scholarly journals Safety of Food and Water Supplies in the Landscape of Changing Climate

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah ◽  
Brian Thompson ◽  
Janey Smith Camp
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Quorum Sensing ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Processing Conditions ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Transfer Mechanisms

In response to evolving environmental, production, and processing conditions, microbial communities have tremendous abilities to move toward increased diversity and fitness by various pathways such as vertical and horizontal gene transfer mechanisms, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing [...]

Bap-dependent biofilm formation by pathogenic species of Staphylococcus: evidence of horizontal gene transfer?

Microbiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 151 (7) ◽  
pp. 2465-2475 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ángeles Tormo ◽  
Erwin Knecht ◽  
Friedrich Götz ◽  
Iñigo Lasa ◽  
José R. Penadés
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Alternative Mechanism ◽  
Coagulase Negative Staphylococci ◽  
High Sequence Similarity ◽  
Staphylococcus Simulans

The biofilm-associated protein (Bap) is a surface protein implicated in biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus isolated from chronic mastitis infections. The bap gene is carried in a putative composite transposon inserted in SaPIbov2, a mobile staphylococcal pathogenicity island. In this study, bap orthologue genes from several staphylococcal species, including Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus chromogenes, Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus simulans and Staphylococcus hyicus, were identified, cloned and sequenced. Sequence analysis comparison of the bap gene from these species revealed a very high sequence similarity, suggesting the horizontal gene transfer of SaPIbov2 amongst them. However, sequence analyses of the flanking region revealed that the bap gene of these species was not contained in the SaPIbov2 pathogenicity island. Although they did not contain the icaADBC operon, all the coagulase-negative staphylococcal isolates harbouring bap were strong biofilm producers. Disruption of the bap gene in S. epidermidis abolished its capacity to form a biofilm, whereas heterologous complementation of a biofilm-negative strain of S. aureus with the Bap protein from S. epidermidis bestowed the capacity to form a biofilm on a polystyrene surface. Altogether, these results demonstrate that Bap orthologues from coagulase-negative staphylococci induce an alternative mechanism of biofilm formation that is independent of the PIA/PNAG exopolysaccharide.

scholarly journals Variability in Assembly of Degradation Operons for Naphthalene and its derivative, Carbaryl, Suggests Mobilization through Horizontal Gene Transfer

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phale ◽  
Shah ◽  
Malhotra
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Genomic Islands ◽  
Biochemical Pathways ◽  
Integrative Conjugative Elements

In the biosphere, the largest biological laboratory, increased anthropogenic activities have led microbes to evolve and adapt to the changes occurring in the environment. Compounds, specifically xenobiotics, released due to such activities persist in nature and undergo bio-magnification in the food web. Some of these compounds act as potent endocrine disrupters, mutagens or carcinogens, and therefore their removal from the environment is essential. Due to their persistence, microbial communities have evolved to metabolize them partially or completely. Diverse biochemical pathways have evolved or been assembled by exchange of genetic material (horizontal gene transfer) through various mobile genetic elements like conjugative and non-conjugative plasmids, transposons, phages and prophages, genomic islands and integrative conjugative elements. These elements provide an unlimited opportunity for genetic material to be exchanged across various genera, thus accelerating the evolution of a new xenobiotic degrading phenotype. In this article, we illustrate examples of the assembly of metabolic pathways involved in the degradation of naphthalene and its derivative, Carbaryl, which are speculated to have evolved or adapted through the above-mentioned processes.

scholarly journals Horizontal Gene Transfer Can Help Maintain the Equilibrium of Microbial Communities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhang Fan ◽  
Yandong Xiao ◽  
Babak Momeni ◽  
Yang-Yu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Transfer Rate ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Focal Points ◽  
Dynamics Model ◽  
Population Dynamics Model ◽  
Evolutionary Advantage

Horizontal gene transfer and species coexistence are two focal points in the study of microbial communities. The evolutionary advantage of horizontal gene transfer has not been well-understood and is constantly being debated. Here we propose a simple population dynamics model based on the frequency-dependent interactions between different genotypes to evaluate the influence of horizontal gene transfer on microbial communities. We find that both structural stability and robustness of the microbial community are strongly affected by the gene transfer rate and direction. An optimal gene flux can stablize the ecosystem, helping it recover from disturbance and maintain the species coexistence.

scholarly journals Diverse Viruses in Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Fluids Have Restricted Dispersal across Ocean Basins

mSystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaina Thomas ◽  
Rika E. Anderson ◽  
Viola Li ◽  
L. Jenni Rogan ◽  
Julie A. Huber
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Hydrothermal Vent ◽  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Viral Ecology ◽  
Unique Nature

Viruses play important roles in manipulating microbial communities and their evolution in the ocean, yet not much is known about viruses in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. However, viral ecology and evolution are of particular interest in hydrothermal vent habitats because of their unique nature: previous studies have indicated that most viruses in hydrothermal vents are temperate rather than lytic, and it has been established that rates of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) are particularly high among thermophilic vent microbes, and viruses are common vectors for HGT.

scholarly journals Horizontal gene transfer can help maintain the equilibrium of microbial communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 454 ◽  
pp. 53-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhang Fan ◽  
Yandong Xiao ◽  
Babak Momeni ◽  
Yang-Yu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Microbial Communities

scholarly journals Transductomics: sequencing-based detection and analysis of transduced DNA in pure cultures and microbial communities

Microbiome ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Kleiner ◽  
Brian Bushnell ◽  
Kenneth E. Sanderson ◽  
Lora V. Hooper ◽  
Breck A. Duerkop
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Microbial Evolution ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Intestinal Microbiome ◽  
Mobile Dna ◽  
Pure Cultures ◽  
Taxonomic Range ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

Abstract Background Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a central role in microbial evolution. Our understanding of the mechanisms, frequency, and taxonomic range of HGT in polymicrobial environments is limited, as we currently rely on historical HGT events inferred from genome sequencing and studies involving cultured microorganisms. We lack approaches to observe ongoing HGT in microbial communities. Results To address this knowledge gap, we developed a DNA sequencing-based “transductomics” approach that detects and characterizes microbial DNA transferred via transduction. We validated our approach using model systems representing a range of transduction modes and show that we can detect numerous classes of transducing DNA. Additionally, we show that we can use this methodology to obtain insights into DNA transduction among all major taxonomic groups of the intestinal microbiome. Conclusions The transductomics approach that we present here allows for the detection and characterization of genes that are potentially transferred between microbes in complex microbial communities at the time of measurement and thus provides insights into real-time ongoing horizontal gene transfer. This work extends the genomic toolkit for the broader study of mobile DNA within microbial communities and could be used to understand how phenotypes spread within microbiomes.

scholarly journals The interconnection between biofilm formation and horizontal gene transfer

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Stenløkke Madsen ◽  
Mette Burmølle ◽  
Lars Hestbjerg Hansen ◽  
Søren Johannes Sørensen
Keyword(s):  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Horizontal Gene Transfer ◽  
Biofilm Formation
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