Global gene expression of Prochlorococcus ecotypes in response to changes in nitrogen availability.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Tolonen AC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC1682016 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Interactions between microorganisms shape microbial ecosystems. Systematic studies of mixed microbes in co-culture have revealed widespread potential for growth inhibition among marine heterotrophic bacteria, but similar synoptic studies have not been done with autotroph/heterotroph pairs, nor have precise descriptions of the temporal evolution of interactions been attempted in a high-throughput system. Here, we describe patterns in the outcome of pair-wise co-cultures between two ecologically distinct, yet closely related, strains of the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus and hundreds of heterotrophic marine bacteria. Co-culture with the collection of heterotrophic strains influenced the growth of Prochlorococcus strain MIT9313 much more than that of strain MED4, reflected both in the number of different types of interactions and in the magnitude of the effect of co-culture on various culture parameters. Enhancing interactions, where the presence of heterotrophic bacteria caused Prochlorococcus to grow faster and reach a higher final culture chlorophyll fluorescence, were much more common than antagonistic ones, and for a selected number of cases were shown to be mediated by diffusible compounds. In contrast, for one case at least, temporary inhibition of Prochlorococcus MIT9313 appeared to require close cellular proximity. Bacterial strains whose 16S gene sequences differed by 1-2% tended to have similar effects on MIT9313, suggesting that the patterns of inhibition and enhancement in co-culture observed here are due to phylogenetically cohesive traits of these heterotrophs.
| S-EPMC3146288 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND: Cysteine has a crucial role in cellular physiology and its synthesis is tightly controlled due to its reactivity. However, little is known about the sulfur metabolism and its regulation in clostridia compared with other firmicutes. In Clostridium perfringens, the two-component system, VirR/VirS, controls the expression of the ubiG operon involved in methionine to cysteine conversion in addition to the expression of several toxin genes. The existence of links between the C. perfringens virulence regulon and sulfur metabolism prompted us to analyze this metabolism in more detail. RESULTS: We first performed a tentative reconstruction of sulfur metabolism in C. perfringens and correlated these data with the growth of strain 13 in the presence of various sulfur sources. Surprisingly, C. perfringens can convert cysteine to methionine by an atypical still uncharacterized pathway. We further compared the expression profiles of strain 13 after growth in the presence of cystine or homocysteine that corresponds to conditions of cysteine depletion. Among the 177 genes differentially expressed, we found genes involved in sulfur metabolism and controlled by premature termination of transcription via a cysteine specific T-box system (cysK-cysE, cysP1 and cysP2) or an S-box riboswitch (metK and metT). We also showed that the ubiG operon was submitted to a triple regulation by cysteine availability via a T-box system, by the VirR/VirS system via the VR-RNA and by the VirX regulatory RNA.In addition, we found that expression of pfoA (theta-toxin), nagL (one of the five genes encoding hyaluronidases) and genes involved in the maintenance of cell redox status was differentially expressed in response to cysteine availability. Finally, we showed that the expression of genes involved in [Fe-S] clusters biogenesis and of the ldh gene encoding the lactate dehydrogenase was induced during cysteine limitation. CONCLUSION: Several key functions for the cellular physiology of this anaerobic bacterium were controlled in response to cysteine availability. While most of the genes involved in sulfur metabolism are regulated by premature termination of transcription, other still uncharacterized mechanisms of regulation participated in the induction of gene expression during cysteine starvation.
| S-EPMC2940859 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceApproximately half of the annual carbon fixation on Earth occurs in the surface ocean through the photosynthetic activities of phytoplankton such as the ubiquitous picocyanobacterium Prochlorococcus. Ecologically distinct subpopulations (or ecotypes) of Prochlorococcus are central conduits of organic substrates into the ocean microbiome, thus playing important roles in surface ocean production. We measured the chemical profile of three cultured ecotype strains, observing striking differences among them that have implications for the likely chemical impact of Prochlorococcus subpopulations on their surroundings in the wild. Subpopulations differ in abundance along gradients of temperature, light, and nutrient concentrations, suggesting that these chemical differences could affect carbon cycling in different ocean strata and should be considered in models of Prochlorococcus physiology and marine carbon dynamics.
| S-EPMC10654061 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In a developmental strategy designed to efficiently exploit and colonize sparse oligotrophic environments, Caulobacter crescentus cells divide asymmetrically, yielding a motile swarmer cell and a sessile stalked cell. After a relatively fixed time period under typical culture conditions, the swarmer cell differentiates into a replicative stalked cell. Since differentiation into the stalked cell type is irreversible, it is likely that environmental factors such as the availability of essential nutrients would influence the timing of the decision to abandon motility and adopt a sessile lifestyle. We measured two different parameters in nutrient-limited chemostat cultures, biomass concentration and the ratio of nonstalked to stalked cells, over a range of flow rates and found that nitrogen limitation significantly extended the swarmer cell life span. The transcriptional profiling experiments described here generate the first comprehensive picture of the global regulatory strategies used by an oligotroph when confronted with an environment where key macronutrients are sparse. The pattern of regulated gene expression in nitrogen- and carbon-limited cells shares some features in common with most copiotrophic organisms, but critical differences suggest that Caulobacter, and perhaps other oligotrophs, have evolved regulatory strategies to deal distinctly with their natural environments. We hypothesize that nitrogen limitation extends the swarmer cell lifetime by delaying the onset of a sequence of differentiation events, which when initiated by the correct combination of external environmental cues, sets the swarmer cell on a path to differentiate into a stalked cell within a fixed time period.
| S-EPMC2812448 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the numerically dominant phototroph in the oligotrophic oceans. This group consists of multiple ecotypes that are physiologically and phylogenetically distinct and occur in different abundances along environmental gradients. Here we examine adaptations to phosphate (P) limitation among ecotypes. First, we used DNA microarrays to identify genes involved in the P-starvation response in two strains belonging to different ecotypes, MED4 (high-light-adapted) and MIT9313 (low-light-adapted). Most of the up-regulated genes under P starvation were unique to one strain. In MIT9313, many ribosomal genes were down-regulated, suggesting a general stress response in this strain. We also observed major differences in regulation. The P-starvation-induced genes comprise two clusters on the chromosome, the first containing the P master regulator phoB and most known P-acquisition genes and the second, absent in MIT9313, containing genes of unknown function. We examined the organization of the phoB gene cluster in 11 Prochlorococcus strains belonging to diverse ecotypes and found high variability in gene content that was not congruent with rRNA phylogeny. We hypothesize that this genome variability is related to differences in P availability in the oceans from which the strains were isolated. Analysis of a metagenomic library from the Sargasso Sea supports this hypothesis; most Prochlorococcus cells in this low-P environment contain the P-acquisition genes seen in MED4, although a number of previously undescribed gene combinations were observed.
| S-EPMC1567916 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic organism in oligotrophic regions of the oceans. The inability to assimilate nitrate is considered an important factor underlying the distribution of Prochlorococcus, and thought to explain, in part, low abundance of Prochlorococcus in coastal, temperate, and upwelling zones. Here, we describe the widespread occurrence of a genomic island containing nitrite and nitrate assimilation genes in uncultured Prochlorococcus cells from marine surface waters. These genes are characterized by low GC content, form a separate phylogenetic clade most closely related to marine Synechococcus, and are located in a different genomic region compared with an orthologous cluster found in marine Synechococcus strains. This sequence distinction suggests that these genes were not transferred recently from Synechococcus. We demonstrate that the nitrogen assimilation genes encode functional proteins and are expressed in the ocean. Also, we find that their relative occurrence is higher in the Caribbean Sea and Indian Ocean compared with the Sargasso Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, which may be related to the nitrogen availability in each region. Our data suggest that the ability to assimilate nitrite and nitrate is associated with microdiverse lineages within high- and low-light (LL) adapted Prochlorococcus ecotypes. It challenges 2 long-held assumptions that (i) Prochlorococcus cannot assimilate nitrate, and (ii) only LL adapted ecotypes can use nitrite. The potential for previously unrecognized productivity by Prochlorococcus in the presence of oxidized nitrogen species has implications for understanding the biogeography of Prochlorococcus and its role in the oceanic carbon and nitrogen cycles.
| S-EPMC2705535 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Prochlorococcus contributes significantly to ocean primary productivity. The link between primary productivity and iron in specific ocean regions is well established and iron limitation of Prochlorococcus cell division rates in these regions has been shown. However, the extent of ecotypic variation in iron metabolism among Prochlorococcus and the molecular basis for differences is not understood. Here, we examine the growth and transcriptional response of Prochlorococcus strains, MED4 and MIT9313, to changing iron concentrations. During steady state, MIT9313 sustains growth at an order-of-magnitude lower iron concentration than MED4. To explore this difference, we measured the whole-genome transcriptional response of each strain to abrupt iron starvation and rescue. Only four of the 1159 orthologs of MED4 and MIT9313 were differentially expressed in response to iron in both strains. However, in each strain, the expression of over a hundred additional genes changed, many of which are in labile genomic regions, suggesting a role for lateral gene transfer in establishing diversity of iron metabolism among Prochlorococcus. Furthermore, we found that MED4 lacks three genes near the iron-deficiency-induced gene (idiA) that are present and induced by iron stress in MIT9313. These genes are interesting targets for studying the adaptation of natural Prochlorococcus assemblages to local iron conditions as they show more diversity than other genomic regions in environmental metagenomic databases.
| S-EPMC3176520 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We used cDNA microarray technology to compare the genome-wide expression profiles of a wild type strain (BY4700) (E02, E04, E06) or the isogenic strain deleted of GLN3 and GAT1 genes (E01, E03, E05) grown in YNB medium with glutamine as nitrogen source (M.Gln) against the wild type strain grown in M.Gln after addition of rapamacyn (20 min) (E01, E02), or M.proline (M.Pro) (E03, E04) or after a two hours shift from M.Gln to M.Pro (E05, E06), all growth conditions known to modify the expression of genes involved in nitrogen utilization. These microarrays allowed to identify the set of genes that were up or down-regulated in response to the quality of the nitrogen source. To evaluate whether the majority of genes responding to the nitrogen source were dependent on Gln3 and Gat1, we compared the expression profiles of the wild type strain and of the isogenic strain deleted of GLN3 and GAT1 genes (03167b: ura3, gln3∆, gat1∆), when both strains were grown on M.Gln + rapamycin (E07), or M.Pro (E08) or after a shift from M.Gln to M.Pro (E09). We also used an independent means of identifying Gln3-Gat1 regulated genes by comparing the expression profiles in wild type and ure2∆ (4709∆URE2) strains on M.Gln medium (E10). Keywords: nitrogen availability, knock-out response
2006-07-06 | GSE2891 | GEO
Project description:Planktotrophic sea urchin larvae are developmentally plastic: in response to food scarcity, development of the juvenile rudiment is suspended and larvae instead develop elongated arms, thus increasing feeding capacity and extending larval life. Here, data are presented on the effect of different feeding regimes on gene expression in larvae of the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. These data indicate that during periods of starvation, larvae down-regulate genes involved in growth and metabolic activity while up-regulating genes involved in lipid transport, environmental sensing, and defense. Additionally, we show that starvation increases FoxO activity and that in well-fed larvae rapamycin treatment impedes rudiment growth, indicating that the latter requires TOR activity. These results suggest that the developmental plasticity of echinoplutei is regulated by genes known to control aging and longevity in other animals.
| S-EPMC4706744 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We used cDNA microarray technology to compare the genome-wide expression profiles of a wild type strain (BY4700) (E02, E04, E06) or the isogenic strain deleted of GLN3 and GAT1 genes (E01, E03, E05) grown in YNB medium with glutamine as nitrogen source (M.Gln) against the wild type strain grown in M.Gln after addition of rapamacyn (20 min) (E01, E02), or M.proline (M.Pro) (E03, E04) or after a two hours shift from M.Gln to M.Pro (E05, E06), all growth conditions known to modify the expression of genes involved in nitrogen utilization. These microarrays allowed to identify the set of genes that were up or down-regulated in response to the quality of the nitrogen source. To evaluate whether the majority of genes responding to the nitrogen source were dependent on Gln3 and Gat1, we compared the expression profiles of the wild type strain and of the isogenic strain deleted of GLN3 and GAT1 genes (03167b: ura3, gln3â, gat1â), when both strains were grown on M.Gln + rapamycin (E07), or M.Pro (E08) or after a shift from M.Gln to M.Pro (E09). We also used an independent means of identifying Gln3-Gat1 regulated genes by comparing the expression profiles in wild type and ure2â (4709âURE2) strains on M.Gln medium (E10). The hybridization signal was measured using a GSM418 laser scanner. Image analysis for each array was processed using the GenePix Pro 4.0 (Axon Instruments, Inc.) software package, which measures fluorescence intensity pairs for each gene. Following image acquisition, a visual inspection of the individual spots on each microarray (size, signal-to-noise ratio, background level, and spot uniformity) completed the flagging (present/not present, good/bad) of the data. To maximize sensitivity two scans were made, one at high laser power and high PMT (Photo Multiplier Tube) gain to detect the faintest spots, and a second one using low laser power and a PMT gain avoiding saturation. The values for spots presenting ⥠5% saturation in the first scan were calculated based on an extrapolation after linear regression analysis of the intensities from both scans. These data were then imported in the GeneSpring 7.1 (Silicon Genetics) software package, applying a per spot per chip intensity-dependent (Lowess) normalization for further analysis.
2010-07-01 | E-GEOD-2891 | biostudies-arrayexpress