scholarly journals Identification of the Functionally Active Methanotroph Population in a Peat Soil Microcosm by Stable-Isotope Probing

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 1446-1453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha A. Morris ◽  
Stefan Radajewski ◽  
Toby W. Willison ◽  
J. Colin Murrell

ABSTRACT The active population of low-affinity methanotrophs in a peat soil microcosm was characterized by stable-isotope probing. “Heavy” 13C-labeled DNA, produced after microbial growth on 13CH4, was separated from naturally abundant 12C-DNA by cesium chloride density gradient centrifugation and used as a template for the PCR. Amplification products of 16S rRNA genes and pmoA, mxaF, and mmoX, which encode key enzymes in the CH4 oxidation pathway, were analyzed. Sequences related to extant type I and type II methanotrophs were identified, indicating that these methanotrophs were active in peat exposed to 8% (vol/vol) CH4. The 13C-DNA libraries also contained clones that were related to β-subclass Proteobacteria, suggesting that novel groups of bacteria may also be involved in CH4 cycling in this soil.

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 2541-2546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egbert Schwartz

ABSTRACT A new approach to characterize growing microorganisms in environmental samples based on labeling microbial DNA with H2 18O is described. To test if sufficient amounts of 18O could be incorporated into DNA to use water as a labeling substrate for stable isotope probing, Escherichia coli DNA was labeled by cultivating bacteria in Luria broth with H2 18O and labeled DNA was separated from [16O]DNA on a cesium chloride gradient. Soil samples were incubated with H2 18O for 6, 14, or 21 days, and isopycnic centrifugation of the soil DNA showed the formation of two bands after 6 days and three bands after 14 or 21 days, indicating that 18O can be used in the stable isotope probing of soil samples. DNA extracted from soil incubated for 21 days with H2 18O was fractionated after isopycnic centrifugation and DNA from 17 subsamples was used in terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. The TRFLP patterns clustered into three groups that corresponded to the three DNA bands. The fraction of total fluorescence contributed by individual terminal restriction fragments (TRF) to a TRFLP pattern varied across the 17 subsamples so that a TRF was more prominent in only one of the three bands. Labeling soil DNA with H2 18O allows the identification of newly grown cells. In addition, cells that survive but do not divide during an incubation period can also be characterized with this new technique because their DNA remains without the label.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (20) ◽  
pp. 6471-6477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ondrej Uhlik ◽  
Katerina Jecna ◽  
Martina Mackova ◽  
Cestmir Vlcek ◽  
Miluse Hroudova ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT DNA-based stable isotope probing in combination with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism was used in order to identify members of the microbial community that metabolize biphenyl in the rhizosphere of horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) cultivated in soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) compared to members of the microbial community in initial, uncultivated bulk soil. On the basis of early and recurrent detection of their 16S rRNA genes in clone libraries constructed from [13C]DNA, Hydrogenophaga spp. appeared to dominate biphenyl catabolism in the horseradish rhizosphere soil, whereas Paenibacillus spp. were the predominant biphenyl-utilizing bacteria in the initial bulk soil. Other bacteria found to derive carbon from biphenyl in this nutrient-amended microcosm-based study belonged mostly to the class Betaproteobacteria and were identified as Achromobacter spp., Variovorax spp., Methylovorus spp., or Methylophilus spp. Some bacteria that were unclassified at the genus level were also detected, and these bacteria may be members of undescribed genera. The deduced amino acid sequences of the biphenyl dioxygenase α subunits (BphA) from bacteria that incorporated [13C]into DNA in 3-day incubations of the soils with [13C]biphenyl are almost identical to that of Pseudomonas alcaligenes B-357. This suggests that the spectrum of the PCB congeners that can be degraded by these enzymes may be similar to that of strain B-357. These results demonstrate that altering the soil environment can result in the participation of different bacteria in the metabolism of biphenyl.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (12) ◽  
pp. 4234-4236 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tanvir Rahman ◽  
Andrew Crombie ◽  
Hélène Moussard ◽  
Yin Chen ◽  
J. Colin Murrell

ABSTRACTMethylocellaspp. are facultative methanotrophs that grow on methane and multicarbon substrates, such as acetate. Acetate represses transcription of methane monooxygenase ofMethylocella silvestrisin laboratory culture. DNA stable-isotope probing (DNA-SIP) using13C-methane and12C-acetate, carried out withMethylocella-spiked peat soil, showed that acetate also repressed methane oxidation byMethylocellain environmental samples.


2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 2363-2371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin C. Esson ◽  
Xueju Lin ◽  
Deepak Kumaresan ◽  
Jeffrey P. Chanton ◽  
J. Colin Murrell ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to characterize metabolically active, aerobic methanotrophs in an ombrotrophic peatland in the Marcell Experimental Forest, in Minnesota. Methanotrophs were investigated in the field and in laboratory incubations using DNA-stable isotope probing (SIP), expression studies on particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) genes, and amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Potential rates of oxidation ranged from 14 to 17 μmol of CH4g dry weight soil−1day−1. Within DNA-SIP incubations, the relative abundance of methanotrophs increased from 4%in situto 25 to 36% after 8 to 14 days. Phylogenetic analysis of the13C-enriched DNA fractions revealed that the active methanotrophs were dominated by the generaMethylocystis(type II;Alphaproteobacteria),Methylomonas, andMethylovulum(both, type I;Gammaproteobacteria). In field samples, a transcript-to-gene ratio of 1 to 2 was observed forpmoAin surface peat layers, which attenuated rapidly with depth, indicating that the highest methane consumption was associated with a depth of 0 to 10 cm. Metagenomes and sequencing of cDNApmoAamplicons from field samples confirmed that the dominant active methanotrophs wereMethylocystisandMethylomonas. Although type II methanotrophs have long been shown to mediate methane consumption in peatlands, our results indicate that members of the generaMethylomonasandMethylovulum(type I) can significantly contribute to aerobic methane oxidation in these ecosystems.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (14) ◽  
pp. 4607-4615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqing Wang ◽  
Christine E. Sharp ◽  
Gareth M. Jones ◽  
Stephen E. Grasby ◽  
Allyson L. Brady ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe exopolysaccharides (EPSs) produced by some bacteria are potential growth substrates for other bacteria in soil. We used stable-isotope probing (SIP) to identify aerobic soil bacteria that assimilated the cellulose produced byGluconacetobacter xylinusor the EPS produced byBeijerinckia indica. The latter is a heteropolysaccharide comprised primarily ofl-guluronic acid,d-glucose, andd-glycero-d-mannoheptose.13C-labeled EPS and13C-labeled cellulose were purified from bacterial cultures grown on [13C]glucose. Two soils were incubated with these substrates, and bacteria actively assimilating them were identified via pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes recovered from13C-labeled DNA. Cellulose C was assimilated primarily by soil bacteria closely related (93 to 100% 16S rRNA gene sequence identities) to known cellulose-degrading bacteria. However,B. indicaEPS was assimilated primarily by bacteria with low identities (80 to 95%) to known species, particularly by different members of the phylumPlanctomycetes. In one incubation, members of thePlanctomycetesmade up >60% of all reads in the labeled DNA and were only distantly related (<85% identity) to any described species. Although it is impossible with SIP to completely distinguish primary polysaccharide hydrolyzers from bacteria growing on produced oligo- or monosaccharides, the predominance ofPlanctomycetessuggested that they were primary degraders of EPS. Other bacteria assimilatingB. indicaEPS included members of theVerrucomicrobia, candidate division OD1, and theArmatimonadetes. The results indicate that some uncultured bacteria in soils may be adapted to using complex heteropolysaccharides for growth and suggest that the use of these substrates may provide a means for culturing new species.


2019 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Preshita S Gadkari ◽  
Lora R McGuinness ◽  
Minna K Männistö ◽  
Lee J Kerkhof ◽  
Max M Häggblom

ABSTRACT Arctic soils store vast amounts of carbon and are subject to intense climate change. While the effects of thaw on the composition and activities of Arctic tundra microorganisms has been examined extensively, little is known about the consequences of temperature fluctuations within the subzero range in seasonally frozen or permafrost soils. This study identified tundra soil bacteria active at subzero temperatures using stable isotope probing (SIP). Soils from Kilpisjärvi, Finland, were amended with 13C-cellobiose and incubated at 0, −4 and −16°C for up to 40 weeks. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of 13C-labelled DNA revealed distinct subzero-active bacterial taxa. The SIP experiments demonstrated that diverse bacteria, including members of Candidatus Saccharibacteria, Melioribacteraceae, Verrucomicrobiaceae, Burkholderiaceae, Acetobacteraceae, Armatimonadaceae and Planctomycetaceae, were capable of synthesising 13C-DNA at subzero temperatures. Differences in subzero temperature optima were observed, for example, with members of Oxalobacteraceae and Rhizobiaceae found to be more active at 0°C than at −4°C or −16°C, whereas Melioribacteriaceae were active at all subzero temperatures tested. Phylogeny of 13C-labelled 16S rRNA genes from the Melioribacteriaceae, Verrucomicrobiaceae and Candidatus Saccharibacteria suggested that these taxa formed subzero-active clusters closely related to members from other cryo-environments. This study demonstrates that subzero temperatures impact active bacterial community composition and activity, which may influence biogeochemical cycles.


Microbiome ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Macey ◽  
Jennifer Pratscher ◽  
Andrew T. Crombie ◽  
J. Colin Murrell

Abstract Background Methanol is the second most abundant volatile organic compound in the atmosphere, with the majority produced as a metabolic by-product during plant growth. There is a large disparity between the estimated amount of methanol produced by plants and the amount which escapes to the atmosphere. This may be due to utilisation of methanol by plant-associated methanol-consuming bacteria (methylotrophs). The use of molecular probes has previously been effective in characterising the diversity of methylotrophs within the environment. Here, we developed and applied molecular probes in combination with stable isotope probing to identify the diversity, abundance and activity of methylotrophs in bulk and in plant-associated soils. Results Application of probes for methanol dehydrogenase genes (mxaF, xoxF, mdh2) in bulk and plant-associated soils revealed high levels of diversity of methylotrophic bacteria within the bulk soil, including Hyphomicrobium, Methylobacterium and members of the Comamonadaceae. The community of methylotrophic bacteria captured by this sequencing approach changed following plant growth. This shift in methylotrophic diversity was corroborated by identification of the active methylotrophs present in the soils by DNA stable isotope probing using 13C-labelled methanol. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes and construction of metagenomes from the 13C-labelled DNA revealed members of the Methylophilaceae as highly abundant and active in all soils examined. There was greater diversity of active members of the Methylophilaceae and Comamonadaceae and of the genus Methylobacterium in plant-associated soils compared to the bulk soil. Incubating growing pea plants in a 13CO2 atmosphere revealed that several genera of methylotrophs, as well as heterotrophic genera within the Actinomycetales, assimilated plant exudates in the pea rhizosphere. Conclusion In this study, we show that plant growth has a major impact on both the diversity and the activity of methanol-utilising methylotrophs in the soil environment, and thus, the study contributes significantly to efforts to balance the terrestrial methanol and carbon cycle.


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 3196-3204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel H. Buckley ◽  
Varisa Huangyutitham ◽  
Shi-Fang Hsu ◽  
Tyrrell A. Nelson

ABSTRACT Biological nitrogen fixation is a fundamental component of the nitrogen cycle and is the dominant natural process through which fixed nitrogen is made available to the biosphere. While the process of nitrogen fixation has been studied extensively with a limited set of cultivated isolates, examinations of nifH gene diversity in natural systems reveal the existence of a wide range of noncultivated diazotrophs. These noncultivated diazotrophs remain uncharacterized, as do their contributions to nitrogen fixation in natural systems. We have employed a novel 15N2-DNA stable isotope probing (5N2-DNA-SIP) method to identify free-living diazotrophs in soil that are responsible for nitrogen fixation in situ. Analyses of 16S rRNA genes from 15N-labeled DNA provide evidence for nitrogen fixation by three microbial groups, one of which belongs to the Rhizobiales while the other two represent deeply divergent lineages of noncultivated bacteria within the Betaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria, respectively. Analysis of nifH genes from 15N-labeled DNA also revealed three microbial groups, one of which was associated with Alphaproteobacteria while the others were associated with two noncultivated groups that are deeply divergent within nifH cluster I. These results reveal that noncultivated free-living diazotrophs can mediate nitrogen fixation in soils and that 15N2-DNA-SIP can be used to gain access to DNA from these organisms. In addition, this research provides the first evidence for nitrogen fixation by Actinobacteria outside of the order Actinomycetales.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Wei Xia ◽  
Jun Zhao ◽  
Yan Zheng ◽  
Hui-Min Zhang ◽  
Jia-Bao Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Long-term nitrogen field fertilization often results in significant changes in nitrifying communities that catalyze a key step in the global N cycle. However, whether microcosm studies are able to inform the dynamic changes in communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) under field conditions remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the transcriptional activities of nitrifying communities under in situ conditions, and we found that they were largely similar to those of 13C-labeled nitrifying communities in the urea-amended microcosms of soils that had received different N fertilization regimens for 22 years. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and transcripts suggested that Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB and Nitrososphaera viennensis-like AOA were significantly stimulated in N-fertilized fresh soils. Real-time quantitative PCR demonstrated that the significant increase of AOA and AOB in fresh soils upon nitrogen fertilization could be preserved in the air-dried soils. DNA-based stable-isotope probing (SIP) further revealed the greatest labeling of Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB and Nitrosospira viennensis-like AOA, despite the strong advantage of AOB over AOA in the N-fertilized soils. Nitrobacter-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) played more important roles than Nitrospira-like NOB in urea-amended SIP microcosms, while the situation was the opposite under field conditions. Our results suggest that long-term fertilization selected for physiologically versatile AOB and AOA that could have been adapted to a wide range of substrate ammonium concentrations. It also provides compelling evidence that the dominant communities of transcriptionally active nitrifiers under field conditions were largely similar to those revealed in 13C-labeled microcosms. IMPORTANCE The role of manipulated microcosms in microbial ecology has been much debated, because they cannot entirely represent the in situ situation. We collected soil samples from 20 field plots, including 5 different treatments with and without nitrogen fertilizers for 22 years, in order to assess active nitrifying communities by in situ transcriptomics and microcosm-based stable-isotope probing. The results showed that chronic N enrichment led to competitive advantages of Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB over N. viennensis-like AOA in soils under field conditions. Microcosm labeling revealed similar results for active AOA and AOB, although an apparent discrepancy was observed for nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. This study suggests that the soil microbiome represents a relatively stable community resulting from complex evolutionary processes over a large time scale, and microcosms can serve as powerful tools to test the theory of environmental filtering on the key functional microbial guilds.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document