Dataset Information

Gene Expression Correlates with Process Rates Quantified for Sulfate- and Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria in U(VI)-Contaminated Sediments.

ABSTRACT: Though iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria are well known for mediating uranium(VI) reduction in contaminated subsurface environments, quantifying the in situ activity of the microbial groups responsible remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the use of quantitative molecular tools that target mRNA transcripts of key genes related to Fe(III) and sulfate reduction pathways in order to monitor these processes during in situ U(VI) remediation in the subsurface. Expression of the Geobacteraceae-specific citrate synthase gene (gltA) and the dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase gene (dsrA), were correlated with the activity of iron- or sulfate-reducing microorganisms, respectively, under stimulated bioremediation conditions in microcosms of sediments sampled from the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge (OR-IFRC) site at Oak Ridge, TN, USA. In addition, Geobacteraceae-specific gltA and dsrA transcript levels were determined in parallel with the predominant electron acceptors present in moderately and highly contaminated subsurface sediments from the OR-IFRC. Phylogenetic analysis of the cDNA generated from dsrA mRNA, sulfate-reducing bacteria-specific 16S rRNA, and gltA mRNA identified activity of specific microbial groups. Active sulfate reducers were members of the Desulfovibrio, Desulfobacterium, and Desulfotomaculum genera. Members of the subsurface Geobacter clade, closely related to uranium-reducing Geobacter uraniireducens and Geobacter daltonii, were the metabolically active iron-reducers in biostimulated microcosms and in situ core samples. Direct correlation of transcripts and process rates demonstrated evidence of competition between the functional guilds in subsurface sediments. We further showed that active populations of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria are present in OR-IFRC sediments and are good potential targets for in situ bioremediation.

SUBMITTER: Akob DM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3415069 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Gene Expression Correlates with Process Rates Quantified for Sulfate- and Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria in U(VI)-Contaminated Sediments.

Akob Denise M DM Lee Sang Hyon SH Sheth Mili M Küsel Kirsten K Watson David B DB Palumbo Anthony V AV Kostka Joel E JE Chin Kuk-Jeong KJ

Frontiers in microbiology 20120809

Though iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria are well known for mediating uranium(VI) reduction in contaminated subsurface environments, quantifying the in situ activity of the microbial groups responsible remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the use of quantitative molecular tools that target mRNA transcripts of key genes related to Fe(III) and sulfate reduction pathways in order to monitor these processes during in situ U(VI) remediation in the subsurface. Expressi ...[more]

PMID: 22908009

Similar Datasets

Project description:On a global scale, crustal fluids fuel a large part of the deep-subseafloor biosphere by providing electron acceptors for microbial respiration. In this study, we examined bacterial cultures from sediments of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, Northeast Pacific (IODP Site U1301). The sediments comprise three distinctive compartments: an upper sulfate-containing zone, formed by bottom-seawater diffusion, a sulfate-depleted zone, and a second (∼140 m thick) sulfate-containing zone influenced by fluid diffusion from the basaltic aquifer. In order to identify and characterize sulfate-reducing bacteria, enrichment cultures from different sediment layers were set up, analyzed by molecular screening, and used for isolating pure cultures. The initial enrichments harbored specific communities of heterotrophic microorganisms. Strains affiliated to Desulfosporosinus lacus, Desulfotomaculum sp., and Desulfovibrio aespoeensis were isolated only from the top layers (1.3-9.1 meters below seafloor, mbsf), while several strains of Desulfovibrio indonesiensis and a relative of Desulfotignum balticum were obtained from near-basement sediments (240-262 mbsf). Physiological tests on three selected strains affiliated to Dv. aespoeensis, Dv. indonesiensis, and Desulfotignum balticum indicated that all reduce sulfate with a limited number of short-chain n-alcohols or fatty acids and were able to ferment either ethanol, pyruvate, or betaine. All three isolates shared the capacity of growing chemolithotrophically with H(2) as sole electron donor. Strain P23, affiliating with Dv. indonesiensis, even grew autotrophically in the absence of any organic compounds. Thus, H(2) might be an essential electron donor in the deep-subseafloor where the availability of organic substrates is limited. The isolation of non-sporeforming sulfate reducers from fluid-influenced layers indicates that they have survived the long-term burial as active populations even after the separation from the seafloor hundreds of meters above.

Project description:Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are essential functional microbial taxa for degrading organic matter (OM) in anoxic marine environments. However, there are little experimental data regarding how SRB regulates microbial communities. Here, we applied a top-down microbial community management approach by inhibiting SRB to elucidate their contributions to the microbial community during OM degradation. Based on the highly replicated microcosms (n = 20) of five different incubation stages, we found that many microbial community properties were influenced after inhibiting SRB, including the composition, structure, network, and community assembly processes. We also found a strong coexistence pattern between SRB and other abundant phylogenetic lineages via positive frequency-dependent selection. The relative abundances of the families Synergistaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Dethiosulfatibacteraceae, Prolixibacteraceae, Marinilabiliaceae, and Marinifilaceae were simultaneously suppressed after inhibiting SRB during OM degradation. A close association between SRB and the order Marinilabiliales among coexisting taxa was most prominent. They contributed to preserved modules during network successions, were keystone nodes mediating the networked community, and contributed to homogeneous ecological selection. The molybdate tolerance test of the isolated strains of Marinilabiliales showed that inhibited SRB (not the inhibitor of SRB itself) triggered a decrease in the relative abundance of Marinilabiliales. We also found that inhibiting SRB resulted in reduced pH, which is unsuitable for the growth of most Marinilabiliales strains, while the addition of pH buffer (HEPES) in SRB-inhibited treatment microcosms restored the pH and the relative abundances of these bacteria. These data supported that SRB could modify niches to affect species coexistence. IMPORTANCE Our model offers insight into the ecological properties of SRB and identifies a previously undocumented dimension of OM degradation. This targeted inhibition approach could provide a novel framework for illustrating how functional microbial taxa associate the composition and structure of the microbial community, molecular ecological network, and community assembly processes. These findings emphasize the importance of SRB during OM degradation. Our results proved the feasibility of the proposed study framework, inhibiting functional taxa at the community level, for illustrating when and to what extent functional taxa can contribute to ecosystem services.

Dataset Information

Gene Expression Correlates with Process Rates Quantified for Sulfate- and Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria in U(VI)-Contaminated Sediments.

Publications

Gene Expression Correlates with Process Rates Quantified for Sulfate- and Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria in U(VI)-Contaminated Sediments.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets