkaliphilic bacteria potentially useful for biotechnology.     

Diversity of Archaea in hypersaline environments characterized by molecular-phylogenetic and cultivation studies

The diversity of Archaea from three different hypersaline environments was analyzed and compared by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular phylogenetic techniques and cultivation approaches. The samples originated from a crystallization pond of a solar saltern in Spain (FC); an alkaline lake in Nevada, USA, (EMF); and a small pond from a slag heap of a potassium mine in Germany (DIE). Except for two 16S rDNA sequences that were related to crenarchaeota from soil and did not apparently belong to the indigenous halophilic community, all sequences recovered from environmental DNA or cultivated strains grouped within the Halobacteriaceae. Mostly 16S rDNA sequences related to the genera Halorubrum and Haloarcula were detected in sample FC, and organisms belonging to these genera were also recovered by cultivation. In contrast, sequences related to five different groups of halophilic archaea were amplified from sample DIE (including novel lineages with only uncultivated phylotypes), but the organisms that were cultivated from this sample fell into different groups (i.e., Natronococcus, Halorubrum, or unaffiliated) and did not overlap with those predicted using the culture-independent approach. With respect to the highly alkaline sample, EMF, four groups were predicted from the environmental 16S rDNA sequences, two of which ( Natronomonas and Haloarcula) were also recovered through cultivation together with Natronococcus isolates. In summary, we found that halophilic archaea dominate the archaeal populations in these three hypersaline environments and show that culturability of the organisms predicted by molecular surveys might strongly depend on the habitat chosen. While a number of novel halophilic archaea have been isolated, we have not been able to cultivate representatives of the new lineages that were detected in this and several other environmental studies.     

巴里坤湖和玛纳斯湖嗜盐菌的分离及功能酶的筛选

目的:了解新疆巴里坤湖与马纳斯湖中嗜盐菌及功能酶的多样性。方法:从两湖中采集水样进行菌种分离,采用PCR方法扩增出其16S rRNA基因(16S rDNA),并测定了基因的序列。对分离菌株进行了蛋白酶、淀粉酶、酯酶、脂肪酶、以及纤维素酶的筛选。结果:从两湖水样共分离得到51株嗜盐菌。基于16SrDNA序列的同源性比较和系统发育学分析,发现从两湖分离获得的中度嗜盐菌分别属于Planococcaceae、Bacillacea、Staphylococcus、Halomonadaceae、Salicolaceae以及Pseudomonadacaeae 6个属。分离得到的极端嗜盐古菌属于Halobacteriaceae属。功能酶筛选结果表明产蛋白酶的嗜盐菌共有15株,产酯酶的共有23株,产淀粉酶的共有8株,未获得产脂肪酶和纤维素酶的嗜盐菌。结论:新疆巴里坤湖和马纳斯湖中有丰富的嗜盐微生物资源及酶资源,有重要的研究意义和应用前景。     

安徽定远盐矿可培养嗜盐微生物多样性

【背景】嗜盐微生物多生活于高盐环境,具有独特的生理代谢特征,是一类重要的极端环境微生物资源。【目的】为更好地认识我国陆相盐矿的嗜盐微生物多样性组成,更好地开发利用嗜盐微生物资源积累丰富的微生物菌种。【方法】对安徽定远盐矿盐芯样品进行嗜盐微生物的纯培养分离,并对所分离菌株进行基于16SrRNA基因的测序和序列相似性分析,并对所分离菌株进行物种多样性分析。在此基础上,对代表菌株进行菌落形态和耐盐度及酶活测定。【结果】通过纯培养共分离获得了嗜盐微生物264株,其中嗜盐古菌150株,占56.8%;嗜盐细菌114株,占43.2%。嗜盐古菌物种分别来自于Halorubrum、 Halopenitus、 Haloterrigena、 Natrinema、 Natronoarchaeum和Natronomonas等6个属;嗜盐细菌物种分别来自于Pseudomonas、Aliifodinibius、Halobacillus、Halomonas和Halospina等5个属。通过代表菌株的酶活平板检测,发现产胞外蛋白酶菌株1株,酯酶1株,淀粉酶2株;能液化明胶菌株2株。在物种多样性组成方面,发现嗜盐古菌的物种多样性指数高于嗜盐细菌。【结论】本研究对我国安徽定远陆相盐矿的可培养嗜盐微生物多样性进行探究,积累了丰富的嗜盐微生物菌株资源。     

Disulfide bond formation in prokaryotes: History,diversity and design

The formation of structural disulfide bonds is essential for the function and stability of a great number of proteins, particularly those that are secreted. There exists a variety of dedicated cellular catalysts and pathways from archaea to humans that ensure the formation of native disulfide bonds. In this review we describe the initial discoveries of these pathways and report progress in recent years in our understanding of the diversity of these pathways in prokaryotes, including those newly discovered in some archaea. We will also discuss the various successful efforts to achieve laboratory-based evolution and design of synthetic disulfide bond formation machineries in the bacterium Escherichia coli. These latter studies have also led to new more general insights into the redox environment of the cytoplasm and bacterial cell envelope. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Thiol-Based Redox Processes.     

Taxonomic study of extreme halophilic archaea isolated from the "Salar de Atacama", Chile

A large number of halophilic bacteria were isolated in 1984-1992 from the Atacama Saltern (North of Chile). For this study 82 strains of extreme halophilic archaea were selected. The characterization was performed by using the phenotypic characters including morphological, physiological, biochemical, nutritional and antimicrobial susceptibility test. The results, together with those from reference strains, were subjected to numerical analysis, using the Simple Matching (S(SM)) coefficient and clustered by the unweighted pair group method of association (UPGMA). Fifteen phena were obtained at an 70% similarity level. The results obtained reveal a high diversity among the halophilic archaea isolated. Representative strains from the phena were chosen to determine their DNA base composition and the percentage of DNA-DNA similarity compared to reference strains. The 16S rRNA studies showed that some of these strains constitutes a new taxa of extreme halophilic archaea.     

The dihydrofolate reductase origin of replication does not contain any nonredundant genetic elements required for origin activity

The Chinese hamster dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) origin of replication consists of a broad zone of potential initiation sites scattered throughout a 55-kb intergenic spacer, with at least three sites being preferred (ori-beta, ori-beta', and ori-gamma). We previously showed that deletion of the most active site or region (ori-beta) has no demonstrable effect on initiation in the remainder of the intergenic spacer nor on the time of replication of the DHFR locus as a whole. In the present study, we have now deleted ori-beta', both ori-beta and ori-beta', an 11-kb region just downstream from the DHFR gene, or the central approximately 40-kb core of the spacer. The latter two deletions together encompass >95% of the initiation sites that are normally used in this locus. Two-dimensional gel analysis shows that initiation still occurs in the early S phase in the remainder of the intergenic spacer in each of these deletion variants. Even removal of the 40-kb core fails to elicit a significant effect on the time of replication of the DHFR locus in the S period; indeed, in the truncated spacer that remains, the efficiency of initiation actually appears to increase relative to the corresponding region in the wild-type locus. Thus, if replicators control the positions of nascent strand start sites in this complex origin, either (i) there must be a very large number of redundant elements in the spacer, each of which regulates initiation only in its immediate environment, or (ii) they must lie outside the central core in which the vast majority of nascent strand starts occur.     

16S to 23S rDNA spacer fragment length polymorphism of Aeromonas sp

We analyzed polymorphism of the PCR-amplified 16S-23S rDNA spacer of Aeromonas species. A total of 69 isolates representing 18 DNA hybridization groups were used in this study. The analysis of PCR products of 16S-23S rDNA spacers revealed patterns consisting of two to eight DNA fragments. The fragment sizes ranged from 730 to 1050 bp. DNA patterns revealed a considerable genetic diversity between species and within a species. When a procedure to eliminate heteroduplex formation was performed, the number of bands was reduced to 2-5. Nevertheless the homoduplex ISR (intergenic spacer region) patterns obtained were not useful for species distinguishing.     

Chloroplast DNA analysis in Tunisian fig cultivars (Ficus carica L.): Sequence variations of the trnL-trnF intergenic spacer

We investigated the nucleotide variation of a non-coding, chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) region to infer relationships among Tunisian fig cultivars. In this study, we examine the level of genetic diversity and its distribution using sequences of the trnL and trnF genes intergenic spacer. The non-coding region displays 28 substitution sites. Insertions and deletions involving 6 sites were found. By using the Kimura-2 method, nucleotide sequences have been aligned using the MEGA program to calculate pairwise divergence of trnL-trnF spacer sequences between cultivars. The size of this non-coding region varied from 430 to 464 bases. The relatively high A + T values (63.7–64.4%) of trnL-trnF intergenic spacer in Ficus carica may explain the high proportion of the identified transversions (t_i/t_v = 0.9). These results suggest the occurrence of nucleotide diversity with a large variation level of chloroplast non-coding region. The analysed data illustrate a considerable level of variability in the genetic pool of the local germplasm. In fact, relationships inferred from the cpDNA analysis suggest several clades, which do not show geographical correspondence. Fourteen haplotypes were detected among 20 individuals examined, yielding a haplotype diversity of 0.983 and a high level of nucleotide diversity (0.0100). The observed variation pattern of plastid DNA provides evidence that the fig germplasm has been undergoing rapid expansion. Neutrality tests rejected the neutrality assumption in the total sample. The cytoplasm variability indicates a narrow genetic base in the cultivated common fig. Despite the high level value of the apparent diversity, we may conclude that fig chloroplast genome provides a new conceptual and practical opportunity to evaluate genetic diversity and to identify local cultivars, making it a valuable source to include into potential breeding programs.