scholarly journals Ecological Succession of Bacterial Communities during Conventionalization of Germ-Free Mice

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 2359-2366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merritt G. Gillilland ◽  
John R. Erb-Downward ◽  
Christine M. Bassis ◽  
Michael C. Shen ◽  
Galen B. Toews ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTLittle is known about the dynamics of early ecological succession during experimental conventionalization of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract; thus, we measured changes in bacterial communities over time, at two different mucosal sites (cecum and jejunum), with germfree C57BL/6 mice as the recipients of cecal contents (input community) from a C57BL/6 donor mouse. Bacterial communities were monitored using pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries from the cecum and jejunum and analyzed by a variety of ecological metrics. Bacterial communities, at day 1 postconventionalization, in the cecum and jejunum had lower diversity and were distinct from the input community (dominated by eitherEscherichiaorBacteroides). However, by days 7 and 21, the recipient communities had become significantly diverse and the cecal communities resembled those of the donor and donor littermates, confirming that transfer of cecal contents results in reassembly of the community in the cecum 7 to 21 days later. However, bacterial communities in the recipient jejunum displayed significant structural heterogeneity compared to each other or the donor inoculum or the donor littermates, suggesting that the bacterial community of the jejunum is more dynamic during the first 21 days of conventionalization. This report demonstrates that (i) mature input communities do not simply reassemble at mucosal sites during conventionalization (they first transform into a “pioneering” community and over time take on the appearance, in membership and structure, of the original input community) and (ii) the specific mucosal environment plays a role in shaping the community.

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 3401-3407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erwin G. Zoetendal ◽  
Atte von Wright ◽  
Terttu Vilpponen-Salmela ◽  
Kaouther Ben-Amor ◽  
Antoon D. L. Akkermans ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors a complex community of bacterial cells in the mucosa, lumen, and feces. Since most attention has been focused on bacteria present in feces, knowledge about the mucosa-associated bacterial communities in different parts of the colon is limited. In this study, the bacterial communities in feces and biopsy samples from the ascending, transverse, and descending colons of 10 individuals were analyzed by using a 16S rRNA approach. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that 105 to 106 bacteria were present in the biopsy samples. To visualize the diversity of the predominant and the Lactobacillus group community, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was performed. DGGE analysis and similarity index comparisons demonstrated that the predominant mucosa-associated bacterial community was host specific and uniformly distributed along the colon but significantly different from the fecal community (P < 0.01). The Lactobacillus group-specific profiles were less complex than the profiles reflecting the predominant community. For 6 of the 10 individuals the community of Lactobacillus-like bacteria in the biopsy samples was similar to that in the feces. Amplicons having 99% sequence similarity to the 16S ribosomal DNA of Lactobacillus gasseri were detected in the biopsy samples of nine individuals. No significant differences were observed between healthy and diseased individuals. The observed host-specific DGGE profiles of the mucosa-associated bacterial community in the colon support the hypothesis that host-related factors are involved in the determination of the GI tract microbial community.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (20) ◽  
pp. 7207-7216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi F. Montalvo ◽  
Russell T. Hill

ABSTRACTThe giant barrel spongesXestospongiamutaandXestospongiatestudinariaare ubiquitous in tropical reefs of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, respectively. They are key species in their respective environments and are hosts to diverse assemblages of bacteria. These two closely related sponges from different oceans provide a unique opportunity to examine the evolution of sponge-associated bacterial communities. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene sequences fromX.mutaandX.testudinariashowed little divergence between the two species. A detailed analysis of the bacterial communities associated with these sponges, comprising over 900 full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences, revealed remarkable similarity in the bacterial communities of the two species. Both sponge-associated communities include sequences found only in the twoXestospongiaspecies, as well as sequences found also in other sponge species and are dominated by three bacterial groups,Chloroflexi,Acidobacteria, andActinobacteria. While these groups consistently dominate the bacterial communities revealed by 16S rRNA gene-based analysis of sponge-associated bacteria, the depth of sequencing undertaken in this study revealed clades of bacteria specifically associated with each of the twoXestospongiaspecies, and also with the genusXestospongia, that have not been found associated with other sponge species or other ecosystems. This study, comparing the bacterial communities associated with closely related but geographically distant sponge hosts, gives new insight into the intimate relationships between marine sponges and some of their bacterial symbionts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasquale Alibrandi ◽  
Sylvia Schnell ◽  
Silvia Perotto ◽  
Massimiliano Cardinale

The endophytic microbiota can establish mutualistic or commensalistic interactions within the host plant tissues. We investigated the bacterial endophytic microbiota in three species of Mediterranean orchids (Neottia ovata, Serapias vomeracea, and Spiranthes spiralis) by metabarcoding of the 16S rRNA gene. We examined whether the different orchid species and organs, both underground and aboveground, influenced the endophytic bacterial communities. A total of 1,930 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained, mainly Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, whose distribution model indicated that the plant organ was the main determinant of the bacterial community structure. The co-occurrence network was not modular, suggesting a relative homogeneity of the microbiota between both plant species and organs. Moreover, the decrease in species richness and diversity in the aerial vegetative organs may indicate a filtering effect by the host plant. We identified four hub OTUs, three of them already reported as plant-associated taxa (Pseudoxanthomonas, Rhizobium, and Mitsuaria), whereas Thermus was an unusual member of the plant microbiota. Core microbiota analysis revealed a selective and systemic ascent of bacterial communities from the vegetative to the reproductive organs. The core microbiota was also maintained in the S. spiralis seeds, suggesting a potential vertical transfer of the microbiota. Surprisingly, some S. spiralis seed samples displayed a very rich endophytic microbiota, with a large number of OTUs shared with the roots, a situation that may lead to a putative restoring process of the root-associated microbiota in the progeny. Our results indicate that the bacterial community has adapted to colonize the orchid organs selectively and systemically, suggesting an active involvement in the orchid holobiont.


mSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Seekatz ◽  
Matthew K. Schnizlein ◽  
Mark J. Koenigsknecht ◽  
Jason R. Baker ◽  
William L. Hasler ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAlthough the microbiota in the proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract have been implicated in health and disease, much about these microbes remains understudied compared to those in the distal GI tract. This study characterized the microbiota across multiple proximal GI sites over time in healthy individuals. As part of a study of the pharmacokinetics of oral mesalamine administration, healthy, fasted volunteers (n = 8; 10 observation periods total) were orally intubated with a four-lumen catheter with multiple aspiration ports. Samples were taken from stomach, duodenal, and multiple jejunal sites, sampling hourly (≤7 h) to measure mesalamine (administered att = 0), pH, and 16S rRNA gene-based composition. We observed a predominance ofFirmicutesacross proximal GI sites, with significant variation compared to stool. The microbiota was more similar within individuals over time than between subjects, with the fecal microbiota being unique from that of the small intestine. The stomach and duodenal microbiota displayed highest intraindividual variability compared to jejunal sites, which were more stable across time. We observed significant correlations in the duodenal microbial composition with changes in pH; linear mixed models identified positive correlations with multipleStreptococcusoperational taxonomic units (OTUs) and negative correlations with multiplePrevotellaandPasteurellaceaeOTUs. Few OTUs correlated with mesalamine concentration. The stomach and duodenal microbiota exhibited greater compositional dynamics than the jejunum. Short-term fluctuations in the duodenal microbiota were correlated with pH. Given the unique characteristics and dynamics of the proximal GI tract microbiota, it is important to consider these local environments in health and disease states.IMPORTANCEThe gut microbiota are linked to a variety of gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease. Despite this importance, microbiota dynamics in the upper gastrointestinal tract are understudied. Our article seeks to understand what factors impact microbiota dynamics in the healthy human upper gut. We found that the upper gastrointestinal tract contains consistently prevalent bacterial OTUs that dominate the overall community. Microbiota variability is highest in the stomach and duodenum and correlates with pH.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (19) ◽  
pp. 6864-6872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy M. LaPara ◽  
Katheryn Hope Wilkinson ◽  
Jacqueline M. Strait ◽  
Raymond M. Hozalski ◽  
Michael J. Sadowksy ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe bacterial community composition of the full-scale biologically active, granular activated carbon (BAC) filters operated at the St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) was investigated using Illumina MiSeq analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. These bacterial communities were consistently diverse (Shannon index, >4.4; richness estimates, >1,500 unique operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) throughout the duration of the 12-month study period. In addition, only modest shifts in the quantities of individual bacterial populations were observed; of the 15 most prominent OTUs, the most highly variable population (aVariovoraxsp.) modulated less than 13-fold over time and less than 8-fold from filter to filter. The most prominent population in the profiles was aNitrospirasp., representing 13 to 21% of the community. Interestingly, very few of the known ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB; <0.07%) and no ammonia-oxidizingArchaeawere detected in the profiles. Quantitative PCR ofamoAgenes, however, suggested that AOB were prominent in the bacterial communities (amoA/16S rRNA gene ratio, 1 to 10%). We conclude, therefore, that the BAC filters at the SPRWS potentially contained significant numbers of unidentified and novel ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms that possessamoAgenes similar to those of previously described AOB.


2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Kielak ◽  
Mariana Silvia Cretoiu ◽  
Alexander V. Semenov ◽  
Søren J. Sørensen ◽  
Jan Dirk van Elsas

ABSTRACTChitin amendment is a promising soil management strategy that may enhance the suppressiveness of soil toward plant pathogens. However, we understand very little of the effects of added chitin, including the putative successions that take place in the degradative process. We performed an experiment in moderately acid soil in which the level of chitin, next to the pH, was altered. Examination of chitinase activities revealed fast responses to the added crude chitin, with peaks of enzymatic activity occurring on day 7. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-based analyses of 16S rRNA andchiAgenes showed structural changes of the phylogenetically and functionally based bacterial communities following chitin addition and pH alteration. Pyrosequencing analysis indicated (i) that the diversity ofchiAgene types in soil is enormous and (i) that differentchiAgene types are selected by the addition of chitin at different prevailing soil pH values. Interestingly, a major role of Gram-negative bacteria versus a minor one ofActinobacteriain the immediate response to the added chitin (based on 16S rRNA gene abundance andchiAgene types) was indicated. The results of this study enhance our understanding of the response of the soil bacterial communities to chitin and are of use for both the understanding of soil suppressiveness and the possible mining of soil for novel enzymes.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (14) ◽  
pp. 4924-4930 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Kolton ◽  
Yael Meller Harel ◽  
Zohar Pasternak ◽  
Ellen R. Graber ◽  
Yigal Elad ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAdding biochar to soil has environmental and agricultural potential due to its long-term carbon sequestration capacity and its ability to improve crop productivity. Recent studies have demonstrated that soil-applied biochar promotes the systemic resistance of plants to several prominent foliar pathogens. One potential mechanism for this phenomenon is root-associated microbial elicitors whose presence is somehow augmented in the biochar-amended soils. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of biochar amendment on the root-associated bacterial community composition of mature sweet pepper (Capsicum annuumL.) plants. Molecular fingerprinting (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) of 16S rRNA gene fragments showed a clear differentiation between the root-associated bacterial community structures of biochar-amended and control plants. The pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons from the rhizoplane of both treatments generated a total of 20,142 sequences, 92 to 95% of which were affiliated with theProteobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Actinobacteria, andFirmicutesphyla. The relative abundance of members of theBacteroidetesphylum increased from 12 to 30% as a result of biochar amendment, while that of theProteobacteriadecreased from 71 to 47%. TheBacteroidetes-affiliatedFlavobacteriumwas the strongest biochar-induced genus. The relative abundance of this group increased from 4.2% of total root-associated operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in control samples to 19.6% in biochar-amended samples. Additional biochar-induced genera included chitin and cellulose degraders (ChitinophagaandCellvibrio, respectively) and aromatic compound degraders (HydrogenophagaandDechloromonas). We hypothesize that these biochar-augmented genera may be at least partially responsible for the beneficial effect of biochar amendment on plant growth and viability.


2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 3525-3536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikea Ulrich ◽  
Abigail Rosenberger ◽  
Colin Brislawn ◽  
Justin Wright ◽  
Collin Kessler ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBacterial community composition and longitudinal fluctuations were monitored in a riverine system during and after Superstorm Sandy to better characterize inter- and intracommunity responses associated with the disturbance associated with a 100-year storm event. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used to assess microbial community structure within water samples from Muddy Creek Run, a second-order stream in Huntingdon, PA, at 12 different time points during the storm event (29 October to 3 November 2012) and under seasonally matched baseline conditions. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was used to track changes in bacterial community structure and divergence during and after Superstorm Sandy. Bacterial community dynamics were correlated to measured physicochemical parameters and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations. Bioinformatics analyses of 2.1 million 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed a significant increase in bacterial diversity in samples taken during peak discharge of the storm. Beta-diversity analyses revealed longitudinal shifts in the bacterial community structure. Successional changes were observed, in whichBetaproteobacteriaandGammaproteobacteriadecreased in 16S rRNA gene relative abundance, while the relative abundance of members of theFirmicutesincreased. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequences matching pathogenic bacteria, including strains ofLegionella,Campylobacter,Arcobacter, andHelicobacter, as well as bacteria of fecal origin (e.g.,Bacteroides), exhibited an increase in abundance after peak discharge of the storm. This study revealed a significant restructuring of in-stream bacterial community structure associated with hydric dynamics of a storm event.IMPORTANCEIn order to better understand the microbial risks associated with freshwater environments during a storm event, a more comprehensive understanding of the variations in aquatic bacterial diversity is warranted. This study investigated the bacterial communities during and after Superstorm Sandy to provide fine time point resolution of dynamic changes in bacterial composition. This study adds to the current literature by revealing the variation in bacterial community structure during the course of a storm. This study employed high-throughput DNA sequencing, which generated a deep analysis of inter- and intracommunity responses during a significant storm event. This study has highlighted the utility of applying high-throughput sequencing for water quality monitoring purposes, as this approach enabled a more comprehensive investigation of the bacterial community structure. Altogether, these data suggest a drastic restructuring of the stream bacterial community during a storm event and highlight the potential of high-throughput sequencing approaches for assessing the microbiological quality of our environment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 1021-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chorng-Horng Lin ◽  
Chih-Hsiang Chuang ◽  
Wen-Hung Twan ◽  
Shu-Fen Chiou ◽  
Tit-Yee Wong ◽  
...  

We compared the bacterial communities associated with healthy scleractinian coral Porites sp. with those associated with coral infected with pink spot syndrome harvested during summer and winter from waters off the coast of southern Taiwan. Members of the bacterial community associated with the coral were characterized by means of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of a short region of the 16S rRNA gene and clone library analysis. Of 5 different areas of the 16S rRNA gene, we demonstrated that the V3 hypervariable region is most suited to represent the coral-associated bacterial community. The DNA sequences of 26 distinct bands extracted from DGGE gels and 269 sequences of the 16S rRNA gene from clone libraries were determined. We found that the communities present in diseased coral were more heterogeneous than the bacterial communities of uninfected coral. In addition, bacterial communities associated with coral harvested in the summer were more diverse than those associated with coral collected in winter, regardless of the health status of the coral. Our study suggested that the compositions of coral-associated bacteria communities are complex, and the population of bacteria varies greatly between seasons and in coral of differing health status.


2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
pp. 4383-4391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekaterina G. Semenyuk ◽  
Valeriy A. Poroyko ◽  
Pehga F. Johnston ◽  
Sara E. Jones ◽  
Katherine L. Knight ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTClostridium difficileinfection (CDI) is a major cause of health care-associated disease. CDI initiates with ingestion ofC. difficilespores, germination in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and then colonization of the large intestine. The interactions betweenC. difficilecells and other bacteria and with host mucosa during CDI remain poorly understood. Here, we addressed the hypothesis that, in a mouse model of CDI,C. difficileresides in multicellular communities (biofilms) in association with host mucosa. To do this, we paraffin embedded and then sectioned the GI tracts of infected mice at various days postinfection (p.i.). We then used fluorescentin situhybridization (FISH) with 16S rRNA probes targeting most bacteria as well asC. difficilespecifically. The results revealed thatC. difficileis present as a minority member of communities in the outer (loose) mucus layer, in the cecum and colon, starting at day 1 p.i. To generate FISH probes that identify bacteria within mucus-associated communities harboringC. difficile, we characterized bacterial populations in the infected mouse GI tract using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of bacterial DNA prepared from intestinal content. This analysis revealed the presence of genera of several families belonging toBacteroidetesandFirmicutes. These data suggest that formation of multispecies communities associated with the mucus of the cecum and colon is an important early step in GI tract colonization. They raise the possibility that other bacterial species in these communities modulate the ability ofC. difficileto successfully colonize and, thereby, cause disease.


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