Bioremediation potential of hexavalent chromium-resistant Arthrobacter globiformis 151B: study of the uptake of cesium and other alkali ions.

Cesium (Cs+) enters environments largely because of global release into the environment from weapons testing and accidents such as Fukushima Daiichi and Chernobyl nuclear waste. Even at low concentrations, Cs+ is highly toxic to ecological receptors because of its physicochemical similarity to macronutrient potassium (K+). We investigated the uptake and accumulation of Cs+ by Arthrobacter globiformis strain 151B in reference to three similar alkali metal cations rubidium (Rb+), sodium (Na+), and potassium (K+). The impact of hexavalent chromium (Cr+6) as a co-contaminant was also evaluated. A. globiformis 151B accumulated Cs+ and Cr6+ in a time-dependent fashion. In contrast, the uptake and accumulation of Rb+ did not exhibit any trends. An exposure to Cs+, Rb+, and Cr+6 triggered a drastic increase in K+ and Na+ uptake by the bacterial cells. That was followed by the efflux of K+ and Na+, suggesting a Cs+ "substitution." Two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis of bacterial cell proteomes with the following mass-spectrometry of differentially expressed bands revealed that incubation of bacterial cells with Cs+ induced changes in the expression of proteins involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and reactive oxygen species removal. The ability of A. globiformis 151B to mediate the uptake and accumulation of cesium and hexavalent chromium suggests that it possesses wide-range bioremediation potential.

Deconstruction of plant biomass by a Cellulomonas strain isolated from an ultra-basic (lignin-stripping) spring.

Plant material falling into the ultra-basic (pH 11.5-11.9) springs within The Cedars, an actively serpentinizing site in Sonoma County, California, is subject to conditions that mimic the industrial pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production. We sought to obtain hemicellulolytic/cellulolytic bacteria from The Cedars springs that are capable of withstanding the extreme alkaline conditions wherein calcium hydroxide-rich water removes lignin, making cell wall polysaccharides more accessible to microorganisms and their enzymes. We enriched for such bacteria by adding plant debris from the springs into a synthetic alkaline medium with ground tissue of the biofuel crop switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) as the sole source of carbon. From the enrichment culture we isolated the facultative anaerobic bacterium Cellulomonas sp. strain FA1 (NBRC 114238), which tolerates high pH and catabolizes the major plant cell wall-associated polysaccharides cellulose, pectin, and hemicellulose. Strain FA1 in monoculture colonized the plant material and degraded switchgrass at a faster rate than the community from which it was derived. Cells of strain FA1 could be acclimated through subculturing to grow at a maximal concentration of 13.4% ethanol. A strain FA1-encoded ß-1, 4-endoxylanase expressed in E. coli was active at a broad pH range, displaying near maximal activity at pH 6-9. Discovery of this bacterium illustrates the value of extreme alkaline springs in the search for microorganisms with potential for consolidated bioprocessing of plant biomass to biofuels and other valuable bio-inspired products.

Open-channel microfluidic membrane device for long-term FT-IR spectromicroscopy of live adherent cells.

Spatially resolved infrared spectroscopy is a label-free and nondestructive analytical technique that can provide spatiotemporal information on functional groups in biomolecules of a sample by their characteristic vibrational modes. One difficulty in performing long-term FT-IR measurements on live cells is the competition between the strong IR absorption from water and the need to supply nutrients and remove waste. In this proof of principle study, we developed an open-channel membrane device that allows long-term continuous IR measurement of live, adherent mammalian cells. Composed of a gold-coated porous membrane between a feeding channel and a viewing chamber, it allows cells to be maintained on the upper membrane surface in a thin layer of fluid while media is replenished from the feeding channel below. Using this device, we monitored the spatiotemporal chemical changes in living colonies of PC12 cells under nerve growth factor (NGF) stimulation for up to 7 days using both conventional globar and high-resolution synchrotron radiation-based IR sources. We identified the primary chemical change cells undergo is an increase in glycogen that may be associated with secretion of glycoprotein to protect the cells from evaporative stress at the air-liquid interface. Analyzing the spectral maps with multivariate methods of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), we found that the cells at the boundary of the colony and in a localized region in the center of the colony tend to produce more glycogen and glycoprotein than cells located elsewhere in the colony and that the degree of spatial heterogeneity decreases with time. This method provides a promising approach for long-term live-cell spectromicroscopy on mammalian cell systems.

Ambient infrared laser ablation mass spectrometry (AIRLAB-MS) of live plant tissue with plume capture by continuous flow solvent probe.

A new experimental setup for spatially resolved ambient infrared laser ablation-mass spectrometry (AIRLAB-MS) that uses an infrared microscope with an infinity-corrected reflective objective and a continuous flow solvent probe coupled to a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer is described. The efficiency of material transfer from the sample to the electrospray ionization emitter was determined using glycerol/methanol droplets containing 1 mM nicotine and is ∼50%. This transfer efficiency is significantly higher than values reported for similar techniques. Laser desorption does not induce fragmentation of biomolecules in droplets containing bradykinin, leucine enkephalin and myoglobin, but loss of the heme group from myoglobin occurs as a result of the denaturing solution used. An application of AIRLAB-MS to biological materials is demonstrated for tobacco leaves. Chemical components are identified from the spatially resolved mass spectra of the ablated plant material, including nicotine and uridine. The reproducibility of measurements made using AIRLAB-MS on plant material was demonstrated by the ablation of six closely spaced areas (within 2 × 2 mm) on a young tobacco leaf, and the results indicate a standard deviation of <10% in the uridine signal obtained for each area. The spatial distribution of nicotine was measured for selected leaf areas and variation in the relative nicotine levels (15-100%) was observed. Comparative analysis of the nicotine distribution was demonstrated for two tobacco plant varieties, a genetically modified plant and its corresponding wild-type, indicating generally higher nicotine levels in the mutant.

Installing extra bicarbonate transporters in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 enhances biomass production.

As a means to improve carbon uptake in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803, we engineered strains to contain additional inducible copies of the endogenous bicarbonate transporter BicA, an essential component of the CO2-concentrating mechanism in cyanobacteria. When cultured under atmospheric CO2 pressure, the strain expressing extra BicA transporters (BicA(+) strain) grew almost twice as fast and accumulated almost twice as much biomass as the control strain. When enriched with 0.5% or 5% CO2, the BicA(+) strain grew slower than the control but still showed a superior biomass production. Introducing a point mutation in the large C-terminal cytosolic domain of the inserted BicA, at a site implicated in allosteric regulation of transport activity, resulted in a strain (BicA(+)(T485G) strain) that exhibited pronounced cell aggregation and failed to grow at 5% CO2. However, the bicarbonate uptake capacity of the induced BicA(+)(T485G) was twice higher than for the wild-type strain. Metabolic analyses, including phenotyping by synchrotron-radiation Fourier transform Infrared spectromicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and lectin staining, suggest that the excess assimilated carbon in BicA(+) and BicA(+)(T485G) cells was directed into production of saccharide-rich exopolymeric substances. We propose that the increased capacity for CO2 uptake in the BicA(+) strain can be capitalized on by re-directing carbon flux from exopolymeric substances to other end products such as fuels or high-value chemicals.

Implicating the red body of Nannochloropsis in forming the recalcitrant cell wall polymer algaenan.

Stramenopile algae contribute significantly to global primary productivity, and one class, Eustigmatophyceae, is increasingly studied for applications in high-value lipid production. Yet much about their basic biology remains unknown, including the nature of an enigmatic, pigmented globule found in vegetative cells. Here, we present an in-depth examination of this "red body," focusing on Nannochloropsis oceanica. During the cell cycle, the red body forms adjacent to the plastid, but unexpectedly it is secreted and released with the autosporangial wall following cell division. Shed red bodies contain antioxidant ketocarotenoids, and overexpression of a beta-carotene ketolase results in enlarged red bodies. Infrared spectroscopy indicates long-chain, aliphatic lipids in shed red bodies and cell walls, and UHPLC-HRMS detects a C32 alkyl diol, a potential precursor of algaenan, a recalcitrant cell wall polymer. We propose that the red body transports algaenan precursors from plastid to apoplast to be incorporated into daughter cell walls.

Long-term, non-invasive FTIR detection of low-dose ionizing radiation exposure.

Non-invasive methods of detecting radiation exposure show promise to improve upon current approaches to biological dosimetry in ease, speed, and accuracy. Here we developed a pipeline that employs Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectrum to identify a signature of low dose ionizing radiation exposure in mouse ear pinnae over time. Mice exposed to 0.1 to 2 Gy total body irradiation were repeatedly measured by FTIR at the stratum corneum of the ear pinnae. We found significant discriminative power for all doses and time-points out to 90 days after exposure. Classification accuracy was maximized when testing 14 days after exposure (specificity > 0.9 with a sensitivity threshold of 0.9) and dropped by roughly 30% sensitivity at 90 days. Infrared frequencies point towards biological changes in DNA conformation, lipid oxidation and accumulation and shifts in protein secondary structure. Since only hundreds of samples were used to learn the highly discriminative signature, developing human-relevant diagnostic capabilities is likely feasible and this non-invasive procedure points toward rapid, non-invasive, and reagent-free biodosimetry applications at population scales.

Deep-sea bacteria enriched by oil and dispersant from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in a massive influx of hydrocarbons into the Gulf of Mexico (the Gulf). To better understand the fate of the oil, we enriched and isolated indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria from deep, uncontaminated waters from the Gulf with oil (Macondo MC252) and dispersant used during the spill (COREXIT 9500). During 20 days of incubation at 5°C, CO(2) evolution, hydrocarbon concentrations and the microbial community composition were determined. Approximately 60% to 25% of the dissolved oil with or without COREXIT, respectively, was degraded, in addition to some hydrocarbons in the COREXIT. FeCl(2) addition initially increased respiration rates, but not the total amount of hydrocarbons degraded. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a succession in the microbial community over time, with an increase in abundance of Colwellia and Oceanospirillales during the incubations. Flocs formed during incubations with oil and/or COREXIT in the absence of FeCl(2) . Synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectromicroscopy revealed that the flocs were comprised of oil, carbohydrates and biomass. Colwellia were the dominant bacteria in the flocs. Colwellia sp. strain RC25 was isolated from one of the enrichments and confirmed to rapidly degrade high amounts (approximately 75%) of the MC252 oil at 5°C. Together these data highlight several features that provide Colwellia with the capacity to degrade oil in cold, deep marine habitats, including aggregation together with oil droplets into flocs and hydrocarbon degradation ability.

Synchrotron infrared measurements of protein phosphorylation in living single PC12 cells during neuronal differentiation.

Protein phosphorylation is a post-translational modification that is essential for the regulation of many important cellular activities, including proliferation and differentiation. Current techniques for detecting protein phosphorylation in single cells often involve the use of fluorescence markers, such as antibodies or genetically expressed proteins. In contrast, infrared spectroscopy is a label-free and noninvasive analytical technique that can monitor the intrinsic vibrational signatures of chemical bonds. Here, we provide direct evidence that protein phosphorylation in individual living mammalian cells can be measured with synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform-infrared (SR-FT-IR) spectromicroscopy. We show that PC12 cells stimulated with nerve growth factor (NGF) exhibit statistically significant temporal variations in specific spectral features, correlating with changes in protein phosphorylation levels and the subsequent development of neuron-like phenotypes in the cells. The spectral phosphorylation markers were confirmed by bimodal (FT-IR/fluorescence) imaging of fluorescently marked PC12 cells with sustained protein phosphorylation activity. Our results open up new possibilities for the label-free real-time monitoring of protein phosphorylation inside cells. Furthermore, the multimolecule sensitivity of this technique will be useful for unraveling the associated molecular changes during cellular signaling and response processes.

Real-time molecular monitoring of chemical environment in obligate anaerobes during oxygen adaptive response.

Determining the transient chemical properties of the intracellular environment can elucidate the paths through which a biological system adapts to changes in its environment, for example, the mechanisms that enable some obligate anaerobic bacteria to survive a sudden exposure to oxygen. Here we used high-resolution Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectromicroscopy to continuously follow cellular chemistry within living obligate anaerobes by monitoring hydrogen bond structures in their cellular water. We observed a sequence of well orchestrated molecular events that correspond to changes in cellular processes in those cells that survive, but only accumulation of radicals in those that do not. We thereby can interpret the adaptive response in terms of transient intracellular chemistry and link it to oxygen stress and survival. This ability to monitor chemical changes at the molecular level can yield important insights into a wide range of adaptive responses.

Imaging cell wall architecture in single Zinnia elegans tracheary elements.

The chemical and structural organization of the plant cell wall was examined in Zinnia elegans tracheary elements (TEs), which specialize by developing prominent secondary wall thickenings underlying the primary wall during xylogenesis in vitro. Three imaging platforms were used in conjunction with chemical extraction of wall components to investigate the composition and structure of single Zinnia TEs. Using fluorescence microscopy with a green fluorescent protein-tagged Clostridium thermocellum family 3 carbohydrate-binding module specific for crystalline cellulose, we found that cellulose accessibility and binding in TEs increased significantly following an acidified chlorite treatment. Examination of chemical composition by synchrotron radiation-based Fourier-transform infrared spectromicroscopy indicated a loss of lignin and a modest loss of other polysaccharides in treated TEs. Atomic force microscopy was used to extensively characterize the topography of cell wall surfaces in TEs, revealing an outer granular matrix covering the underlying meshwork of cellulose fibrils. The internal organization of TEs was determined using secondary wall fragments generated by sonication. Atomic force microscopy revealed that the resulting rings, spirals, and reticulate structures were composed of fibrils arranged in parallel. Based on these combined results, we generated an architectural model of Zinnia TEs composed of three layers: an outermost granular layer, a middle primary wall composed of a meshwork of cellulose fibrils, and inner secondary wall thickenings containing parallel cellulose fibrils. In addition to insights in plant biology, studies using Zinnia TEs could prove especially productive in assessing cell wall responses to enzymatic and microbial degradation, thus aiding current efforts in lignocellulosic biofuel production.

Interplay of microbial communities with mineral environments in coralline algae.

Coralline algae are worldwide carbonate builders, considered to be foundational species and biodiversity hotspots. Coralline habitats face increasing pressure from human activities and effects related to Global Change, yet their ecological properties and adaptive responses remain poorly understood. The relationships of the algal microbiota with the mineral bioconstructions, as well as plasticity and resilience of coralline holobionts in a changing environment, are of particular interest. In the Gulf of California, Neogoniolithon trichotomum (Rhodophyta) is the main carbonate builder in tidal pools. We performed a multi-disciplinary assessment of the N. trichotomum microstructure using XRD, SEM microscopy and SR-FTIR spectromicroscopy. In the algal perithallus, magnesium-calcite and aragonite were spatially segregated and embedded in a polysaccharide matrix (rich in sulfated polysaccharides). Mg-calcites (18-19 mol% Mg) were the main mineral components of the thallus overall, followed by iron carbonates related to dolomite (ankerite) and siderite. Minerals of late evaporitic sequences (sylvite and bischofite) were also present, suggesting potential halophilic microenvironments within the algal thalli. The diverse set of abundant halophilic, halotolerant and oligotrophic taxa, whose abundance increase in the summer, further suggests this condition. We created an integrated model, based on environmental parameters and the microbiota distribution, that identified temperature and nutrient availability (particularly nitrate and silicate) as the main parameters related to specific taxa patterns. Among these, Hahella, Granulossicoccus, Ferrimonas, Spongiibacteraceae and cyanobacterial Xenococcaceae and Nostocaceae change significantly between seasons. These bacterial components might play relevant roles in algal plasticity and adaptive responses to a changing environment. This study contributes to the understanding of the interplay of the prokaryotic microbiota with the mineral microenvironments of coralline algae. Because of their carbonates with potential resistance to dissolution in a higher pCO2 world and their seasonally dynamic bacteria, coralline algae are relevant targets to study coastal resilience and carbonated systems responses to changing environments.

Synchrotron IR spectromicroscopy: chemistry of living cells.

Advanced analytical capabilities of synchrotron IR spectromicroscopy meet the demands of modern biological research for studying molecular reactions in individual living cells. (To listen to a podcast about this article, please go to the Analytical Chemistry multimedia page at pubs.acs.org/page/ancham/audio/index.html.).

Ultrafast self-assembly of microscale particles by open-channel flow.

We developed an ultrafast microfluidic approach to self-assemble microparticles in three dimensions by taking advantage of simple photolithography and capillary action of microparticle-dispersed suspensions. The theoretical principles of high-speed assembly have been explained, and the experimental verifications of the assembly of various sizes of silica microspheres and silica gel microspheres within thin and long open microchannels by using this approach have been demonstrated. We anticipate that the presented technique will be widely used in the semiconductor and Bio-MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) fields because it offers a fast way to control 3D microscale particle assemblies and also has superb compatibility with photolithography, which can lead to an easy integration of particle assembly with existing CMOS (complementary metal oxide-semiconductor) and MEMS fabrication processes.

Response of antioxidant defense system to chromium (VI)-induced cytotoxicity in human diploid cells.

The aim of this study is to establish antioxidant indicators of chromium toxicity in fetal human lung fibroblasts (HLF). The results obtained corroborate and develop our earlier observation of low-dose and long-term action of Cr(VI) on human cells in culture. In the case of a nontoxic chromium dose, temporary oxidative stress is overcome by increased activity of the antioxidant system with correlation to cell cycle re-entry. The toxic concentrations misbalance the cell antioxidant defense systems and cause irreversible growth arrest and massive cell death by apoptosis. Sub-toxicity is defined as toxicity stretched in time. The activity of GPx (glutathione peroxidase) is proposed as a biomarker of oxidative stress caused by Cr(VI), and the GR (glutathione reductase) inhibition is considered as a marker of the toxicity developed under the complex Cr(VI) action. In HLF cells the glutathione dependent defense system is the first system destroyed in response to toxic chromium action. Only the balance between SOD (superoxide dismutase) and H(2)O(2) degrading enzymes (catalase and GPx), should play an important role in the fate of a cell, not individual enzymes.

Tunable rainbow light trapping in ultrathin resonator arrays.

Rainbow light trapping in plasmonic devices allows for field enhancement of multiple wavelengths within a single device. However, many of these devices lack precise control over spatial and spectral enhancement profiles and cannot provide extremely high localised field strengths. Here we present a versatile, analytical design paradigm for rainbow trapping in nanogroove arrays by utilising both the groove-width and groove-length as tuning parameters. We couple this design technique with fabrication through multilayer thin-film deposition and focused ion beam milling, which enables the realisation of unprecedented feature sizes down to 5 nm and corresponding extreme normalised local field enhancements up to 103. We demonstrate rainbow trapping within the devices through hyperspectral microscopy and show agreement between the experimental results and simulation. The combination of expeditious design and precise fabrication underpins the implementation of these nanogroove arrays for manifold applications in sensing and nanoscale optics.

Autonomous adaptive data acquisition for scanning hyperspectral imaging.

Non-invasive and label-free spectral microscopy (spectromicroscopy) techniques can provide quantitative biochemical information complementary to genomic sequencing, transcriptomic profiling, and proteomic analyses. However, spectromicroscopy techniques generate high-dimensional data; acquisition of a single spectral image can range from tens of minutes to hours, depending on the desired spatial resolution and the image size. This substantially limits the timescales of observable transient biological processes. To address this challenge and move spectromicroscopy towards efficient real-time spatiochemical imaging, we developed a grid-less autonomous adaptive sampling method. Our method substantially decreases image acquisition time while increasing sampling density in regions of steeper physico-chemical gradients. When implemented with scanning Fourier Transform infrared spectromicroscopy experiments, this grid-less adaptive sampling approach outperformed standard uniform grid sampling in a two-component chemical model system and in a complex biological sample, Caenorhabditis elegans. We quantitatively and qualitatively assess the efficiency of data acquisition using performance metrics and multivariate infrared spectral analysis, respectively.

Lipid analysis of CO2-rich subsurface aquifers suggests an autotrophy-based deep biosphere with lysolipids enriched in CPR bacteria.

Sediment-hosted CO2-rich aquifers deep below the Colorado Plateau (USA) contain a remarkable diversity of uncultivated microorganisms, including Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) bacteria that are putative symbionts unable to synthesize membrane lipids. The origin of organic carbon in these ecosystems is unknown and the source of CPR membrane lipids remains elusive. We collected cells from deep groundwater brought to the surface by eruptions of Crystal Geyser, sequenced the community, and analyzed the whole community lipidome over time. Characteristic stable carbon isotopic compositions of microbial lipids suggest that bacterial and archaeal CO2 fixation ongoing in the deep subsurface provides organic carbon for the complex communities that reside there. Coupled lipidomic-metagenomic analysis indicates that CPR bacteria lack complete lipid biosynthesis pathways but still possess regular lipid membranes. These lipids may therefore originate from other community members, which also adapt to high in situ pressure by increasing fatty acid unsaturation. An unusually high abundance of lysolipids attributed to CPR bacteria may represent an adaptation to membrane curvature stress induced by their small cell sizes. Our findings provide new insights into the carbon cycle in the deep subsurface and suggest the redistribution of lipids into putative symbionts within this community.

Real-time chemical imaging of bacterial activity in biofilms using open-channel microfluidics and synchrotron FTIR spectromicroscopy.

Real-time chemical imaging of bacterial activities can facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of biofilm structures and functions. Synchrotron-radiation-based Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) spectromicroscopy can yield high spatial resolution and label-free vibrational signatures of chemical bonds in biomolecules, but the abundance of water in biofilms has hindered SR-FTIR's sensitivity in investigating bacterial activity. We developed a simple open-channel microfluidic system that can circumvent the water-absorption barrier for chemical imaging of the developmental dynamics of bacterial biofilms with a spatial resolution of several micrometers. This system maintains a 10 microm thick laminar-flow-through biofilm system that minimizes both the imaging volume in liquid and the signal interference from geometry-induced fringing. Here we demonstrate the ability of the open-channel microfluidic platform to maintain the functionality of living cells while enabling high-quality SR-FTIR measurements. We include several applications that show how microbes in biofilms adapt to their immediate environments. The ability to directly monitor and map bacterial changes in biofilms can yield significant insight into a wide range of microbial systems, especially when coupled to more sophisticated microfluidic platforms.

Mechanisms of soft tissue and protein preservation in Tyrannosaurus rex.

The idea that original soft tissue structures and the native structural proteins comprising them can persist across geological time is controversial, in part because rigorous and testable mechanisms that can occur under natural conditions, resulting in such preservation, have not been well defined. Here, we evaluate two non-enzymatic structural protein crosslinking mechanisms, Fenton chemistry and glycation, for their possible contribution to the preservation of blood vessel structures recovered from the cortical bone of a Tyrannosaurus rex (USNM 555000 [formerly, MOR 555]). We demonstrate the endogeneity of the fossil vessel tissues, as well as the presence of type I collagen in the outermost vessel layers, using imaging, diffraction, spectroscopy, and immunohistochemistry. Then, we use data derived from synchrotron FTIR studies of the T. rex vessels to analyse their crosslink character, with comparison against two non-enzymatic Fenton chemistry- and glycation-treated extant chicken samples. We also provide supporting X-ray microprobe analyses of the chemical state of these fossil tissues to support our conclusion that non-enzymatic crosslinking pathways likely contributed to stabilizing, and thus preserving, these T. rex vessels. Finally, we propose that these stabilizing crosslinks could play a crucial role in the preservation of other microvascular tissues in skeletal elements from the Mesozoic.