Publications

4777

Summary Large amounts of detrital organic matter and osmolytes accumulate in the sediments of hadal trenches (>6000 m depth) due to the funnelling effect. It is still unknown whether there are novel active microbes that depend on specific carbon sources in extreme and isolated environments. In this study, we present a novel active bacterial phylum, Candidatus Tianyabacteria in the FCB superphylum, which was enriched in sediments collected from the Challenger Deep. Genome binning resulted in high‐quality Ca . Tianyabacteria genomes representing two Ca . Tianyabacteria lineages (L1 and L2) in sediments 0–21 cm below the surface (cmbsf); L1 tends to be abundant in the upper layers (0–9 cmbsf), and L2 seems to be more prevalent in the deeper layers (12–21 cmbsf). Gene annotation and transcriptomics results indicate that the two lineages might import and catalyse amino acids and myo‐inositol into central carbon metabolism for a heterotrophic lifestyle. Probably due to differences in environmental oxygen levels, the L2 genomes harbour gene clusters responsible for denitrification and fermentation, while the L1 genomes encode octahaem cytochrome c and multicopper oxidase using unknown substrates. The Ca . Tianyabacteria are thus novel heterotrophic organisms that participate in processes of carbon, nitrogen and organic osmolyte cycling in hadal sediments.

Streptomycin (STR) has been used to control citrus huanglongbing (HLB) caused by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) via foliar spray. Here, we studied the residue dynamics of STR and its effect on CLas titers in planta applied by foliar spray and trunk injection of 3-year-old citrus trees that were naturally infected by CLas in the field. After foliar spray, STR levels in leaves peaked at 2 to 7 days postapplication (dpa) and gradually declined thereafter. The STR spray did not significantly affect CLas titers in leaves of treated plants as determined by quantitative PCR. After trunk injection, peak levels of STR were observed 7 to 14 dpa in the leaf and root tissues, and near-peak levels were sustained for another 14 days before significantly declining. At 12 months after injection, moderate to low or undetectable levels of STR were observed in the leaf, root, and fruit, depending on the doses of STR injected, with a residue level of 0.28 µg/g in harvested fruit at the highest injection concentration of 2.0 µg/tree. CLas titers in leaves were significantly reduced by trunk injection of STR at 1.0 or 2.0 g/tree, starting from 7 dpa and throughout the experimental period. The reduction of CLas titers was positively correlated with STR residue levels in leaves. The in planta minimum effective concentration of STR needed to suppress the CLas titer to an undetectable level (cycle threshold ≥36.0) was 1.92 µg/g fresh weight. Determination of the in planta minimum effective concentration of STR against CLas and its spatiotemporal residue levels in planta provides the guidance to use STR for HLB management.

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas) is the predominant causal agent of citrus huanglongbing, the most devastating citrus disease worldwide. CLas colonizes phloem tissue and causes phloem dysfunction. The pathogen population size in local tissues and in the whole plant is critical for the development of disease symptoms by determining the load of pathogenicity factors and metabolic burden to the host. However, the total population size of CLas in a whole plant and the ratio of CLas to citrus cells in local tissues have not been addressed previously. The total CLas population size for 2.5-year-old ‘Valencia’ sweet orange on ‘Kuharske’ citrange rootstock trees was quantified using quantitative PCR to be approximately 1.74 × 109 cells/tree, whereas 7- and 20-year-old sweet orange trees were estimated to be 4.3 × 1010 cells/tree, and 6.0 × 1010 cells/tree, respectively. The majority of CLas cells were distributed in leaf tissues (55.58%), followed by those in branch (36.78%), feeder root (4.75%), trunk (2.39%), and structural root (0.51%) tissues. The ratios of citrus cells to CLas cells for branch, leaf, trunk, feeder root, and structural root samples were within approximately 39 to 79, 44 to 124, 153 to 1,355, 191 to 1,054, and 561 to 3,760, respectively, representing the metabolic burden of CLas in different organs. It was estimated that the ratios of phloem cells to CLas cells for branch, leaf, trunk, feeder root, and structural root samples are approximately 0.39 to 0.79, 0.44 to 1.24, 1.53 to 13.55, 1.91 to 10.54, and 5.61 to 37.60, respectively. Approximately 0.01% of the total citrus phloem volume was estimated to be occupied by CLas, explaining the difficulty to observe CLas in most tissues under transmission electron microscopy. The CLas titer inside the leaf was estimated to be approximately 1.64 × 106 cells/leaf or 9.2 × 104 cells cm–2 in leaves, approximately 104 times less than that of typical apoplastic bacterial pathogens. This study provides quantitative estimates of phloem colonization by bacterial pathogens and furthers the understanding of the biology and virulence mechanisms of CLas.

Summary An anaerobic enrichment with CO from sediments of hypersaline soda lakes resulted in a methane‐forming binary culture, whereby CO was utilized by a bacterium and not the methanogenic partner. The bacterial isolate ANCO1 forms a deep‐branching phylogenetic lineage at the level of a new family within the class ‘ Natranaerobiia ’. It is an extreme haloalkaliphilic and moderate thermophilic acetogen utilizing CO, formate, pyruvate and lactate as electron donors and thiosulfate, nitrate (reduced to ammonia) and fumarate as electron acceptors. The genome of ANCO1 encodes a full Wood–Ljungdahl pathway allowing for CO oxidation and acetogenic conversion of pyruvate. A locus encoding Nap nitrate reductase/NrfA ammonifying nitrite reductase is also present. Thiosulfate respiration is encoded by a Phs/Psr‐like operon. The organism obviously relies on Na‐based bioenergetics, since the genome encodes for the Na + ‐Rnf complex, Na + ‐F1F0 ATPase and Na + ‐translocating decarboxylase. Glycine betaine serves as a compatible solute. ANCO1 has an unusual membrane polar lipid composition dominated by diethers, more common among archaea, probably a result of adaptation to multiple extremophilic conditions. Overall, ANCO1 represents a unique example of a triple extremophilic CO‐oxidizing anaerobe and is classified as a novel genus and species Natranaerofaba carboxydovora in a novel family Natranaerofabacea .

Abstract Na.no.ha.lo'bi.um. Gr. masc. n. nanos a dwarf; Gr. masc. n. hals , halos salt; Gr. masc. n. bios life; N.L. neut. n. Nanohalobium small organism living in salt. The genus Candidatus Nanohalobium was established based on a genome sequence found after the enrichment, cultivation, and characterization of a binary association with its chitinolytic host, obtained from a crystallizer pond brine collected in the marine solar saltern Saline della Laguna of Trapani, Italy. Ca . Nanohalobium is phylogenetically affiliated with members of the Ca . Nanohaloarchaeota ( Candidatus Haloredivivus, Candidatus Nanosalina, and Candidatus Nanosalinicola) of the archaeal DPANN superphylum. Cultivation experiments and analysis of the 0.97 Mb genome of Ca . Nanohalobium constans LC1Nh revealed that the organism has an organoheterotrophic, sugar‐fermenting lifestyle, lacking key anabolic machinery and any respiratory complexes. Additionally, the cultivation experiments revealed a remarkable mutualism of a nanohaloarchaeon–haloarchaeon association, namely the nanohaloarchaeon's ability to hydrolyze glycogen and starch to glucose, enabling the growth of Halomicrobium sp. LC1Hm in the absence of chitin. The low‐median isoelectric point for the predicted proteins suggests a “salt‐in” strategy used by the nanohaloarchaeon for osmotic balance. 16S rRNA gene sequences affiliated with Ca . Nanohalobium were recovered from other saltern ponds and hypersaline lakes worldwide. DNA G + C content (mol%) : 43.2 (genome). Type species : Candidatus Nanohalobium constans , La Cono et al. 2020. Taxonomic and Nomenclature Notes According to the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN), the taxonomic status of the genus Candidatus Nanohalobium is: preferred name (not correct name) (last update, February 2025) * . LPSN classification: Archaea / Nanobdellati / Candidatus Nanohalarchaeota / Candidatus Nanohalobiia / Candidatus Nanohalobiales / Candidatus Nanohalobiaceae / Candidatus Nanohalobium The genus Candidatus Nanohalobium can also be recovered in the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) as g__Nanohalobium (version v220) ** . GTDB classification: d__Archaea / p__Nanohaloarchaeota / c__Nanosalinia / o__Nanosalinales / f__Nanosalinaceae / g__Nanohalobium * Meier‐Kolthoff et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D801 – D807 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab902 ** Parks et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D785 – D794 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab776

Abstract Sil.va.ni.grel'la. N.L. fem. dim. n. Silvanigrella named after Silva nigra the Latin geographic name of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) mountains located in the south‐west of Germany. The genus Silvanigrella accommodates heterotrophic freshwater bacteria isolated from the water column of circumneutral or slightly acidic (pH 5–7) lakes and ponds with low ion concentrations (conductivity < 30 μS/cm). So far, only the two species Silvanigrella aquatica and Silvanigrella paludirubra have been described. Cells of the type strains have in common red pigmentation, motility, and pleomorphic morphology. In both species, the cell morphology ranges from rod‐shaped cells to filamentous forms, the cell size is variable in length and width. The type strain of S. aquatica in addition forms, densely coiled spirals. The type strains of both species grow at temperatures above 30°C, but only the type strain of S. paludirubra grows at temperatures below 10°C. Growth occurred up to supplementary NaCl concentrations of 1.0–1.1% (w/v). Both type strains utilized various organic substrates including carbohydrates, amino acids, and short‐chain fatty acids; however, the substrate spectra of the two strains differed. The most abundant fatty acid was iso‐C 15:0 for both type strains, contributing 33% to the total fatty acid content. The major respiratory quinone of S. paludirubra is menaquinone MK‐8, while the quinones of S. aquatica remained unidentified. The type strains of S. aquatica and S. paludirubra were both characterized by medium‐sized genomes (3.5 and 3.9 Mb, respectively) with low G + C content (32.6 and 29.3 mol%, respectively). DNA G + C content (mol%) : 29–33 (genome sequencing). Type species : Silvanigrella aquatica Hahn et al. 2017 VP . Taxonomic and Nomenclature Notes According to the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN), the taxonomic status of the genus Silvanigrella is: correct name (last update, February 2025) * . LPSN classification: Bacteria / Pseudomonadati / Pseudomonadota / Oligoflexia / Silvanigrellales / Silvanigrellaceae / Silvanigrella The genus Silvanigrella can also be recovered in the Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) as g__Silvanigrella (version v220) ** . GTDB classification: d__Bacteria / p__Bdellovibrionota / c__Oligoflexia / o__Silvanigrellales / f__Silvanigrellaceae / g__Silvanigrella * Meier‐Kolthoff et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D801 – D807 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab902 ** Parks et al. ( 2022 ). Nucleic Acids Res , 50 , D785 – D794 ; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab776