One-dimensional TRFLP-SSCP is an effective DNA fingerprinting strategy for soil Archaea that is able to simultaneously differentiate broad taxonomic clades based on terminal fragment length polymorphisms and closely related sequences based on single stranded conformation polymorphisms

DNA fingerprinting methods provide a means to rapidly compare microbial assemblages from environmental samples without the need to first cultivate species in the laboratory. The profiles generated by these techniques are able to identify statistically significant temporal and spatial patterns, correlations to environmental gradients, and biological variability to estimate the number of replicates for clone libraries or next generation sequencing (NGS) surveys. Here we describe an improved DNA fingerprinting technique that combines terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (TRFLP) and single stranded conformation polymorphisms (SSCP) so that both can be used to profile a sample simultaneously rather than requiring two sequential steps as in traditional two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis. For the purpose of profiling Archaeal 16S rRNA genes from soil, the dynamic range of this combined 1-D TRFLP-SSCP approach was superior to TRFLP and SSCP. 1-D TRFLP-SSCP was able to distinguish broad taxonomic clades with genetic distances greater than 10%, such as Euryarchaeota and the Thaumarchaeal clades g_Ca. Nitrososphaera (formerly 1.1b) and o_NRP-J (formerly 1.1c) better than SSCP. In addition, 1-D TRFLP-SSCP was able to simultaneously distinguish closely related clades within a genus such as s_SCA1145 and s_SCA1170 better than TRFLP. We also tested the utility of 1-D TRFLP-SSCP fingerprinting of environmental assemblages by comparing this method to the generation of a 16S rRNA clone library of soil Archaea from a restored Tallgrass prairie. This study shows 1-D TRFLP-SSCP fingerprinting provides a rapid and phylogenetically informative screen of Archaeal 16S rRNA genes in soil samples.     

Anaerobic treatment of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in an expanded granular sludge bed-anaerobic filter (EGSB-AF) bioreactor at 15 degrees C

Expanded granular sludge bed-anaerobic filter (EGSB-AF) bioreactors were operated at 15 degrees C for the treatment of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP)-containing volatile fatty acid (VFA)-based wastewaters. The seed sludge used as inoculum for the control (no TCP) and test reactor was unexposed to chlorophenols (CPs) prior to the 425-day trial. TCP supplementation to the feed at 50 mg TCPl(-1) partially inhibited the anaerobic degradation of the VFA feed measured as COD removal efficiency. However, the withdrawal and subsequent application of stepwise increments to the TCP loading resulted in steady COD removal. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis showed Methanosaeta-like Archaea in the control reactor over the experimental period. Different methanogenic populations were detected in the test reactor and responded to the changes in feed composition. Bacterial community analyses indicated changes in the community structure over time and suggested the presence of Campylobacter-like, Acidimicrobium-like and Heliophilum-like organisms in the samples. TCP mineralisation was by a reductive dechlorination pathway through 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) or 2-chlorophenol (2-CP). CP degradation rates in sludge granules from the lower chamber of the hybrid EGSB-AF reactor was in the order TCP > DCP > 4-CP > 2-CP. However, a biodegradability order of lower CPs > TCP was observed in fixed-film biomass taken from the upper reactor chamber, thus reflecting the role of this reactor section in the metabolism of residual lower CPs from the lower sludge-bed stage of operation.     

Temporal patterns of microbial community structure in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

Although open ocean time-series sites have been areas of microbial research for years, relatively little is known about the population dynamics of bacterioplankton communities in the coastal ocean on kilometer spatial and seasonal temporal scales. To gain a better understanding of microbial community variability, monthly samples of bacterial biomass were collected in 1995-1996 along a 34-km transect near the Long-Term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO-15) off the New Jersey coast. Surface and bottom sampling was performed at seven stations along a transect line with depths ranging from 1 to 35 m (n=178). Microbial populations were fingerprinted using ribosomal 16S rRNA genes and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Results from cluster analysis revealed distinct temporal patterns among the bacterioplankton communities in the Mid-Atlantic Bight rather than grouping by sample location or depth. Principal components analysis models supported the temporal patterns. In addition, partial least squares regression modeling could not discern a significant correlation from traditional oceanographic physical and phytoplankton nutrient parameters on overall bacterial community variability patterns at LEO-15. These results suggest factors not traditionally measured during oceanographic studies are structuring coastal microbial communities.     

Seasonal and spatial variations in microbial community structure and diversity in the acid stream draining across an ongoing surface mining site

This study examined the microbial community in an acidic stream draining across the Yun-Fu pyrite mine (Guangdong, China), where extremely acidic mine water is a persistent feature due to the intensive surface mining activities. Analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that microbial populations varied spatially and seasonally and correlated with geochemical and physical conditions. After the stream moves from underground to the surface, the microbial community in the acidic water rapidly evolves into a distinct community close to that in the downstream storage pond. Comparisons of TRFLP peaks with sequenced clone libraries indicated that bacteria related to the recently isolated iron-oxidizer Ferrovum myxofaciens dominated the acidophilic community throughout the year except for the samples collected in spring from the storage pond, where Ferroplasma acidiphilum -like archaea represented the most abundant group. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans -affiliated organisms increased along the acid stream and remained common over the year, whereas Leptospirillum ferrooxidans -like bacteria were negligible or even not detected in the analyzed samples. The data indicate that changes in environmental conditions are accompanied by significant shifts in community structure of the prokaryotic assemblages at this opencast mining site.     

The Microbiology and Biochemistry of Anaerobic Bioreactors with Relevance to Domestic Sewage Treatment

Anaerobic granular and fixed-film reactors have been successfully operated for wastewater treatment at full scale for over two decades and represent a sustainable, energy-producing approach, which is increasingly being directed towards treatment of domestic sewage. Research over the past two decades, and significant operational experience, has demonstrated that there are no fundamental microbiological barriers to the implementation of AD for domestic sewage treatment in regions with warm and temperate climates. Despite this, the underlying microbiology of methanogenesis is not fully understood and novel groups of microbes have been identified in sludge, with unknown functions. The methanogenic process has recently been subject to systematic investigation using newly developed analytical and microbiological approaches. A combination of process monitoring, physiological, molecular microbiological and microscopic methods are beginning to generate a comprehensive, integrated data set at micro-organism, granule and reactor level and the current state of knowledge is reviewed here. Information on the formation of granules, on the relationship between reactor operating conditions and microbial consortia and on the impact of process changes on the microorganisms in reactors will, in future, enable the link between the processes occurring at microorganism level (scale ca. 1 μm–1 mm) and the processes occurring within reactors (scale >1 m), which will enhance the efficiency and applicability of anaerobic sewage treatment.     

ribosort: a program for automated data preparation and exploratory analysis of microbial community fingerprints

ribosort is a computer package for convenient editing of automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) data. It is designed to eliminate the labourious task of manually classifying community fingerprints in microbial ecology studies. This program automatically assigns detected fragments and their respective relative abundances to appropriate ribotypes. It permits simultaneous sorting of multiple profiles and facilitates direct workflow from TRFLP and ARISA output through to community analyses. ribosort also provides several options to merge repeat profiles of a sample into a single composite profile. By creating a 'ribotypes by samples' matrix ready for statistical analyses, use of the package saves time and simplifies the preparation of DNA fingerprint data sets for statistical analysis. In addition, ribosort performs exploratory analysis on the data by creating multidimensional scaling plots that compare the similarity of sample profiles using the statistical software r.     

深圳大鹏湾海域锥状斯氏藻赤潮期间细菌群落结构变化研究

目的:近年来,赤潮在我国的发生呈增加的趋势,并造成了极大的经济损失。过去研究赤潮发生的机理主要集中在理化因素的影响,而越来越多的证据表明仅凭借营养盐等环境因素并不能解释大部分赤潮现象,藻际微生物可能发挥着重要作用。本文跟踪观测了2010年7月深圳大鹏湾海域爆发的锥状斯氏藻赤潮生消过程中细菌群落丰度种类的变化,从微生物与赤潮藻相互作用的角度探讨了赤潮的生消过程,讨论了不同时期不同关键菌群的特殊作用,为解释赤潮爆发和消亡提供了新的视角,为赤潮的监控和防治新方法的建立奠定了理论基础。方法:本文按时间顺序共采集该赤潮9次样本,利用末端限制性酶切片段长度多态性分析(T-RFLP)等分子生物学方法,通过主成分分析、克隆文库的构建,研究了微生物群落的变化过程,并探讨了特定种属的微生物在赤潮发生、发展和消亡过程中的作用。结果:从浮游细菌丰度来看,随着锥状斯氏藻细胞数量的波动,浮游细菌总数也随之呈现相应的变化。从浮游细菌的种类来看,它们主要属于变形杆菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)和厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)。从浮游细菌的动态变化过程来看,赤潮生消过程中,浮游细菌群落呈现出一定的演替现象,特别是在赤潮后期,群落主成分变化尤为显著。从关键菌群的作用来看,属于γ变形杆菌门的Alteromonas sp.一直占有较高的丰度,赤潮中后期受到菌群相互作用导致比例下降,而赤潮后期其他关键菌群的丰度的增高可能是导致赤潮消亡的重要原因。结论:本文利用T-RFLP这一DNA指纹技术分析微生物群落结构和多样性特征,通过研究赤潮生消过程中藻际浮游细菌群落的动态变化,发现随着赤潮的发展,浮游细菌群落发生着相应的变化。结果说明赤潮藻体丰度数量的改变影响着浮游细菌群落的组成。相对地,细菌群落的适应调整迅速造成赤潮藻体局部生长环境的改变,从而影响赤潮的发展过程。     

Enumeration and identification of dominant types of sulfate-reducing bacteria in pulp from a paper-recycling plant: a multiphasic approach

Multiple independent approaches were applied for monitoring the abundance and identity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in pulp of a paper-recycling plant suffering from excessive sulfide emission. The methods applied included most-probable-number (MPN) enumeration of cultivable SRB, rate measurements, FISH and PCR-based retrieval of the functional marker genes dsrA and B (encoding the two major subunits of dissimilatory bisulfite reductase) and 16S rRNA genes. The SRB community was composed of phylogenetically highly different lineages all of low abundance relative to the total microbial community in the pulp, which hampered the applicability of FISH. It was also demonstrated that dsrA- or B -targeted PCR primers commonly used for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and real-time PCR analyses were biased. However, using a novel approach combining MPN-PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of dsrAB amplicons generated from serially diluted DNA extracts allowed the enumeration and identification of the quantitatively most important members of the SRB community. For fast quantification of SRB in the pulp, the dsrAB -MPN-PCR assay and sulfate reduction rate measurements were found to be most suitable.     

Microbial diversity and activity are increased by compost amendment of metal-contaminated soil

Unlike organic pollutants, heavy metals cannot be degraded and can constitute a persistent environmental hazard. Here, we investigated the success of different remediation strategies in promoting microbial diversity and function with depth in an acidic soil heavily contaminated with Cu, Pb and Zn. Remediation involved the incorporation of either a high- or a low-quality compost or inorganic fertilizer into the topsoil and monitoring of microbial activity and diversity with soil depth over a 4-month period. While changes in topsoil microbial activity were expected, the possible effects on the subsurface microbial community due to the downward movement of metals, nutrients and/or soluble organic matter have not been examined previously. The results showed that both compost additions, especially the low-quality compost, resulted in significantly increased bacterial and fungal diversity (as assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) and activity compared with the inorganic and control treatments in the topsoil. Although phospholipid fatty acid profiling indicated that compost addition had promoted enhanced microbial diversity in the subsoil, no concomitant increase in subsoil microbial activity was observed, suggesting that amelioration of the heavy metals remained localized in the topsoil. We conclude that although composts can successfully immobilize heavy metals and promote ecosystem diversity/function, surface incorporation had little remedial effect below the surface layer over the course of our short-term trial.