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1.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 116(38): 19116-19125, 2019 09 17.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31427514

RESUMEN

Cable bacteria of the family Desulfobulbaceae form centimeter-long filaments comprising thousands of cells. They occur worldwide in the surface of aquatic sediments, where they connect sulfide oxidation with oxygen or nitrate reduction via long-distance electron transport. In the absence of pure cultures, we used single-filament genomics and metagenomics to retrieve draft genomes of 3 marine Candidatus Electrothrix and 1 freshwater Ca. Electronema species. These genomes contain >50% unknown genes but still share their core genomic makeup with sulfate-reducing and sulfur-disproportionating Desulfobulbaceae, with few core genes lost and 212 unique genes (from 197 gene families) conserved among cable bacteria. Last common ancestor analysis indicates gene divergence and lateral gene transfer as equally important origins of these unique genes. With support from metaproteomics of a Ca. Electronema enrichment, the genomes suggest that cable bacteria oxidize sulfide by reversing the canonical sulfate reduction pathway and fix CO2 using the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Cable bacteria show limited organotrophic potential, may assimilate smaller organic acids and alcohols, fix N2, and synthesize polyphosphates and polyglucose as storage compounds; several of these traits were confirmed by cell-level experimental analyses. We propose a model for electron flow from sulfide to oxygen that involves periplasmic cytochromes, yet-unidentified conductive periplasmic fibers, and periplasmic oxygen reduction. This model proposes that an active cable bacterium gains energy in the anodic, sulfide-oxidizing cells, whereas cells in the oxic zone flare off electrons through intense cathodic oxygen respiration without energy conservation; this peculiar form of multicellularity seems unparalleled in the microbial world.


Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Evolución Biológica , Deltaproteobacteria/genética , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Genoma Bacteriano , Proteoma/análisis , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Ciclo del Carbono , Movimiento Celular , Quimiotaxis , Citocromos/metabolismo , Deltaproteobacteria/clasificación , Transporte de Electrón , Sedimentos Geológicos/microbiología , Nitratos/metabolismo , Oxidación-Reducción , Oxígeno/metabolismo , Filogenia , Homología de Secuencia , Sulfuros/metabolismo
2.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 115(34): 8517-8522, 2018 08 21.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30082405

RESUMEN

Filamentous Desulfobulbaceae bacteria were recently discovered as long-range transporters of electrons from sulfide to oxygen in marine sediments. The long-range electron transfer through these cable bacteria has created considerable interests, but it has also raised many questions, such as what structural basis will be required to enable micrometer-sized cells to build into centimeter-long continuous filaments? Here we dissected cable bacteria cells in vitro by atomic force microscopy and further explored the interior, which is normally hidden behind the outer membrane. Using nanoscale topographical and mechanical maps, different types of bacterial cell-cell junctions and strings along the cable length were identified. More important, these strings were found to be continuous along the bacterial cells passing through the cell-cell junctions. This indicates that the strings serve an important function in maintaining integrity of individual cable bacteria cells as a united filament. Furthermore, ridges in the outer membrane are found to envelop the individual strings at cell-cell junctions, and they are proposed to strengthen the junctions. Finally, we propose a model for the division and growth of the cable bacteria, which illustrate the possible structural requirements for the formation of centimeter-length filaments in the recently discovered cable bacteria.


Asunto(s)
Fenómenos Fisiológicos Bacterianos , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Microbiología del Agua , Transporte Biológico Activo/fisiología
3.
Appl Environ Microbiol ; 86(8)2020 04 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32060020

RESUMEN

The deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata largely depends on a dense epibiotic chemoautotrophic bacterial community within its enlarged cephalothoracic chamber. However, our understanding of shrimp-bacterium interactions is limited. In this report, we focused on the deltaproteobacterial epibiont of R. exoculata from the relatively unexplored South Mid-Atlantic Ridge. A nearly complete genome of a Deltaproteobacteria epibiont was binned from the assembled metagenome. Whole-genome phylogenetic analysis reveals that it is affiliated with the genus Desulfobulbus, representing a potential novel species for which the name "Candidatus Desulfobulbus rimicarensis" is proposed. Genomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal that this bacterium utilizes the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for carbon assimilation and harvests energy via sulfur disproportionation, which is significantly different from other shrimp epibionts. Additionally, this epibiont has putative nitrogen fixation activity, but it is extremely active in directly taking up ammonia and urea from the host or vent environments. Moreover, the epibiont could be distinguished from its free-living relatives by various features, such as the lack of chemotaxis and motility traits, a dramatic reduction in biosynthesis genes for capsular and extracellular polysaccharides, enrichment of genes required for carbon fixation and sulfur metabolism, and resistance to environmental toxins. Our study highlights the unique role and symbiotic adaptation of Deltaproteobacteria in deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimps.IMPORTANCE The shrimp Rimicaris exoculata represents the dominant faunal biomass at many deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This organism harbors dense bacterial epibiont communities in its enlarged cephalothoracic chamber that play an important nutritional role. Deltaproteobacteria are ubiquitous in epibiotic communities of R. exoculata, and their functional roles as epibionts are based solely on the presence of functional genes. Here, we describe "Candidatus Desulfobulbus rimicarensis," an uncultivated deltaproteobacterial epibiont. Compared to campylobacterial and gammaproteobacterial epibionts of R. exoculata, this bacterium possessed unique metabolic pathways, such as the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, as well as sulfur disproportionation and nitrogen fixation pathways. Furthermore, this epibiont can be distinguished from closely related free-living Desulfobulbus strains by its reduced genetic content and potential loss of functions, suggesting unique adaptations to the shrimp host. This study is a genomic and transcriptomic analysis of a deltaproteobacterial epibiont and largely expands the understanding of its metabolism and adaptation to the R. exoculata host.


Asunto(s)
Adaptación Biológica , Decápodos/microbiología , Deltaproteobacteria/aislamiento & purificación , Genoma Bacteriano , Respiraderos Hidrotermales/microbiología , Simbiosis , Animales , Océano Atlántico , Deltaproteobacteria/clasificación , Deltaproteobacteria/genética , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Rasgos de la Historia de Vida , Filogenia
4.
Eur Biophys J ; 49(7): 633-642, 2020 Oct.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33094363

RESUMEN

'Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis' is a multicellular magnetotactic prokaryote found in the Araruama lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This microorganism shows a photokinesis that depends on the incident light wavelength, but that dependence can be canceled by the presence of radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields. The present manuscript has as its aim to study the effect of light wavelength and RF fields on the U-turn time of 'Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis', a behavior more related to magnetotaxis. As the experiments were performed during the night, the microorganisms were greater in size than normal, indicating that they were in the process of division. Our results show that when normal in size, the microorganism's U-turn time is modified by the light wavelength (lower for blue light than for green and red light), but RF fields do not affect that U-turn time dependence on the light wavelength. For the microorganism in the process of division, we describe for the first time how the photokinesis and U-turn time dependence on the light wavelength disappear. It is proposed that methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins are involved in that light wavelength dependence for the U-turn time, but still more studies are necessary to understand how RF fields cancel the photokinesis light wavelength dependence, but do not affect the dependence of the U-turn time.


Asunto(s)
Quimiotaxis , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Ondas de Radio , Biofisica , Brasil , Luz , Campos Magnéticos , Fotoquímica , Fototaxis , Programas Informáticos
5.
Nature ; 506(7486): 58-62, 2014 Feb 06.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24476823

RESUMEN

Cultivated bacteria such as actinomycetes are a highly useful source of biomedically important natural products. However, such 'talented' producers represent only a minute fraction of the entire, mostly uncultivated, prokaryotic diversity. The uncultured majority is generally perceived as a large, untapped resource of new drug candidates, but so far it is unknown whether taxa containing talented bacteria indeed exist. Here we report the single-cell- and metagenomics-based discovery of such producers. Two phylotypes of the candidate genus 'Entotheonella' with genomes of greater than 9 megabases and multiple, distinct biosynthetic gene clusters co-inhabit the chemically and microbially rich marine sponge Theonella swinhoei. Almost all bioactive polyketides and peptides known from this animal were attributed to a single phylotype. 'Entotheonella' spp. are widely distributed in sponges and belong to an environmental taxon proposed here as candidate phylum 'Tectomicrobia'. The pronounced bioactivities and chemical uniqueness of 'Entotheonella' compounds provide significant opportunities for ecological studies and drug discovery.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/clasificación , Deltaproteobacteria/metabolismo , Descubrimiento de Drogas , Animales , Vías Biosintéticas/genética , Deltaproteobacteria/genética , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Microbiología Ambiental , Genes Bacterianos/genética , Genoma Bacteriano/genética , Metagenómica , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Familia de Multigenes/genética , Péptidos/metabolismo , Policétidos/metabolismo , Poríferos/metabolismo , Poríferos/microbiología , Análisis de la Célula Individual , Simbiosis
6.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek ; 113(2): 197-209, 2020 Feb.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31535336

RESUMEN

Magnetotactic bacteria have intracellular chains of magnetic nanoparticles, conferring to their cellular body a magnetic moment that permits the alignment of their swimming trajectories to the geomagnetic field lines. That property is known as magnetotaxis and makes them suitable for the study of bacterial motion. The present paper studies the swimming trajectories of uncultured magnetotactic cocci and of the multicellular magnetotactic prokaryote 'Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis' exposed to magnetic fields lower than 80 µT. It was assumed that the trajectories are cylindrical helixes and the axial velocity, the helix radius, the frequency and the orientation of the trajectories relative to the applied magnetic field were determined from the experimental trajectories. The results show the paramagnetic model applies well to magnetotactic cocci but not to 'Ca. M. multicellularis' in the low magnetic field regime analyzed. Magnetotactic cocci orient their trajectories as predicted by classical magnetotaxis but in general 'Ca. M. multicellularis' does not swim following the magnetic field direction, meaning that for it the inversion in the magnetic field direction represents a stimulus but the selection of the swimming direction depends on other cues or even on other mechanisms for magnetic field detection.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Campos Magnéticos , Células Procariotas/fisiología , Deltaproteobacteria/ultraestructura , Microscopía por Video , Células Procariotas/ultraestructura
7.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol ; 102(17): 7611-7621, 2018 Sep.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29923078

RESUMEN

A possible approach to enhance the performance of microbial electrochemical system such as microbial fuel cells is to increase the conductivity of catalytic biofilms and thereby the direct extracellular electron transfer within the biofilms and from the electrode. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of static low-intensity magnetic field on the anodic biofilms in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Results demonstrated that the application of a low-intensity magnetic field (105 and 150 mT) can significantly shorten the startup time and enhance the overall performance of single-chamber MFCs in terms of current density (300%) and power density (150%). In situ conductance evaluation indicated that short-term application of magnetic field can increase biofilm conductivity, although the long-term enhancements were likely results of increased conductivity of the anodic biofilms associated with enriched population of Geobacteraceae. The peak-manner response of conductivity over gate potentials and the positive response of mature biofilm conductance to low intensity of magnetic field support the redox conduction model of the conductive exoelectrogenic biofilms.


Asunto(s)
Fuentes de Energía Bioeléctrica/microbiología , Biopelículas , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Conductividad Eléctrica , Campos Magnéticos , Bacterias/clasificación , Bacterias/genética , Bacterias/aislamiento & purificación , Electrodos , Transporte de Electrón , Matriz Extracelular de Sustancias Poliméricas/metabolismo , Oxidación-Reducción , ARN Ribosómico 16S/genética
8.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek ; 111(11): 2213-2223, 2018 Nov.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29915893

RESUMEN

Magnetotactic bacteria, for the most part, are free-living, motile, unicellular prokaryotes that inhabit almost all marine and freshwater environments. One notable exception to the unicellular mode, however, are the magnetotactic multicellular prokaryotes. These morphologically unique prokaryotes (e.g., Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis) are motile aggregates of 20-40 genetically identical, Gram-negative cells organised as a sphere (or ovoid in shape) and only motile as a unit. No specific close physical association between magnetotactic bacteria and non-magnetotactic microorganisms has ever been reported. Here, using culture-independent approaches, we show an unusual association between the spherical magnetotactic multicellular prokaryote Ca. Magnetoglobus multicellularis and Pseudoalteromonas species in environmental sediment and water samples collected from the Araruama Lagoon in Brazil. Cells of Pseudoalteromonas species were observed to be physically attached to the surface and, notably, even in the intercellular space of these spherical magnetotactic multicellular prokaryotes. An attempt to correlate the frequency of association between Pseudoalteromonas and magnetotactic multicellular prokaryotes with sediment depth was made but only a slight decrease in the number of Pseudoalteromonas cells per magnetotactic multicellular prokaryote was observed with increasing depth. Similar observations were made with magnetotactic multicellular prokaryotes from another Brazilian Lagoon (Rodrigo de Freitas) and the putative symbiont/parasite was detected. Although our results suggest some sort of specificity in the relationship between these prokaryotes, the precise nature of this association remains unclear.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Agua Dulce/microbiología , Pseudoalteromonas/fisiología , Brasil , Deltaproteobacteria/química , Deltaproteobacteria/aislamiento & purificación , Magnetismo , Pseudoalteromonas/química , Pseudoalteromonas/aislamiento & purificación
9.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 112(13): 4015-20, 2015 Mar 31.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25775520

RESUMEN

Methane seeps are widespread seafloor ecosystems shaped by the emission of gas from seabed reservoirs. The microorganisms inhabiting methane seeps transform the chemical energy in methane to products that sustain rich benthic communities around the gas leaks. Despite the biogeochemical relevance of microbial methane removal at seeps, the global diversity and dispersion of seep microbiota remain unknown. Here we determined the microbial diversity and community structure of 23 globally distributed methane seeps and compared these to the microbial communities of 54 other seafloor ecosystems, including sulfate-methane transition zones, hydrothermal vents, coastal sediments, and deep-sea surface and subsurface sediments. We found that methane seep communities show moderate levels of microbial richness compared with other seafloor ecosystems and harbor distinct bacterial and archaeal taxa with cosmopolitan distribution and key biogeochemical functions. The high relative sequence abundance of ANME (anaerobic methanotrophic archaea), as well as aerobic Methylococcales, sulfate-reducing Desulfobacterales, and sulfide-oxidizing Thiotrichales, matches the most favorable microbial metabolisms at methane seeps in terms of substrate supply and distinguishes the seep microbiome from other seafloor microbiomes. The key functional taxa varied in relative sequence abundance between different seeps due to the environmental factors, sediment depth and seafloor temperature. The degree of endemism of the methane seep microbiome suggests a high local diversification in these heterogeneous but long-lived ecosystems. Our results indicate that the seep microbiome is structured according to metacommunity processes and that few cosmopolitan microbial taxa mediate the bulk of methane oxidation, with global relevance to methane emission in the ocean.


Asunto(s)
Sedimentos Geológicos/microbiología , Metano/química , Microbiota , Agua de Mar/microbiología , Archaea/clasificación , Archaea/fisiología , Biodiversidad , Bases de Datos Genéticas , Deltaproteobacteria/clasificación , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Ecosistema , Gammaproteobacteria/clasificación , Gammaproteobacteria/fisiología , Respiraderos Hidrotermales/microbiología , ARN Ribosómico 16S/genética , Análisis de Secuencia de ADN
10.
Appl Environ Microbiol ; 82(13): 3816-21, 2016 07 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27084019

RESUMEN

UNLABELLED: Cable bacteria are filamentous bacteria that electrically couple sulfide oxidation and oxygen reduction at centimeter distances, and observations in sediment environments have suggested that they are motile. By time-lapse microscopy, we found that cable bacteria used gliding motility on surfaces with a highly variable speed of 0.5 ± 0.3 µm s(-1) (mean ± standard deviation) and time between reversals of 155 ± 108 s. They frequently moved forward in loops, and formation of twisted loops revealed helical rotation of the filaments. Cable bacteria responded to chemical gradients in their environment, and around the oxic-anoxic interface, they curled and piled up, with straight parts connecting back to the source of sulfide. Thus, it appears that motility serves the cable bacteria in establishing and keeping optimal connections between their distant electron donor and acceptors in a dynamic sediment environment. IMPORTANCE: This study reports on the motility of cable bacteria, capable of transmitting electrons over centimeter distances. It gives us a new insight into their behavior in sediments and explains previously puzzling findings. Cable bacteria greatly influence their environment, and this article adds significantly to the body of knowledge about this organism.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Locomoción , Deltaproteobacteria/metabolismo , Sedimentos Geológicos/microbiología , Microscopía , Oxidación-Reducción , Oxígeno/metabolismo , Sulfuros/metabolismo , Imagen de Lapso de Tiempo
11.
Appl Environ Microbiol ; 82(3): 922-7, 2016 02 01.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26590288

RESUMEN

Halobacteriovorax (formerly Bacteriovorax) is a small predatory bacterium found in the marine environment and modulates bacterial pathogens in shellfish. Four strains of Halobacteriovorax originally isolated in Vibrio parahaemolyticus O3:K6 host cells were separated from their prey by an enrichment-filtration-dilution technique for specificity testing in other bacteria. This technique was essential, since 0.45-µm filtration alone was unable to remove infectious Vibrio minicells, as determined by scanning electron microscopy and cultural methods. Purified Halobacteriovorax strains were screened for predation against other V. parahaemolyticus strains and against Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio alginolyticus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104, all potential threats to seafood safety. They showed high host specificity and were predatory only against strains of V. parahaemolyticus. In addition, strains of Halobacteriovorax that were predatory for E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium DT104 were isolated from a tidal river at 5 ppt salinity. In a modified plaque assay agar, they killed their respective prey over a broad range of salinities (5 to 30 ppt). Plaques became smaller as the salinity levels rose, suggesting that the lower salinities were optimal for the predators' replication. These species also showed broader host specificity, infectious against each other's original hosts as well as against V. parahaemolyticus strains. In summary, this study characterized strains of Halobacteriovorax which may be considered for use in the development of broad-based biocontrol technologies to enhance the safety of commercially marketed shellfish and other foods.


Asunto(s)
Agentes de Control Biológico/aislamiento & purificación , Agentes de Control Biológico/metabolismo , Deltaproteobacteria/aislamiento & purificación , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Especificidad del Huésped , Agua de Mar/microbiología , Deltaproteobacteria/patogenicidad , Escherichia coli O157 , Contaminación de Alimentos/prevención & control , Interacciones Huésped-Patógeno , Salinidad , Salmonella enterica , Alimentos Marinos/microbiología , Mariscos/microbiología , Vibrio parahaemolyticus , Vibrio vulnificus
13.
Nat Methods ; 9(6): 621-5, 2012 Apr 15.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22504588

RESUMEN

Understanding the interactions between the Earth's microbiome and the physical, chemical and biological environment is a fundamental goal of microbial ecology. We describe a bioclimatic modeling approach that leverages artificial neural networks to predict microbial community structure as a function of environmental parameters and microbial interactions. This method was better at predicting observed community structure than were any of several single-species models that do not incorporate biotic interactions. The model was used to interpolate and extrapolate community structure over time with an average Bray-Curtis similarity of 89.7. Additionally, community structure was extrapolated geographically to create the first microbial map derived from single-point observations. This method can be generalized to the many microbial ecosystems for which detailed taxonomic data are currently being generated, providing an observation-based modeling technique for predicting microbial taxonomic structure in ecological studies.


Asunto(s)
Bacterias/genética , Ecosistema , Interacciones Microbianas , Actinomycetales/fisiología , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Ecología , Gammaproteobacteria/fisiología , Metagenoma , Modelos Biológicos , Redes Neurales de la Computación , Agua de Mar/microbiología
14.
Appl Environ Microbiol ; 81(3): 948-56, 2015 Feb.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25416774

RESUMEN

Recently, long filamentous bacteria, belonging to the family Desulfobulbaceae, were shown to induce electrical currents over long distances in the surface layer of marine sediments. These "cable bacteria" are capable of harvesting electrons from free sulfide in deeper sediment horizons and transferring these electrons along their longitudinal axes to oxygen present near the sediment-water interface. In the present work, we investigated the relationship between cable bacteria and a photosynthetic algal biofilm. In a first experiment, we investigated sediment that hosted both cable bacteria and a photosynthetic biofilm and tested the effect of an imposed diel light-dark cycle by continuously monitoring sulfide at depth. Changes in photosynthesis at the sediment surface had an immediate and repeatable effect on sulfide concentrations at depth, indicating that cable bacteria can rapidly transmit a geochemical effect to centimeters of depth in response to changing conditions at the sediment surface. We also observed a secondary response of the free sulfide at depth manifest on the time scale of hours, suggesting that cable bacteria adjust to a moving oxygen front with a regulatory or a behavioral response, such as motility. Finally, we show that on the time scale of days, the presence of an oxygenic biofilm results in a deeper and more acidic suboxic zone, indicating that a greater oxygen supply can enable cable bacteria to harvest a greater quantity of electrons from marine sediments. Rapid acclimation strategies and highly efficient electron harvesting are likely key advantages of cable bacteria, enabling their success in high sulfide generating coastal sediments.


Asunto(s)
Biopelículas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Chlorophyta/fisiología , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Sedimentos Geológicos/microbiología , Fotosíntesis , Transducción de Señal , Chlorophyta/metabolismo , Deltaproteobacteria/metabolismo , Oxidación-Reducción , Sulfuros/metabolismo
15.
Langmuir ; 31(45): 12552-9, 2015 Nov 17.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26488071

RESUMEN

Thriving under alkaliphilic conditions, Geoalkalibacter ferrihydriticus (Glk. ferrihydriticus) provides new applications in treating alkaline waste streams as well as a possible new model organism for microbial electrochemistry. We investigated the electrochemical response of biofilms of the alkaliphilic anode-respiring bacterium (ARB) Glk. ferrihydriticus voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and chronoamperometry. We observed there to be at least four dominant electron transfer pathways, with their contribution to the overall current produced dependent on the set anode potential. These pathways appear to be manifested at midpoint potentials of approximately -0.14 V, -0.2 V, -0.24 V, and -0.27 V vs standard hydrogen electrode. The individual contributions of the pathways change upon equilibration from a set anode potential to another anode potential. Additionally, the contribution of each pathway to the overall current produced is reversible when the anode potential is changed back to the original set potential. The pathways involved in anode respiration in Glk. ferrihydriticus biofilms follow a similar, but more complicated, pattern as compared to those in the model ARB, Geobacter sulfurreducens. This greater diversity of electron transport pathways in Glk. ferrihydriticus could be related to its wider metabolic capability (e.g., higher pH and larger set of possible substrates, among others).


Asunto(s)
Fuentes de Energía Bioeléctrica , Biopelículas/crecimiento & desarrollo , Deltaproteobacteria/química , Electrones , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Técnicas Electroquímicas , Electrodos , Transporte de Electrón , Geobacter/química , Geobacter/fisiología , Concentración de Iones de Hidrógeno , Especificidad de la Especie
16.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek ; 108(3): 579-85, 2015 Sep.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26108495

RESUMEN

Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis is a spherical, multicellular, magnetotactic prokaryote (MMP) composed of 10-40 genetically-identical, Gram-negative cells. It is known that monochromatic light of low intensity influences its average swimming velocity, being higher for red light (628 nm) and lower for green light (517 nm). In this study, we determined the effect of light of different wavelengths and intensities on the swimming velocity of Ca. Magnetoglobus multicellularis under different magnetic field intensities. The swimming velocities of several organisms exposed to blue light (469 nm), green light (517 nm) and red light (628 nm) with intensities ranging from 0.36 to 3.68 Wm(-2) were recorded under magnetic field intensities ranging from 0.26 to 1.47 Oe. Our results showed that MMPs exposed to green light display consistently lower average swimming velocities compared to other wavelengths of light. We also show for the first time that photokinesis in Ca. Magnetoglobus multicellularis is dependent on the magnetic field being applied. The relationship between light wavelength and intensity and magnetic field strength and swimming velocity in this MMP is therefore complex. Although the mechanism for the observed behaviour is not completely understood, a flavin-containing chromophore may be involved.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Luz , Locomoción/efectos de la radiación , Campos Magnéticos , Células Procariotas/fisiología
17.
Environ Sci Technol ; 48(3): 1769-78, 2014.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24450282

RESUMEN

In this study, we employed AFM analysis combined with mathematical modeling for quantifying cell-surface contact mechanics and magnitude and range of cell-surface interaction forces for seven bacterial strains with a wide range of cell morphology, dimension, and surface characteristics. Comprehensive cell-surface characterization including surface charge, extracellular polymeric substance content, hydrophobicity, and cell-cell aggregation analyses were performed. Flow-through column tests were employed to determine the attachment efficiency and deposition-transport behavior of these bacterial strains. No statistically significant correlation between attachment efficiency and any single-cell surface property was identified. Single-cell characterization by atomic force microscopy (AFM) yielded the mechanical deformation and elastic modulus, penetration resistance to AFM probe penetration by cellular surface substances (CSS), range and magnitude of the repulsive-attractive intersurface forces, and geometry of each strain. We proposed and derived a universal dimensionless modified Tabor's parameter to integrate all these properties that account for their collective behavior. Results showed that the Tabor parameter derived from AFM analysis correlated well with experimentally determined attachment efficiency (α), which therefore is able to link microscale cell-surface properties with macroscale bacterial transport behavior. Results suggested that the AFM tests performed between a single cell and a surface captured the key quantities of the interactions between the cell and the surface that dictate overall cell attachment behavior. Tabor's parameter therefore can be potentially incorporated into the microbial transport model.


Asunto(s)
Adhesión Bacteriana , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Gammaproteobacteria/fisiología , Microscopía de Fuerza Atómica/métodos , Modelos Biológicos , Bacillus cereus/fisiología , Membrana Celular , Interacciones Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Propiedades de Superficie
18.
Environ Microbiol ; 15(5): 1595-605, 2013 May.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23279048

RESUMEN

A combination of microscopic, molecular and biogeochemical methods was used to study the structure, phylogenetics and vertical distribution of spherical multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes (MMPs) of intertidal sediments in the Yellow Sea. These MMPs were 5.5 µm in diameter and composed of approximately 15-30 cells. They synthesized bullet-shaped magnetites in chains or clusters. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences suggested that these MMPs represent a novel species affiliated to the Deltaproteobacteria. To study their vertical distribution and the relationship to geochemical parameters, sediment cores were collected after the redox potential was measured in situ. The sediments were composed of yellow, grey and black layers from the surface to depth. The spherical MMPs were concentrated near the grey-black layer transition at a depth of 8-12 cm, while coccoid-shaped magnetotactic bacteria near the yellow-grey layer transition at a depth of 3-5 cm. The intertidal MMPs showed a deeper distribution at more reduced environments than coccoid-shaped magnetotactic bacteria, and MMPs in lagoon sediments. Additionally the MMPs were concentrated significantly in layers with high proportion of fine sand and total organic carbon, rich in leachable iron but poor in nitrate. These results show an adaptation of spherical MMPs to the peculiar intertidal sediment habitat.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Ecosistema , Sedimentos Geológicos/microbiología , Adaptación Fisiológica , Deltaproteobacteria/clasificación , Deltaproteobacteria/genética , Deltaproteobacteria/ultraestructura , Magnetismo , Filogenia , Células Procariotas/clasificación , Células Procariotas/fisiología , ARN Ribosómico 16S/genética
19.
Phys Chem Chem Phys ; 15(45): 19699-707, 2013 Dec 07.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24135891

RESUMEN

In this study the characterization of Geoalkalibacter subterraneus is presented, which is a novel halophilic anode respiring bacterium (ARB) previously selected and identified in a potentiostatically controlled bioelectrochemical system (BES) inoculated with sediments from a salt plant. Pure culture electroactive biofilms of Glk. subterraneus were grown during chronoamperometric batch experiments at a graphite electrode poised at +200 mV (vs. SCE) with 10 mM acetate as the electron donor. These biofilms exhibited the highest current density (4.68 ± 0.54 A m(-2)) reported on a planar material with a pure culture under saline conditions (3.5% NaCl). To investigate possible anodic electron transfer (ET) mechanisms, cyclic voltammetry (CV) of mature visible apparent reddish biofilms was performed under bioelectrocatalytic substrate consumption (turnover) and in the absence of the substrate (non-turnover). CV evidenced a well defined typical sigmoidal shape and a pair of clear redox couples under turnover and non-turnover conditions, respectively. Moreover, the calculation of their formal potentials indicated the presence of a common ET mechanism present in both CV conditions between -427.6 ± 0.5 (Ef,2) and -364.8 ± 4.5 mV (Ef,3). Confocal laser scanning microscopy inspection showed a biofilm structure composed of several layers of metabolically active bacteria that spread all over the electrode material within a biofilm up to 76 ± 7 µm thick. Such high value compared to the thickness values normally reported in the literature for pure culture electroactive bacteria justifies further investigations. Taken together, these results suggest that Glk. subterraneus performs a direct ET mechanism in contact with the electrode material. Furthermore, direct current generation from saline wastewater significantly expands the application of BESs.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/metabolismo , Conductividad Eléctrica , Biopelículas , Deltaproteobacteria/citología , Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Electroquímica , Electrodos , Transporte de Electrón , Microscopía Confocal , Especificidad de la Especie
20.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek ; 104(3): 405-12, 2013 Sep.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23828178

RESUMEN

'Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis' is a magnetotactic microorganism composed of several bacterial cells. Presently, it is the best known multicellular magnetotactic prokaryote (MMP). Recently, it has been observed that MMPs present a negative photoresponse to high intensity ultraviolet and violet-blue light. In this work, we studied the movement of 'Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis' under low intensity light of different wavelengths, measuring the average velocity and the time to reorient its trajectory when the external magnetic field changes its direction (U-turn time). Our results show that the mean average velocity is higher for red light (628 nm) and lower for green light (517 nm) as compared to yellow (596 nm) and blue (469 nm) light, and the U-turn time decreased for green light illumination. The light wavelength velocity dependence can be understood as variation in flagella rotation speed, being increased by the red light and decreased by the green light relative to yellow and blue light. It is suggested that the dependence of the U-turn time on light wavelength can be considered a form of light-dependent magnetotaxis, because this time represents the magnetic sensibility of the magnetotactic microorganisms. The cellular and molecular mechanisms for this light-dependent velocity and magnetotaxis are unknown and deserve further studies to understand the biochemical interactions and the ecological roles of the different mechanisms of taxis in MMPs.


Asunto(s)
Deltaproteobacteria/fisiología , Deltaproteobacteria/efectos de la radiación , Luz , Locomoción/efectos de la radiación , Magnetismo , Flagelos/fisiología , Flagelos/efectos de la radiación
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