Publications

4359

AbstractThe endosymbiotic Wolbachia is one of the most common intracellular bacteria known in arthropods and nematodes. Its ability for reproductive manipulation can cause unequal inheritance to male and female offspring, allowing the manipulator to spread, but potentially also impact the evolutionary dynamics of infected hosts. Estimated to be present in up to 66% of insect species, little is known about the phenotypic impact of Wolbachia within the order Coleoptera. Here, we describe the reproductive manipulation by the Wolbachia strain wSur harboured by the sawtoothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Coleoptera, Silvanidae), through a combination of genomics approaches and bioassays. The Wolbachia strain wSur belongs to supergroup B that contains well‐described reproductive manipulators of insects and encodes a pair of cytoplasmic incompatibility factor (cif) genes, as well as multiple homologues of the WO‐mediated killing (wmk) gene. A phylogenetic comparison with wmk homologues of wMel of Drosophila melanogaster identified 18 wmk copies in wSur, including one that is closely related to the wMel male‐killing homologue. However, further analysis of this particular wmk gene revealed an eight‐nucleotide deletion leading to a stop‐codon and subsequent reading frame shift midsequence, probably rendering it nonfunctional. Concordantly, utilizing a Wolbachia‐deprived O. surinamensis population and controlled mating pairs of wSur‐infected and noninfected partners, we found no experimental evidence for male‐killing. However, a significant ~50% reduction of hatching rates in hybrid crosses of uninfected females with infected males indicates that wSur is causing cytoplasmic incompatibility. Thus, Wolbachia also represents an important determinant of host fitness in Coleoptera.

Abstract Background The appearance of the novel porcine haemotrophic mycoplasma (HM) species ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemosuis’ was reported in apparently healthy but also in clinically sick animals in China, Korea and in a case report from Germany. Outside of Asia, however, nothing further is known about the frequency of ‘Ca. M. haemosuis’ in pigs to date. To investigate the distribution of this novel HM species in Germany, fattening pigs, sows and pre-suckling piglets were examined using a herein developed quantitative real-time PCR assay (qPCR). Because the piglets were sampled before the first colostrum uptake, additional information on a possible vertical transmission from dams to their offspring was obtained. Results Our novel qPCR assay successfully detected ‘Ca. M. haemosuis’ in all blood samples from the ‘Ca. M. haemosuis’-infected pigs. No cross-reactivity was detected when DNA from non-target Mycoplasma spp. and other bacterial species representing 105 bacteria/reaction were used as a template. The lower limit of detection of the qPCR was thus 10 gap gene copies per reaction and 2.5 x 103 genome equivalents (GE) per mL blood. ‘Candidatus M. haemosuis’ was detected by this qPCR in blood samples from a total out of 6.25% sows (13/208), 4.50% pre-suckling piglets (28/622) and 17.50% fattening pigs (35/200). On farm level, 3 out of 21 piglet producing farms (14.28%) and 9 out of 20 fattening farms (45.00%) were positive for ‘Ca. M. haemosuis’. Co-infections with M. suis were evident in all age groups. Conclusion ‘Candidatus M. haemosuis’ infection is present in German pig farms and the detection of the novel porcine HM species in piglets immediately after birth before colostrum intake indicates vertical transmission. The novel qPCR assay specific for ‘Ca. M. haemosuis’ described herein will be a prerequisite for future studies on the prevalence, epidemiology as well as the clinical and economic impact of ‘Ca. M. haemosuis’ infections.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a destructive citrus disease that affects citrus production worldwide. ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), a phloem-limited bacterium, is the associated causal agent of HLB. The current standard for detection of CLas is real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) using either the CLas 16S rRNA gene or the ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) gene-specific primers/probe. qPCR requires well-equipped laboratories and trained personnel, which is not convenient for rapid field detection of CLas-infected trees. Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay is a fast, portable alternative to PCR-based diagnostic methods. In this study, an RPA assay was developed to detect CLas in crude citrus extracts utilizing isothermal amplification, without the need for DNA purification. Primers were designed to amplify a region of the CLas RNR gene, and a fluorescent labeled probe allowed for detection of the amplicon in real-time within 8 mins at 39°C. The assay was specific to CLas, and the sensitivity was comparable to qPCR, with a detection limit cycle threshold of 34. Additionally, the RPA assay was combined with a lateral flow device for a point-of-use assay that is field deployable. Both assays were 100% accurate in detecting CLas in fresh citrus crude extracts from leaf midribs and roots from five California strains of CLas tested in the Contained Research Facility in Davis, California. This assay will be important for distinguishing CLas-infected trees in California from those infected by other pathogens that cause similar disease symptoms and can help control HLB spread.

Abstract The previously uncultured phylum “Candidatus Eremiobacterota” is globally distributed and often abundant in oligotrophic environments. Although it includes lineages with the genetic potential for photosynthesis, one of the most important metabolic pathways on Earth, the absence of pure cultures has limited further insights into its ecological and physiological traits. We report the first successful isolation of a “Ca. Eremiobacterota” strain from a fumarolic ice cave on Mt. Erebus volcano (Antarctica). Polyphasic analysis revealed that this organism is an aerobic anoxygenic photoheterotrophic bacterium with a unique lifestyle, including bacteriochlorophyll a production, CO2 fixation, a high CO2 requirement, and phototactic motility using type IV-pili, all of which are highly adapted to polar and fumarolic environments. The cells are rods or filaments with a vesicular type intracytoplasmic membrane system. The genome encodes novel anoxygenic Type II photochemical reaction centers and bacteriochlorophyll synthesis proteins, forming a deeply branched monophyletic clade distinct from known phototrophs. The first cultured strain of the eighth phototrophic bacterial phylum which we name Vulcanimicrobium alpinus gen. nov., sp. nov. advances our understanding of ecology and evolution of photosynthesis.

AbstractHere a stable glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) system was operated by anaerobic–aerobic mode in the sequencing batch reactor. We focused on the metabolic mechanisms of PHAs storage from GAOs. Our system showed the classic characteristic of glycogen accumulating metabolism (GAM). Glycogen consumption was followed by acetic acid uptake to synthesize poly-β-hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) during the anaerobic period, and glycogen was synthesized by PHAs degradation in the aerobic stage. Microbial community structure indicated that Candidatus Contendobacter was the most prevalent GAOs. We found that the ethylmalonyl-CoA (EMC) pathway was the crucial pathway supplying the core substance propionyl-CoA for poly-β-hydroxyvalerate (PHV) synthesis in Candidatus Contendobacter. All genes in EMC pathway were mainly located in Candidatus Contendobacter by gene source analysis. The key genes expression of EMC pathway increased with Candidatus Contendobacter enrichment, further validating that propionyl-CoA was synthesized by Candidatus Contendobacter predominantly via EMC pathway. Our work revealed the novel mechanisms underlying PHV synthesis through EMC pathway and further improved the intercellular storage metabolism of GAOs.

Abstract Sponge microbiomes contribute to host health, nutrition, and defense through the production of secondary metabolites. Chlamydiae, a phylum of obligate intracellular bacteria ranging from animal pathogens to endosymbionts of microbial eukaryotes, are frequently found associated with sponges. However, sponge-associated chlamydial diversity has not yet been investigated at the genomic level and host interactions thus far remain unexplored. Here, we sequenced the microbiomes of three sponge species and found high, though variable, Chlamydiae relative abundances of up to 18.7% of bacteria. Using genome-resolved metagenomics 18 high-quality sponge-associated chlamydial genomes were reconstructed, covering four chlamydial families. Among these, Candidatus Sororchlamydiaceae shares a common ancestor with Chlamydiaceae animal pathogens, suggesting long-term co-evolution with animals. Based on gene content, sponge-associated chlamydiae resemble members from the same family more than sponge-associated chlamydiae of other families, and have greater metabolic versatility than known chlamydial animal pathogens. Sponge-associated chlamydiae are also enriched in genes for degrading diverse compounds found in sponges. Unexpectedly, we identified widespread genetic potential for secondary metabolite biosynthesis across Chlamydiae, which may represent an unexplored source of novel natural products. This finding suggests that Chlamydiae members may partake in defensive symbioses and that secondary metabolites play a wider role in mediating intracellular interactions. Furthermore, sponge-associated chlamydiae relatives were found in other marine invertebrates, pointing towards wider impacts of the Chlamydiae phylum on marine ecosystems.

Abstract Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) bacteria are a group of extraordinary bacteria exerting a major impact on the global nitrogen cycle. Their phylogenetic breadth and diversity, however, are not well constrained. Here we describe a new, deep-branching family in the order of Candidatus Brocadiales, Candidatus Bathyanammoxibiaceae, members of which have genes encoding the key enzymes of the anammox metabolism. In marine sediment cores from the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge (AMOR), the presence of Ca. Bathyanammoxibiaceae was confined within the nitrate-ammonium transition zones with the counter gradients of nitrate and ammonium, coinciding with the predicted occurrence of the anammox process. Ca. Bathyanammoxibiaceae genomes encode the core genetic machinery for the anammox metabolism, including hydrazine synthase for converting nitric oxide and ammonium to hydrazine, and hydrazine dehydrogenase for hydrazine oxidation to dinitrogen gas, and hydroxylamine oxidoreductase for nitrite reduction to nitric oxide. Their occurrences assessed by genomes and 16S rRNA gene sequencings surveys indicate that they are present in both marine and terrestrial environments. By introducing the anammox potential of Ca. Bathyanammoxibiaceae and charactering their ideal niche in marine sediments, our findings suggest that the diversity and abundance of anammox bacteria may be higher than previously thought, and provide important insights on cultivating them in the future to not only assess their biogeochemical impacts but also constrain the emergence and evolutionary history of this functional guild on Earth.