Publications

4719

Abstract We investigated the phylogenetic diversity, localisation and metabolism of an uncultured bacterial clade, Termite Group 2 (TG2), or ZB3, in the termite gut, which belongs to the candidate phylum ‘Margulisbacteria’. We performed 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis and detected TG2/ZB3 sequences in 40 out of 72 termite and cockroach species, which exclusively constituted a monophyletic cluster in the TG2/ZB3 clade. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis in lower termites revealed that these bacteria are specifically attached to ectosymbiotic spirochetes of oxymonad gut protists. Draft genomes of four TG2/ZB3 phylotypes from a small number of bacterial cells were reconstructed, and functional genome analysis suggested that these bacteria hydrolyse and ferment cellulose/cellobiose to H2, CO2, acetate and ethanol. We also assembled a draft genome for a partner Treponema spirochete and found that it encoded genes for reductive acetogenesis from H2 and CO2. We hypothesise that the TG2/ZB3 bacteria we report here are commensal or mutualistic symbionts of the spirochetes, exploiting the spirochetes as H2 sinks. For these bacteria, we propose a novel genus, ‘Candidatus Termititenax’, which represents a hitherto uncharacterised class-level clade in ‘Margulisbacteria’. Our findings add another layer, i.e., cellular association between bacteria, to the multi-layered symbiotic system in the termite gut.

AbstractGenome-resolved environmental metagenomic sequencing has uncovered substantial previously unrecognized microbial diversity relevant for understanding the ecology and evolution of the biosphere, providing a more nuanced view of the distribution and ecological significance of traits including phototrophy across diverse niches. Recently, the capacity for bacteriochlorophyll-based anoxygenic photosynthesis has been found in the uncultured bacterial WPS-2 clade that are in close association with boreal moss. Here, we use phylogenomic analysis to investigate the diversity and evolution of phototrophic WPS-2. We demonstrate that phototrophic WPS-2 show significant genetic and metabolic divergence from other phototrophic and non-phototrophic lineages. The genomes of these organisms encode a completely new family of anoxygenic Type II photochemical reaction centers and other phototrophy-related proteins that are both phylogenetically and structurally distinct from those found in previously described phototrophs. We propose the nameCandidatusPalusbacterota for the phylum-level aerobic WPS-2 clade which contains phototrophic lineages, from the Latin for “bog bacteria”, distinguishing it from the anaerobic, non-phototrophic sister phylumCandidatusEremiobacterota for “desert bacteria”, typically found in dry environments.

The draft genome sequence of the green filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic (FAP) bacterium “ Candidatus Viridilinea halotolerans” strain Chok-6, isolated from a cold saline sulfide-rich spring near Lake Chokrak, is presented. The genome sequence is annotated for elucidation of the taxonomic position of Chok-6 and to extend the public genome database.

The draft genome sequence of “ Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” strain YNJS7C, isolated from a navel orange tree in Yunnan Province, China, is presented here. The YNJS7C strain has a genome size of 1,258,986 bp, with a G+C content of 36.6%, 1,174 predicted open reading frames, and 53 RNA genes.

The genome of “ Candidatus Sulcia muelleri” strain KPTW1 from Kolla paulula , a vector of Xylella fastidiosa that causes Pierce’s disease (PD) of grapevine in Taiwan, was sequenced. The strain has a genome size of 253,942 bp, GC content of 22.7%, 237 predicted protein-coding genes, and 34 RNA genes.