Structure of the ribosome associating GTPase HflX

The HflX‐family is a widely distributed but poorly characterized family of translation factor‐related guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) that interact with the large ribosomal subunit. This study describes the crystal structure of HflX from Sulfolobus solfataricus solved to 2.0‐Å resolution in apo‐ and GDP‐bound forms. The enzyme displays a two‐domain architecture with a novel “HflX domain” at the N‐terminus, and a classical G‐domain at the C‐terminus. The HflX domain is composed of a four‐stranded parallel β‐sheet flanked by two α‐helices on either side, and an anti‐parallel coiled coil of two long α‐helices that lead to the G‐domain. The cleft between the two domains accommodates the nucleotide binding site as well as the switch II region, which mediates interactions between the two domains. Conformational changes of the switch regions are therefore anticipated to reposition the HflX‐domain upon GTP‐binding. Slow GTPase activity has been confirmed, with an HflX domain deletion mutant exhibiting a 24‐fold enhanced turnover rate, suggesting a regulatory role for the HflX domain. The conserved positively charged surface patches of the HflX‐domain may mediate interaction with the large ribosomal subunit. The present study provides a structural basis to uncover the functional role of this GTPases family whose function is largely unknown. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

辉腾锡勒草原干涸湖泊中氨氧化微生物群落结构分析

【目的】以内蒙古辉腾锡勒草原九十九泉湿地为对象,研究湖泊干涸过程中氨氧化微生物的群落结构及其变化。【方法】通过MPN-PCR定量测定氨氧化古菌(AOA)和氨氧化细菌(AOB)的数量;构建amoA基因克隆文库,进行系统发育分析;结合土壤环境因子,探讨湿地退化过程中影响氨氧化微生物的潜在因素。【结果】依湖泊湿地退水梯度的不同样点中,有75%的样点AOB的数量高于AOA,AOB与AOA的数量比率为0.3-18.1。从湖心到湖岸草原带,AOA和AOB的数量有明显增加,但生物多样性呈降低趋势,二者没有呈现正相关。研究发现,AOB的数量与土壤中NH 4+-N的变化存在良好响应。系统发育分析显示,退化湖泊湿地AOA克隆序列均来自于泉古菌门(Crenarchaeota);AOB的amoA基因的克隆序列大部分与亚硝化单胞菌属(Nitrosomonas)有一定同源性,较少部分与亚硝化螺菌属(Nitrosospira)有一定同源性。【结论】湖泊退水过程增加了湿地土壤氨氧化微生物的数量,而氨氧化微生物的种群丰度有所降低。AOA和AOB群落对湖泊湿地的退化过程做出了响应,其中AOB的响应较为明显,氧化条件和土壤铵浓度的改变可能是促成这种响应的重要原因。     

厌氧产氢微生物研究进展

微生物是生物制氢的核心。本文论述了通过厌氧代谢途径产氢的微生物种类及高效产氢微生物选育和应用的研究趋势, 其中重点论述了中温和嗜热厌氧产氢微生物的产氢能力、底物利用范围及代谢特性, 简述了嗜热一氧化碳营养型产氢菌的种类及代谢特点。     

Community survey of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in full-scale activated sludge processes with different solids retention time

AIMS: To study the effects of different solids retention time (SRT) on the nitrification activity and community composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in two full-scale activated sludge processes during a 5-month period. METHODS AND RESULTS: The AOB community composition was analysed using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and the identified populations were enumerated by quantitative FISH. Potential nitrification rates were determined in batch tests and the in situ rates were calculated from mass balances of nitrogen in the plants. Increased SRT reduced the nitrification activity, but neither the number per mixed liquor suspended solids nor community composition of AOB were affected. Two dominant AOB populations related to Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosomonas oligotropha were identified by FISH, whereas only the latter could be detected by DGGE. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of a longer SRT on the activity was probably because of physiological changes in the AOB community rather than a change in community composition. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Physiological alterations of a stable AOB community are possible and may stabilize activated sludge processes. The commonly used FISH probes designed to target all beta-proteobacterial AOB does not detect certain Nitrosomonas oligotropha populations, leading to an underestimation of AOB if a wider set of probes is not used.     

一个新的Br蛋白基因部分序列测定及分析

从新疆北部艾比湖分离纯化到极端嗜盐古生菌AB1,采用PCR方法扩增了其165 rRNA基因(16S rDNA)和编码螺旋C至螺旋G的细菌视紫红质(bacteriorhodopsin,Br)蛋白基因片段,并测定了基因的核苷酸序列。基于16S rDNA序列的同源性比较及系统发育学研究表明,AB1是Natronococcus属中新成员。通过对菌株AB1的Br蛋白亲水性分析表明,AB1的Br蛋白与已报道Br蛋白有类似的超二级结构,进一步的蛋白质序列聚合比对结果表明,AB1中Br蛋白螺旋C至螺旋G的氨基酸序列与其他菌株差异明显。研究结果表明菌株AB1的Br蛋白是一种新的Br蛋白。     

近岸海洋线虫与细菌、古菌的共现性及其对碳、氮循环的影响

【目的】初步探究海洋线虫与微生物的相互作用对碳、氮循环的影响。【方法】利用16S r RNA和18S r RNA基因高通量测序方法,对33个近岸沉积物样品中细菌、古菌和真核生物的多样性进行调查;对海洋线虫与细菌、海洋线虫与古菌的共现性进行网络分析,并采用Spearman统计学方法,识别出与海洋线虫共现性呈显著相关性的微生物种类。【结果】在夏季,红树林和潮间带泥滩样品中线虫OTU平均相对丰度基本呈随深度增加而递减趋势;冬季的红树林样品中发现相类似变化规律,只有在冬季潮间带泥滩样品中线虫OTU平均相对丰度在深层较高于表层。相对丰度最高的海洋线虫隶属于单宫目(47%)、色矛目(19%)、刺嘴目(16%)和垫刃目(9%),它们与热源体古菌、深古菌、γ-和δ-变形菌等微生物有显著正/负相关关系。【结论】在香港米埔湿地沉积物中,与相对丰度最高的5种线虫显著相关的几大类微生物均在碳、氮、硫等元素循环方面起十分重要的作用,暗示海洋线虫与微生物潜在的相互作用对元素地球化学循环具有重要影响。研究结果有助于深入了解线虫在生态系统中未被揭示的生态功能,有助于更清晰地认识海洋线虫在底栖生态系统中所扮演的角色。     

新疆艾比湖和伊吾湖可培养嗜盐古菌多样性

新疆地区盐湖密布,蕴藏着丰富的微生物资源。为保护和利用微生物物种与基因资源,作者从新疆准噶尔盆地的艾比湖和天山山间盆地的伊吾湖分离纯化嗜盐微生物。采用PCR方法扩增其中65株嗜盐古菌16SrRNA基因序列。序列分析表明,分离的嗜盐古菌分属6个属,艾比湖以Haloterrigena和Natrinema属的菌株为主,伊吾湖由Haloarcula和Halorubrum两个属的菌株构成。通过多样性指数、丰富度指数、均匀度指数和物种相对多度模型对分离的菌株进行多样性分析和比较,结果表明,盐湖嗜盐古菌的多样性指数、丰富度指数和均匀度指数具有一定相关性,艾比湖可培养嗜盐古菌的多样性高于伊吾湖。研究发现了一些新的物种资源,表明新疆盐湖中孕育的特色微生物资源亟待保护与利用。     

不同放牧对滇西北高原泥炭沼泽土壤氨氧化微生物群落的影响

氨氧化由氨氧化细菌(AOB)和氨氧化古菌(AOA)共同执行,是土壤硝化过程的第一步和限速步骤。放牧过程中,动物啃食、排泄和践踏等行为将影响土壤氨氧化微生物群落,但目前关于不同类型放牧对湿地氨氧化微生物群落结构及其多样性的影响尚不清楚。利用Illumina Mise高通量测序技术,对比研究牦牛放牧和藏香猪放养两种放牧类型对泥炭沼泽土壤氨氧化微生物群落结构及其多样性的影响。结果表明,牦牛放牧显著增加土壤容重,显著降低土壤pH、TN、TOC、NH~+_4-N和NO~-_3-N含量;藏香猪放养显著增加土壤NO~-_3-N含量和硝化潜势(PNR)。牦牛放牧显著降低土壤AOA的丰富度和AOB的α多样性,藏香猪放养降低土壤AOA的α多样性和AOB的丰富度。放牧显著降低泉古菌门(Crenarchaeota)的相对丰度。AOA的α多样性与土壤NO~-_3-N含量和PNR呈显著负相关。AOB的α多样性与pH、TOC、TN和NH~+_4-N含量呈显著正相关。放牧影响下土壤pH、TN和NO~-_3-N含量的变化是影响AOA群落结构的主要因素。藏香猪放养对AOA和AOB群落的影响更显著,由放牧引起的土壤环境条件的变化是导致氨氧化微生物群落发生改变的重要因素。     

Characterization of Ferroplasma acidiphilum growing in pure and mixed culture with Leptospirillum ferriphilum

Biomining is defined as biotechnology for metal recovery from minerals, and is promoted by the concerted effort of a consortium of acidophile prokaryotes, comprised of members of the Bacteria and Archaea domains. Ferroplasma acidiphilum and Leptospirillum ferriphilum are the dominant species in extremely acid environments and have great use in bioleaching applications; however, the role of each species in this consortia is still a subject of research. The hypothesis of this work is that F. acidiphilum uses the organic matter secreted by L. ferriphilum for growth, maintaining low levels of organic compounds in the culture medium, preventing their toxic effects on L. ferriphilum. To test this hypothesis, a characterization of Ferroplasma acidiphilum strain BRL‐115 was made with the objective of determining its optimal growth conditions. Subsequently, under the optimal conditions, L. ferriphilum and F. acidiphilum were tested growing in each other's supernatant, in order to define if there was exchange of metabolites between the species. With these results, a mixed culture in batch cyclic operation was performed to obtain main specific growth rates, which were used to evaluate a mixed metabolic model previously developed by our group. It was observed that F. acidiphilum, strain BRL‐115 is a chemomixotrophic organism, and its growth is maximized with yeast extract at a concentration of 0.04% wt/vol. From the experiments of L. ferriphilum growing on F. acidiphilum supernatant and vice versa, it was observed that in both cases cell growth is favorably affected by the presence of the filtered medium of the other microorganism, proving a synergistic interaction between these species. Specific growth rates were obtained in cyclic batch operation of the mixed culture and were used as input data for a Flux Balance Analysis of the mixed metabolic model, obtaining a reasonable behavior of the metabolic fluxes and the system as a whole, therefore consolidating the model previously developed. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1390–1396, 2016     

艾比湖湿地芦苇根际土壤氨氧化古菌的多样性和群落结构

【目的】旨在揭示耐盐植物芦苇根际与非根际土壤AOA群落结构间的差异,为深入研究盐生植物根际土壤微生物与耐盐性之间的关系提供理论基础。【方法】应用高通量测序技术以氨单加氧酶基因(amoA)为分子标记,对新疆艾比湖湿地荒漠生态系统不同季节(春、夏、秋)芦苇根际与非根际土壤氨氧化古菌(AOA)的多样性和群落结构进行研究。【结果】结果表明,不同季节芦苇根际土壤AOA多样性和丰富度存在差异,相比非根际土壤,夏季和秋季芦苇根际土壤AOA多样性较低丰富度较高,春季多样性较高丰富度较低。芦苇根际土壤中AOA的多样性为春季夏季秋季。AOA群落组成分析表明,土壤样品中AOA群落主要集中在泉古菌门(Crenarchaeota)和奇古菌门(Thaumarchaeota),其中泉古菌门为主要优势菌门。RDA分析表明,含水量(SM)、有机质(SOM)、总氮(TN)和pH是影响芦苇根际土壤AOA群落多样性和丰富度的主要环境因子。【结论】不同季节芦苇根际土壤AOA多样性及丰富度存在差异,相比非根际土壤,芦苇根际土壤AOA更丰富。