“First” abyssal record of Stenosemus exaratus (G.O.?Sars, 1878) (Mollusca,Polyplacophora) in?the?North-Atlantic Ocean

The first proven abyssal record of Stenosemus exaratus (G.O. Sars, 1878) is presented on the basis of an ROV study in the Irish Sea. For the first time in situ images of the species and data on the environmental parameters are provided.     

深海低温脂肪酶基因工程菌LIP001发酵条件的优化

对从深海沉积物宏基因组文库中获得的产低温脂肪酶基因工程菌LIP001进行了发酵条件优化。通过单因素试验对LIP001产脂肪酶的主要影响条件进行了探讨,确定了培养条件为30℃、pH7.0、接种量5%、装液量50ml。在单因素的基础上通过正交试验优化了影响重组菌LIP001产酶主要因素:橄榄油、酵母粉、磷酸盐、MgSO₄,确定了培养基为橄榄油1%、酵母粉0.5%、蛋白胨1%、硫酸铵0.5%、磷酸盐0.5%、MgSO₄为0.2%、氯霉素12.5μg/ml,优化后的脂肪酶活为1980U/ml,比优化前提高了54.7%,为大规模发酵奠定了基础。采用5升发酵罐方法试验,酶活达到2420U/ml。     

Characterization of proteolytic bacteria from the Aleutian deep-sea and their proteases

Six deep-sea proteolytic bacteria taken from Aleutian margin sediments were screened; one of them produced a cold-adapted neutral halophilic protease. These bacteria belong to Pseudoalteromonas spp., which were identified by the 16S rDNA sequence. Of the six proteases produced, two were neutral cold-adapted proteases that showed their optimal activity at pH 7–8 and at temperature close to 35°C, and the other four were alkaline proteases that showed their optimal activity at pH 9 and at temperature of 40–45°C. The neutral cold-adapted protease E1 showed its optimal activity at a sodium chloride concentration of 2 M, whereas the activity of the other five proteases decreased at elevated sodium chloride concentrations. Protease E1 was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity and its molecular mass was 34 kDa, as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The molecular weight of protease E1 was determined to be 32,411 Da by mass spectrometric analysis. Phenylmethyl sulfonylfluoride (PMSF) did not inhibit the activity of this protease, whereas it was partially inhibited by ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid sodium salt (EDTA-Na). De novo amino acid sequencing proved protease E1 to be a novel protein.     

Characterization and sequence of the Escherichia coli panBCD gene cluster

Abstract A metabolic key enzyme malate dehydrogenase (MDH) was purified from a deep-sea psychrophilic bacterium, Vibrio sp. strain no. 5710. The enzyme displayed an optimal activity shifted toward lower temperature and a pronounced heat lability. A gene encoding this enzyme was isolated and cloned. Recombinant Escherichia coli cells harboring the isolated clone expressed MDH activity with temperature stability identical to that of the parental psychrophile. Nucleotide sequencing of the gene revealed that its primary sequence was similar to that of a mesophile E. coli MDH (78% amino acid identity), for which the three-dimensional structure is known. The enzyme is thus suitable for the analysis of molecular adaptations to low temperatures.     

Taxonomic studies of deep-sea barophilic Shewanella strains and description of Shewanella violacea sp. nov.

Several barophilic Shewanella species have been isolated from deep-sea sediments at depths of 2,485– 6,499 m. From the results of taxonomic studies, all of these isolates have been identified as strains of Shewanella benthica except for strain DSS12. Strain DSS12 is a member of a novel, moderately barophilic Shewanella species isolated from the Ryukyu Trench at a depth of 5,110 m. On Marine Agar 2216 plates, this organism produced a violet pigment, whereas the colonies of other isolates (S. benthica) were rose-colored. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16 S ribosomal RNA gene sequences showed that strain DSS12 represents a separate lineage within the genus Shewanella that is closely related to S. benthica and particularly to the members of the Shewanella barophiles branch. The temperature range for growth and some of the biochemical characteristics indicate that strain DSS12 differs from other Shewanella species. Furthermore, strain DSS12 displayed a low level of DNA similarity to the Shewanella type strains. Based on these differences, it is proposed that strain DSS12 represents a new deep-sea Shewanella species. The name Shewanella violacea (JCM 10179) is proposed. Received: 15 May 1998 / Accepted: 15 July 1998     

Mechanisms of gene expression controlled by pressure in deep-sea microorganisms

A pressure-regulated operon has been cloned and sequenced from deep-sea barophilic Shewanella strains. To understand pressure-regulated mechanisms of gene expression, a regulatory element upstream of the pressure-regulated operon from Shewanella sp. strain DSS12 was studied. Regions A and B were classified by sequence analysis. A unique octamer motif, AAGGTAAG, was found to be repeated in tandem 13 times in region B. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that a σ⁵⁴-like factor recognizes region A and other unknown factors recognize region B. Different shift patterns of the protein–DNA complexes were observed when extracts of cells cultured at 0.1 MPa or 50 MPa were incubated with a DNA probe specific for region B. These results indicate that the deep-sea strain DSS12 expresses different DNA-binding factors under different pressure conditions. Received: January 22, 1998 / Accepted: February 16, 1998     

A modeling approach of the influence of local hydrodynamic conditions on larval dispersal at hydrothermal vents

Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animal communities along oceanic ridges are both patchy and transient. Larval dispersal is a key factor in understanding how these communities function and are maintained over generations. To date, numerical approaches simulating larval dispersal considered the effect of oceanic currents on larval transportation over hundreds of kilometers but very seldom looked at the effect of local conditions within meters around chimneys. However, small scale significant variations in the hydrodynamics may influence larval fate in its early stages after release, and hence have a knock-on effect on both dispersal and colonization processes. Here we present a new numerical approach to the study of larval dispersal, considering small scales within the range of the biological communities, called “bio-hydrodynamical” scale, and ranging from a few centimeters to a few meters around hydrothermal sources. We use a physical model for the vent based on jet theory and compute the turbulent velocity field around the smoker. Larvae are considered as passive particles whose trajectories are affected by hydrodynamics, topography of the vent chimney and larval biological properties. Our model predicts that bottom currents often dominate all other factors either by entraining all larvae away from the vent or enforcing strong colonization rates. When bottom currents are very slow (), general larvae motion is upwards due to entrainment by the main smoker jet. In this context, smokers with vertical slopes favor retention of larvae because larval initial trajectory is nearly parallel to the smoker wall, which increases the chances to settle. This retention phenomenon is intensified with increasing velocity of the main smoker jet because entrainment in the high velocity plume is preceded by a phase when larvae are attracted towards the smoker wall, which occurs earlier with higher velocity of the main jet. Finally, the buoyancy rate of the larvae, measured to be in the range of , is generally irrelevant unless hydrodynamic conditions are balanced, i.e. if the buoyancy rate is comparable to both the bottom current speed and the local water velocity due to entrainment by close smokers. Overall, our model evidences the strong effect of the release point of larvae on their future entrainment within local fluxes. Larvae released from smoker walls might have an entirely different fate than those released further away in the water column. The latter are not, or less, affected by near-chimney hydrodynamics.