Microbial Diversity and Community Structure on Corroding Concretes

The objective of this study was to analyze bacterial diversity in two different concrete samples to understand the dominant types of bacteria that may contribute to concrete corrosion. Two concrete samples, HN-1 from the sunny side and HN-2 from dark and damp side, were collected from Zijin Mountain in Nanjing and genomic DNA was extracted. The partial bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragment was PCR amplified and two clone libraries were constructed. Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) was performed by digestion of the 16S rRNA gene and each unique restriction fragment polymorphism pattern was designated as an operational taxonomic unit (OTU). Phylogenetic trees of bacterial 16S rDNA nucleotide sequences were constructed. Sample HN-1 and HN-2 contained 21 OTUs and 26 OTUs, respectively. Proteobacteria and Planctomycetes were the predominant bacteria in both samples, and they are distributed among Herbaspirillum, Archangium, Phyllobacteriaceae and Planctomycetaceae. Cyanobacteria and Rubrobacter sp. are dominant in HN-1; while Acidobacteriaceae, Adhaeribacter sp. and Nitrospira sp. are predominant in HN-2. This distribution pattern was consistent with local environmental conditions of these two samples. The inferred physiological characteristics of these bacteria, based on relatedness of the DNA clone sequences to cultivated species, revealed different mechanisms of concrete corrosion depending on the local environmental conditions.     

Molecular diversity studies of bacterial communities of oil polluted microbial mats from the Etang de Berre (France)

The biodiversity of microbial mats inhabiting the oil-contaminated lagoon Etang de Berre was determined by molecular approaches. The fingerprint of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and automatic ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) of mats exposed to different pollution levels showed specific microbial communities for each site but similar diversity richness. Species composition of the mats were compared by constructing 16S rRNA libraries. Amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) of clone libraries confirmed their similar level of diversity richness. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequences showed that the classes gamma and alpha of Proteobacteria were abundantly present in both sites whereas phylotypes related to the delta-Proteobacteria and to the uncultured WS3 group were mainly found in the site with the highest pollution. Identification of the species involved in oil degradation by combining culture-based approaches and DGGE, showed that enrichment cultures were constituted by members of the Rhodobacterales and species related to Rhodococcus, Sphingomonas, Xanthomonas and Microbacterium, all of them known for their ability to degrade hydrocarbons. Our findings suggest that oil pollution has not affected the biodiversity richness of the mats. However, the populations involved in hydrocarbon degradation represent a minor fraction of the mat communities in the Etang de Berre.     

Purification of bacteriocin AS-48 from an Enterococcus faecium strain and analysis of the gene cluster involved in its production

The cyclic bacteriocin AS-48 has previously been shown to be produced by Enterococcus faecalis strains. A bacteriocin has been purified from an E. faecium strain (E. faecium 7C5), and it has been found to possess molecular mass, cyclization and amino acid sequence typical of bacteriocin AS-48. In addition to the structural gene as-48A, the sequence analysis of the AS-48 gene cluster present in E. faecium 7C5 has revealed the presence of several putative coding regions presumably involved in bacteriocin production and immunity. The results of DNA hybridization assays have indicated that the AS-48 gene cluster and the gene pd78 are present on the same plasmid, possibly the pPD1 plasmid, in E. faecium 7C5.     

Phylogenetic diversity of fluorescent pseudomonads in agricultural soils from Korea

AIMS: To identify and compare the relative diversity and distribution of genotypes of culturable fluorescent pseudomonads from soils. METHODS AND RESULTS: Analysis of 160 isolates from seven soil samples using randomly amplified polymorphism DNA methods revealed 53 genotypes, which were subsequently identified by their 16S ribosomal DNA sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of the 53 genotypes along with 43 fluorescent pseudomonad type strains separated the genotypes into 10 distinct clusters that included two phylogenetic groups that were not represented by previously described type strains. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of genotypes that was obtained from the soil samples was highly variable among the different soils and appeared to be associated with different soil management practices that also influence plant yields. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The identification and phylogenetic analysis of these genotypes offers opportunities for study of phenotypic traits that may be associated within taxonomically related groups of fluorescent pseudomonad species and how these groups vary in relation to soil management practices.     

Identification of yeast and bacteria involved in the mezcal fermentation of Agave salmiana

Aims:  To identify the yeast and bacteria present in the mezcal fermentation from Agave salmiana .
Methods and Results:  The restriction and sequence analysis of the amplified region, between 18S and 28S rDNA and 16S rDNA genes, were used for the identification of yeast and bacteria, respectively. Eleven different micro-organisms were identified in the mezcal fermentation. Three of them were the following yeast: Clavispora lusitaniae , Pichia fermentans and Kluyveromyces marxianus. The bacteria found were Zymomonas mobilis subsp. mobilis and Zymomonas mobilis subsp. pomaceae, Weissella cibaria , Weissella paramesenteroides , Lactobacillus pontis , Lactobacillus kefiri , Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus farraginis .
Conclusions:  The phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA and ITS sequences showed that microbial diversity present in mezcal is dominated by bacteria, mainly lactic acid bacteria species and Zymomonas mobilis . Pichia fermentans and K. marxianus could be micro-organisms with high potential for the production of some volatile compounds in mezcal.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  We identified the community of bacteria and yeast present in mezcal fermentation from Agave salmiana.     

Enrichment and identification of bacteria capable of reducing chemical oxygen demand of anaerobically treated molasses spent wash

AIMS: The aim of this study was to isolate and identify bacterial strains capable of using recalcitrant compounds of molasses spent wash as sole carbon source from the soils of abandoned sites of distillery effluent discharge and characterize their ability of reducing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the spent wash. METHODS AND RESULTS: The isolates were grouped into six haplotypes by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and BOX-PCR. The phylogenetic position of the representatives of the six main haplotypes strains was determined by 16S rDNA sequencing. They showed maximum similarity to six genera viz. Pseudomonas, Enterobacter, Stenotrophomonas, Aeromonas, Acinetobacter and Klebsiella. The extent of COD (44%) reduced collectively by the six strains was equal to that reduced individually by Aeromonas, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Enterobacter. With spent wash as sole carbon source, the COD reducing strains grew faster at 37 degrees C than 30 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: Bacterial strains capable of degrading some of the recalcitrant compounds of anaerobically digested molasses spent wash can be isolated from the soils of abandoned sites of distillery effluent discharge. Biostimulation of these bacteria, which can degrade 44% of the carbon compounds of anaerobically digested molasses spent wash can be achieved by nitrogen fertilization and relatively higher temperature. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Supplementation of nitrogen source and controlling the temperature can be used in evolving strategies for in situ bioremediation of anaerobically digested spent wash from distilleries.     

黄河三角洲盐碱地花生根层土壤菌群结构多样性

花生属豆科固氮作物,具较强的抗旱耐盐性,土壤微生物在盐碱土生态系统中具有重要的生态功能。以花生平作、花生/棉花间作为对象,通过16S rRNA基因克隆文库技术分析了黄河三角洲滨海盐碱地花生旺盛生长期不同含盐量盐碱地和非盐碱地0—40cm根层非培养土壤微生物群落组成及其多样性,分析了盐碱地花生根层土壤细菌群落与非盐碱地花生根层土壤细菌群落的差异,为揭示盐碱地花生根层土壤微生物的多样性以及土地利用变化与生态环境效应间的关系奠定基础。利用免培养技术直接从土壤样品提取总DNA,针对细菌基因组16S rRNA基因的V3高变区进行PCR扩增;利用焦磷酸测序的方法对V3高变区PCR产物进行高通量测序,并对测序数据进行生物信息学分析。结果表明,(1)黄河三角洲滨海盐碱土较高含盐量土壤中根层土壤微生物种类、优势种群数量和群落功能多样性较非盐碱土壤较为丰富。(2)盐碱土花生平作或花生//棉花间作两种种植方式基本不影响二者0—40cm根层土壤微生物优势类群;不同土壤类型和种植模式下,花生和棉花根层土壤中优势菌群均为变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria)、绿弯菌门(Chloroflexi)和酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria) 4种菌群,其总丰度为80%—90%。非盐碱土壤中花生根层的酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)丰度是盐碱土壤中的3倍以上,嗜热油菌纲(Thermoleophilia)和放线菌纲(Actinomycetales)丰度远高于各种盐碱土壤花生平作和花生//棉花间作两种植模式下的花生根层土壤;非盐碱土平作花生0—40cm土层中Rubellimicrobium、Pontibacter和Lamia细菌则显著缺失。(3)土壤类型对土壤微生物菌群类型影响较大,聚类分析表明,10个土壤样本依据土壤含盐量高低和根系分布深度聚为3类,即非盐碱土壤归为1类,盐碱土壤根系密集分布层0—20cm、20—40cm各归为1类。     

Molecular differentiation of Bifidobacterium species with amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and alignment of short regions of the ldh gene

The differentiation of Bifidobacterium species was performed with specific primers using the PCR technique, the amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) technique based on reports on the sequence of the 16S rRNA gene and speciation based on a short region of the ldh gene. Four specific primer sets were developed for each of the Bifidobacterium species, B. animalis, B. infantis and B. longum. The use of the ARDRA method made it possible to discriminate between B. infantis, B. longum and B. animalis with the combination of BamHI, TaqI and Sau3AI restriction enzymes. The ldh gene sequences of 309-312 bp were determined for 19 Bifidobacterium strains. Alignment of these short regions of the ldh gene confirmed that it is possible to distinguish between B. longum and B. infantis but not between B. lactis and B. animalis.     

南海西沙海槽表层沉积物微生物多样性

利用非培养的分子技术研究了西沙海槽表层沉积物中的微生物群落.沉积物中扩增的古菌16S rDNA 序列分属两个大类:泉古生菌(Crenarchaeota)和广古生菌(Euryarchaeota).以Marine Crenarchaeotic GroupⅠ (古菌16S rDNA文库的49.2%)和Terrestrial Miscellaneous Euryarchaeotal Group (16.9%)为主要类群;其余为Marine Benthic Group B (9.7%)、 Marine Benthic Group A (4%)、 Marine Benthic Group D (1.6%)、Novel Euryarchaeotic Group (0.8%)和 C3(0.8%).细菌克隆子多样性明显高于古菌,16S rDNA序列分别来自变形杆菌(Proteobacteria)(细菌16S rDNA文库的30.5%)、浮霉菌(Planctomycetes)(20.3%)、放线菌(Actinobacteria)(14.4%)、厚壁菌(Firmicutes)(15.3%)、屈桡杆菌(Chloroflexi)(8.5%)、酸杆菌(Acidobacteria)(3.4%)、candidate division OP8 (2.5%)、拟杆菌/绿菌(Bacterioidetes/Chlorobi)(1.7%)和疣微菌(Verrucomicrobia)(1.7%).变形杆菌为优势类群(包括Alpha-和Delta-Proteobacteria亚群).多数克隆子为未培养细菌和古菌.结果表明南海表层沉积物中蕴含大量未知的微生物资源.     

Microbial diversity in surface sediments of the Xisha Trough, the South China Sea

Microbial communities were obtained from the surface sediments of the Xisha Trough using the culture-independent technique. The characteristics of the 16S rDNA gene amplified from the sediments indicated that archaeal clones could be grouped into Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota, respectively. Two archaeal groups, Marine Crenarchaeotic GroupI and Terrestrial Miscellaneous Euryarchaeotal Group, were the most dominant archaeal 16S rDNA gene components in the sediments. The remaining components were related to the members of Marine Benthic Group B, Marine Benthic Group A, Marine Benthic Group D, Novel Euryarchaeotic Group and C3. The bacterial clones exhibited greater diversity than the archaeal clones with the 16S rDNA gene sequences from the members of Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, candidate division OP8, Bacterioidetes/Chlorobi and Verrucomicrobia. Most of these lineages represented uncultured microorganisms. The result suggests that a vast amount of microbial resource in the surface sediments of the South China Sea has not been known.     

Biodiversity of cultivable psychrotrophic marine bacteria isolated from Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica)

A set of 146 Antarctic marine isolates from the Ross Sea was characterized by a combination of molecular techniques in order to determine the degree of inter- and intraspecific variability. Isolates were analyzed by amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) using the tetrameric enzyme AluI, resulting in 52 different groups, corresponding to at least 52 different bacterial species, indicating a high degree of interspecific variability. The phylogenetic position of bacteria belonging to some ARDRA groups was obtained by sequencing of 16S rDNA. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, carried out on the largest ARDRA groups, revealed a high intraspecific genetic variability, too. The analysis of plasmid content revealed the existence of horizontal gene transfer between strains belonging to the same and to different species. A comparison of the whole body of morphological, physiological and biochemical data was finally carried out.     

Phylogenetic analysis and in situ identification of the intestinal microbial community of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum)

AIMS: To identify the dominant culturable and nonculturable microbiota of rainbow trout intestine. METHODS AND RESULTS: Microbial density of rainbow trout intestine was estimated by direct microscopic counts (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, DAPI) and by culturing on tryptone soya agar (TSA). Differential gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of bacterial DNA from intestinal samples, re-amplification of bands and sequence analysis was used to identify the bacteria that dominated samples where aerobic counts were < or =2% of the DAPI counts. 16S rDNA gene sequences of 146 bacterial isolates and three sequences of uncultured bacteria were identified. A set of oligonucleotide probes was constructed and used to detect and enumerate the bacterial community structure of the gastrointestinal tract of rainbow trout by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Members of the gamma subclass of Proteobacteria (mainly Aeromonas and Enterobacteriaceae) dominated the bacterial population structure. Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Shewanella, Plesiomonas and Proteus were also identified together with isolates belonging to the beta subclass of Proteobacteria and Gram-positive bacteria with high and low DNA G + C content. In most samples, the aerobic count (on TSA) was 50-90% of the direct (DAPI) count. A bacterium representing a previously unknown phylogenetic lineage with only 89% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Anaerofilum pentosovorans was detected in intestinal samples where aerobic counts were < or =2% of direct (DAPI) counts. Ten to 75% of the microbial population in samples with low aerobic counts hybridized (FISH) with a probe constructed against this not-yet cultured bacterium. CONCLUSIONS: Proteobacteria belonging to the gamma subclass dominated the intestinal microbiota of rainbow trout. However, in some samples the microflora was dominated by uncultivated, presumed anaerobic, micro-organisms. The bacterial population structure of rainbow trout intestine, as well as total bacterial counts, varied from fish to fish. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Good correlation was seen between cultivation results and in situ analysis, however, a molecular approach was crucial for the identification of organisms uncultivated on TSA.     

南海北部表层沉积物中原核微生物多样性

[目的]为研究南海北部沉积物原核微生物的多样性和群落结构.[方法]从南海北部XSCS13站位表层沉积物中扩增古菌和细菌的16S rDNA并构建文库,随机挑出阳性克隆子进行测序,选出所有的OTU构建系统进化树,进行系统发育学分析.[结果]多数克隆子来自于未培养原核微生物,沉积物中的古菌分属3大门类:泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)、奇古菌(Thaumarchaeota)和广古菌(Euryarchaeota),其中泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)为主要门类,占71％;广古菌(Euryarchaeota)最少,只有3个克隆子.泉古菌(Crenarchaeota)又以MG Ⅰ为主要类群,占61％.细菌多样性明显高于古菌,共9个门类:变形杆菌(Proteobacteria)(32.6％)、疣微菌(Verrucomicrobia)(3.0％)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidete)(5.2％)、酸杆菌(Acidobacteria)(4.4％)、绿弯菌(Chloroflexi)(6.0％)、厚壁菌(Firmicute)(3.7％)、浮霉菌(Planctomycete)(5.2％)、芽单胞菌(Gemmatimonadete)(11.1％)、放线细菌(Actinobacteria)(4.4％).变形杆菌为优势类群(包括α-Proteobacteria、γy-Proteobacteria和δ-Proteobacteria 3个亚群),其中γ-Proteobacteria是Proteobacteria中的优势种群,占54.5％.另外所有原核微生物总共有超过50％的克隆子与硫酸盐的还原以及甲烷的形成相关.[结论]结果表明南海北部XSCS13站位表层沉积物中原核微生物的多样性非常丰富,其中蕴含大量未知的微生物资源;另外古菌和细菌群落结构表明该位点可能处于富含甲烷的冷泉活动区.     

Comparison of microbial communities in four different composting processes as evaluated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis

AIMS: We aimed to systematically understand the composting processes by a comparison of microbial communities during four full-scale composting processes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Microbial communities during the four different full-scale composting processes were analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis combined with measurement of physicochemical parameters. Two composting processes utilized sewage sludge and two utilized food-waste. Comparison of the four processes indicated that the concentration of dissolved organic carbon was higher in the food-waste-composting than in the sewage-sludge-composting processes, and microbial communities varied with composting substrate. The tendency for different microbes to appear in the composting process with different concentrations of dissolved organic carbon agreed with a previous study that showed that microbial succession occurred with a decrease in dissolved organic carbon in a laboratory-scale food-waste-composting process. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the main factor affecting microbial communities in the composting process is the concentration of dissolved organic materials. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: In addition to studying microbial communities involved in composting, this research is also the first to study composting mechanisms using molecular methods. The results of our studies may be helpful in the design and management of composting processes.     

Bacterial diversity and community composition in the chemocline of the meromictic alpine Lake Cadagno as revealed by 16S rDNA analysis

Using different techniques of molecular biology we investigated the bacterial diversity of the chemocline of the meromictic Lake Cadagno. Cloning of a total community 16S rDNA PCR product and subsequent screening with a combination of amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) analysis revealed that 30 of 47 randomly selected clones were unique. Partial sequencing and comparative analysis indicated a high bacterial diversity dominated by the gamma-Proteobacteria (33.3%). Most of these rDNA clone sequences were not closely related to any 16S rDNA sequence in the database. In a second approach, the TTGE pattern from an environmental sample was compared with the migration of the cloned 16S rDNA fragments. Four clone types were identified on the environmental pattern by excising and sequencing comigrating bands, three of which were well represented in the library: two Chromatiaceae species and one sequence affiliated with the Desulfobulbus assemblage. Using the fluorescent in situ hybridization technique we essentially confirmed the results of the cloning experiments and the TTGE analysis.     

A silica sands-based method for faithful analysis of microbial communities and DNA isolation from a wide range of species

A silica sands-based method has been developed to isolate high quality genomic DNAs from cells of animals, plants and microorganisms, such as Hemisalanx prognathus, Spinacia oleracea, Pichia pastoris, Bacillus licheniformis and Escherichia coli. To the best of our knowledge, no DNA isolation method has so wide application until now. In addition, this method and a commercially available kit were compared in analysis of microbial communities using high-throughput 16s rDNA sequencing. As a result, the silica sands-based method was found to be even more efficient in isolating genomic DNA from gram-positive bacteria than the kit, indicating that it would become a very valuable choice to faithfully reflect the composition of microbial communities.     

Diversity of microbial communities colonizing the walls of a Karstic cave in Slovenia

Karstic cave systems in Slovenia receive substantial amounts of organic input from adjacent forest and freshwater systems. These caves host microbial communities that consist of distinct small colonies differing in colour and shape. Visible to the naked eye, the colonies cover cave walls and are strewn with light-reflecting water droplets. In this study, the diversity of prokaryotes constituting these unusual microbial communities in Pajsarjeva jama cave was examined. A molecular survey based on small subunit rRNA diversity showed a high diversity within the Bacteria , while members of Archaea were not recovered. A total of eight bacterial phyla were detected. The application of various species richness estimators confirmed the diverse nature of the microbial community sample. Members of Gammaproteobacteria were most abundant in the clone libraries constructed and were followed in abundance by members of Actinobacteria and Nitrospira . In addition, members of Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria as well as Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi and Gemmatimonadetes were identified in clone libraries. The high number of clones most closely related to environmental 16S rRNA gene clones showed the broad spectrum of unknown and yet to be cultivated microorganisms inhabiting these cave systems.     

温度对厚指海绵Pachychalina sp.体内真细菌的影响

摘要：温度是影响微生物多样性的重要因素之一。【方法】本研究采用16S rDNAs扩增产物酶切片段多态性（amplified rDNA restriction analysis , ARDRA）和16S rDNAs序列分析方法,对生长在16℃和30℃条件下厚指海绵Pachychalina sp.体内真细菌（eubacteria）的多样性进行了研究,【目的】探讨温度对海绵体内细菌的影响。【结果】根据ARDRA 聚类分析,16℃条件下海绵体内100个真细菌的16S rDNAs克隆片断被分成34个类群,而30℃条件下,海绵体内100个细菌的16S rDNAs克隆片断则被分为32个类群,说明在不同温度条件下,海绵体内真细菌的组成与群落结构有所变化,但研究发现温度没有明显改变海绵体内真细菌总的群落结构。【结果】根据厚指海绵Pachychalina sp.体内真细菌的16S rDNAs序列分析结果发现：在16℃和30℃条件下,海绵体内的真细菌均属于α、γ、δ-变形菌、硫细菌、硫还原菌和烃类分解菌,此外还有少数放线菌。16℃条件下海绵体内的优势菌为γ-变形菌,而且体内的硫细菌和硫还原菌主要是耐寒细菌,而30℃条件下海绵体内的优势菌为α-变形菌。该研究还发现：同一ARDRA类型的克隆序列分析表明在同一ARDRA群内各组分间彼此关系比较密切。