Silent rain: does the atmosphere-mediated connectivity between microbiomes influence bacterial evolutionary rates?

ABSTRACT Air carries a vast number of bacteria and viruses over great distances all the time. This leads to continuous introduction of foreign genetic material to local, established microbial communities. In this perspective, I ask whether this silent rain may have a slowing effect on the overall evolutionary rates in the microbial biosphere. Arguably, the greater the genetic divergence between gene ‘donors’ and ‘recipients’, the greater the chance that the gene product has a deleterious epistatic interaction with other gene products in its genetic environment. This is due to the long-term absence of check for mutual compatibility. As such, if an organism is extensively different from other bacteria, genetic innovations are less probable to fit to the genome. Here, genetic innovation would be anything that elevates the fitness of the gene vehicle (e.g. bacterium) over its contemporaries. Adopted innovations increase the fitness of the compatible genome over incompatible ones, thus possibly tempering the pace at which mutations accumulate in existing genomes over generations. I further discuss the transfer of bacteriophages through atmosphere and potential effects that this may have on local dynamics and perhaps phage survival.

Download Full-text

DILUTION KINETIC STUDIES OF YEAST POPULATIONS: IN VIVO AGGREGATION OF GALACTOSE UTILIZING ENZYMES AND POSITIVE REGULATOR MOLECULES

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/77.3.491 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 491-505

Author(s):

Shinji Tsuyumu ◽

Bruce G Adams

Keyword(s):

Gene Product ◽

Kinetic Studies ◽

Selective Medium ◽

Gene Products ◽

Wild Type ◽

Population Analyses ◽

Leloir Pathway ◽

A Cell

ABSTRACT By use of a selective medium containing ethidium bromide, population analyses of yeast galactose long-term adaptation mutants (gal3) in the process of deadaptation in the absence of galactose have been performed. The analysis of diploid strains homozygous for the gal3 locus but heterozygous for different combinations of the other mutant galactose loci, which thus have reduced amounts of the gene products of those loci, have demonstrated that, in addition to the two permease units determined in a previous study, a cell requires one complex of the Leloir pathway enzymes and two complexes specified by the Gal4 locus to be readily induced. From the consideration of these complexes as being aggregated molecules which are diluted out as units (i.e., if such a molecule were a dimer, it would not dissociate into monomers) during cell growth, the in vivo aggregation of these enzymes and the Gal4 gene product could be studied. The data indicate that the function of the Gal4 gene product is to activate a Leloir enzyme complex. It is postulated that the gal3 phenotype is the result of such strains' inability to actively synthesize an endogenous co-inducer which allows wild-type cells to be readily induced upon exposure to galactose

Download Full-text

Faculty Opinions recommendation of Effects of long-term differential fertilization on eukaryotic microbial communities in an arable soil: a multiple barcoding approach.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.718431792.793495925 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Jack Gilbert

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Arable Soil

Download Full-text

When a Neonate Is Born, So Is a Microbiota

Life ◽

10.3390/life11020148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 148

Author(s):

Alessandra Coscia ◽

Flaminia Bardanzellu ◽

Elisa Caboni ◽

Vassilios Fanos ◽

Diego Giampietro Peroni

Keyword(s):

Bacterial Colonization ◽

Perinatal Period ◽

Delivery Mode ◽

Fetal Life ◽

Assisted Reproduction Techniques ◽

Neonatal Nutrition ◽

Short And Long Term ◽

Number Of Bacteria

In recent years, the role of human microbiota as a short- and long-term health promoter and modulator has been affirmed and progressively strengthened. In the course of one’s life, each subject is colonized by a great number of bacteria, which constitute its specific and individual microbiota. Human bacterial colonization starts during fetal life, in opposition to the previous paradigm of the “sterile womb”. Placenta, amniotic fluid, cord blood and fetal tissues each have their own specific microbiota, influenced by maternal health and habits and having a decisive influence on pregnancy outcome and offspring outcome. The maternal microbiota, especially that colonizing the genital system, starts to influence the outcome of pregnancy already before conception, modulating fertility and the success rate of fertilization, even in the case of assisted reproduction techniques. During the perinatal period, neonatal microbiota seems influenced by delivery mode, drug administration and many other conditions. Special attention must be reserved for early neonatal nutrition, because breastfeeding allows the transmission of a specific and unique lactobiome able to modulate and positively affect the neonatal gut microbiota. Our narrative review aims to investigate the currently identified pre- and peri-natal factors influencing neonatal microbiota, before conception, during pregnancy, pre- and post-delivery, since the early microbiota influences the whole life of each subject.

Download Full-text

Responses of crop yields, soil enzymatic activities, and microbial communities to different long-term organic materials applied with chemical fertilizer in purple soil

European Journal of Soil Biology ◽

10.1016/j.ejsobi.2021.103319 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 105 ◽

pp. 103319

Author(s):

Lu Chen ◽

Xiubin Wang ◽

Wei Zhou ◽

Song Guo ◽

Ruili Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Organic Materials ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Enzymatic Activities ◽

Chemical Fertilizer ◽

Purple Soil ◽

Soil Enzymatic Activities

Download Full-text

Sulphur-based autotrophic denitrification of wastewater obtained following graphite production: Long-term performance, microbial communities involved, and functional gene analysis

Bioresource Technology ◽

10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 306 ◽

pp. 123117 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xiaochen Xu ◽

Rao Zhang ◽

Hongbin Jiang ◽

Fenglin Yang

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Functional Gene ◽

Gene Analysis ◽

Autotrophic Denitrification ◽

Functional Gene Analysis ◽

Long Term Performance ◽

Term Performance

Download Full-text

A GENETIC APPROACH FOR LONG TERM VIRTUAL ORGANIZATION DISTRIBUTION

International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Tools ◽

10.1142/s0218213011000152 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 20 (02) ◽

pp. 271-295 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

VÍCTOR SÁNCHEZ-ANGUIX ◽

SOLEDAD VALERO ◽

ANA GARCÍA-FORNES

Keyword(s):

Genetic Algorithm ◽

Virtual Organization ◽

Genetic Material ◽

Multi Agent System ◽

Crossover Operator ◽

Agent Based ◽

Multi Agent ◽

Global Goal ◽

Computational Resources

An agent-based Virtual Organization is a complex entity where dynamic collections of agents agree to share resources in order to accomplish a global goal or offer a complex service. An important problem for the performance of the Virtual Organization is the distribution of the agents across the computational resources. The final distribution should provide a good load balancing for the organization. In this article, a genetic algorithm is applied to calculate a proper distribution across hosts in an agent-based Virtual Organization. Additionally, an abstract multi-agent system architecture which provides infrastructure for Virtual Organization distribution is introduced. The developed genetic solution employs an elitist crossover operator where one of the children inherits the most promising genetic material from the parents with higher probability. In order to validate the genetic proposal, the designed genetic algorithm has been successfully compared to several heuristics in different scenarios.

Download Full-text

Long-term N inputs shape microbial communities more strongly than current-year inputs in soils under 10-year continuous corn cropping

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108361 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108361

Author(s):

Micaela Tosi ◽

William Deen ◽

Rhae Drijber ◽

Morgan McPherson ◽

Ashley Stengel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Continuous Corn

Download Full-text

The immunosuppressant SR 31747 blocks cell proliferation by inhibiting a steroid isomerase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.16.6.2719 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. 2719-2727 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

S Silve ◽

P Leplatois ◽

A Josse ◽

P H Dupuy ◽

C Lanau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Gene Product ◽

In Vitro Assays ◽

Gene Products ◽

Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Isomerase Activity ◽

Encoding Gene ◽

Resistant Mutants

SR 31747 is a novel immunosuppressant agent that arrests cell proliferation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, SR 31747-treated cells accumulate the same aberrant sterols as those found in a mutant impaired in delta 8- delta 7-sterol isomerase. Sterol isomerase activity is also inhibited by SR 31747 in in vitro assays. Overexpression of the sterol isomerase-encoding gene, ERG2, confers enhanced SR resistance. Cells growing anaerobically on ergosterol-containing medium are not sensitive to SR. Disruption of the sterol isomerase-encoding gene is lethal in cells growing in the absence of exogenous ergosterol, except in SR-resistant mutants lacking either the SUR4 or the FEN1 gene product. The results suggest that sterol isomerase is the target of SR 31747 and that both the SUR4 and FEN1 gene products are required to mediate the proliferation arrest induced by ergosterol depletion.

Download Full-text

Deletions in the C-terminal coding region of the v-sis gene: dimerization is required for transformation

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.6.4.1304-1314.1986 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 1304-1314

Author(s):

M Hannink ◽

M K Sauer ◽

D J Donoghue

Keyword(s):

Growth Factor ◽

Gene Product ◽

Platelet Derived Growth Factor ◽

Deletion Mutants ◽

Gene Products ◽

Coding Region ◽

Strong Connection ◽

C Terminus ◽

Its Gene ◽

Transforming Gene

The v-sis gene encodes chain B of platelet-derived growth factor. However, this gene codes for additional amino acids at both the N terminus and the C terminus of its gene product which are not present in the amino acid sequence of platelet-derived growth factor. We constructed a series of deletion mutants with deletions in the v-sis gene in order to define the C-terminal limit of the v-sis gene product which is required for transformation. Deletion mutants of the v-sis gene which encoded truncated gene products up to 57 residues shorter than the v-siswt gene product were still able to transform cells. The minimal transforming region of the v-sis gene product contained six residues fewer than were present in chain B of platelet-derived growth factor. Only 10 residues, including the sequence Cys-Lys-Cys, separated the smallest transforming gene product from the largest nontransforming gene product. These cysteine residues were also important for dimerization of the v-sis gene product, since all of the nontransforming v-sis deletions were unable to form dimers when they were analyzed under nonreducing conditions. Our results suggest that there is a strong connection between transformation and dimerization.

Download Full-text