Project description:The ubiquitous heterotrophic marine bacterium, Rugeria pomeroyi, was experimentally cultured under both environmentally realistic carbon conditions and with a tracer-level addition of 13C-labeled leucine. Bacterial protein biosynthesis was tracked through exponential and stationary growth phases. This combination of methods allowed for observation of real-time bacterial protein production of an environmentally relevant marine bacterium under low-carbon conditions to understand metabolic priorities during different growth phases.
Project description:Previous studies have demonstrated that the iron content in marine heterotrophic bacteria is comparatively higher than that of phytoplankton. Therefore, they have been indicated to play a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential of viral lysis as a source of iron for marine heterotrophic bacteria. Viral lysates were derived from the marine heterotrophic bacterium, Vibrio natriegens PWH3a (A.K.A Vibrio alginolyticus). The bioavailability of Fe in the lysates was determined using a model heterotrophic bacterium, namely, Dokdonia sp. strain Dokd-P16, isolated from Fe-limited waters along Line P transect in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. The bacteria were grown under Fe-deplete or Fe-replete conditions before being exposed to the viral lysate. Differential gene expression following exposure to the viral lysate was analyzed via RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed genes under iron-replete and iron-deplete conditions. This study would provide novel insights into the role of viral lysis in heterotrophic bacteria in supplying bioavailable iron to other marine microorganisms under iron-limiting and non-limiting conditions. First, the marine heterotrophic bacterium genome, Dokdonia sp. strain Dokd-P16, was sequenced to provide a genomic context for the expression studies. Subsequently, the relative gene expression in Dokdonia sp. strain Dokd-P16 grown under Fe limiting and non-limiting conditions were analyzed. This transcriptomic approach would be utilized to elucidate genes regulated by Fe availability in Dokdonia sp. strain Dokd-P16, which indicate its Fe-related response viral lysate exposure. Taken together, in this study, the transcriptomic responses of Fe-limited and non-limited marine heterotrophic bacteria were analyzed, which provided novel insights into the biological availability of Fe from the viral lysates.
Project description:Transcriptional response of the photoheterotrophic marine bacterium D. shibea to changing light regimes. Second part of the study analysing the transition from photoheterotrophic light to heterotrophic dark growth. Bacterial aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis (AAP) is an important mechanism of energy gain in aquatic habitats, accounting for up to 5% of the surface ocean’s photosynthetic electron transport. The dominant AAP bacteria in marine communities belong to the Roseobacter clade. For this reason we used Dinoroseobacter shibae as a model organism to study the transcriptional response of AAP bacteria to changing light regimes. We used continuous cultivation of D. shibae in a chemostat in combination with time series microarray analysis in order to identify gene regulatory patterns after a change in illumination. The change from heterotrophic growth in the dark to photoheterotrophic growth in the light was accompanied by a strong but transient activation of a broad stress response to cope with the formation of harmful singlet oxygen during photophosphorylation, an immediate downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, fine-tuning of the expression of electron transport chain components and upregulation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. Furthermore, our data indicate that D. shibae might use the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle for CO2 fixation. Analysis of the transcriptome dynamics after the switch from light to dark demonstrates that only few genes are directly regulated in response to light and other signals such as singlet oxygen concentration, electron flow, redox status and energy charge of the cell must be involved in the regulation of the processes accompanying AAP. Based on the transcriptome data first hypothesis about transcriptional control of AAP could be formulated. This study provides the first analysis of AAP on the level of transcriptome dynamics. Our data allow the formulation of testable hypotheses about the mechanisms involved in the regulation of this important biological process. Samples from light grown cells were used as a reference, 6 timepoints in the dark, biological replicates: 2
Project description:Transcriptional response of the photoheterotrophic marine bacterium D. shibea to changing light regimes. First part of the study analysing the transition from heterotrophic dark to photoheterotrophic light growth. Bacterial aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis (AAP) is an important mechanism of energy gain in aquatic habitats, accounting for up to 5% of the surface ocean’s photosynthetic electron transport. The dominant AAP bacteria in marine communities belong to the Roseobacter clade. For this reason we used Dinoroseobacter shibae as a model organism to study the transcriptional response of AAP bacteria to changing light regimes. We used continuous cultivation of D. shibae in a chemostat in combination with time series microarray analysis in order to identify gene regulatory patterns after a change in illumination. The change from heterotrophic growth in the dark to photoheterotrophic growth in the light was accompanied by a strong but transient activation of a broad stress response to cope with the formation of harmful singlet oxygen during photophosphorylation, an immediate downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, fine-tuning of the expression of electron transport chain components and upregulation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. Furthermore, our data indicate that D. shibae might use the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle for CO2 fixation. Analysis of the transcriptome dynamics after the switch from light to dark demonstrates that only few genes are directly regulated in response to light and other signals such as singlet oxygen concentration, electron flow, redox status and energy charge of the cell must be involved in the regulation of the processes accompanying AAP. Based on the transcriptome data first hypothesis about transcriptional control of AAP could be formulated. This study provides the first analysis of AAP on the level of transcriptome dynamics. Our data allow the formulation of testable hypotheses about the mechanisms involved in the regulation of this important biological process. Samples from dark grown cells were used as a reference, 6 timepoints in the light, biological replicates: 3 to 4
Project description:The response of global carbon and nitrogen cycles to future climate change is uncertain. In order to understand the impacts that future changes to climate will have on these cycles, a more detailed understanding of them is essential. This dissertation utilizes a combined approach of molecular biomarkers and proteomic investigations to elucidate historic source material contributions and microbial protein production to contribute to a more thorough understanding of the marine carbon and nitrogen cycles. The examination of molecular organic biomarkers throughout an Arctic sediment core showed the dominant input in the area was from marine sources with lower but steady contributions from terrestrial sources during the Holocene. Attempts to recover proteins from deeper sediments to correlate with lipid biomarkers were unsuccessful but led to the optimization of an extraction protocol for an added protein standard, bovine serum albumin, from sediments. An investigation into the expressed proteome of the heterotrophic marine bacterium, Ruegeria pomeroyi, under environmentally realistic carbon supply conditions during exponential and stationary growth phases identified over 2000 proteins. The most abundant proteins identified were responsible for porins, transport, binding, translation, and protein refolding and could represent potential biomarkers of bacterial processes and/or activity. A parallel study of R. pomeroyi, in which 13C-labeled leucine was added to the culture during exponential growth phase, showed labeled incorporation ranging from 16 to 21% of the total proteins produced depending on growth phase. The widespread distribution of the label among the growth phases indicates active recycling by the bacteria. This study demonstrates a method through which bacterial protein synthesis can be tracked. A study of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana acclimated to iron replete or iron-limited conditions showed iron-limited organisms increased proteins involved in pathways associated with intracellular protein recycling, the pentose phosphate pathway, lower photosynthetic energy production, enhancement of photorespiration, and increased polysaccharide production. This application of proteomics to the examination of proteins in marine sediments, a marine diatom, and a heterotrophic marine bacterium shows the potential for these techniques to help elucidate the fate of proteins in marine environments and could be used in conjunction with well-established molecular organic marker studies.
Project description:Transcriptional response of the photoheterotrophic marine bacterium D. shibea to changing light regimes. Second part of the study analysing the transition from photoheterotrophic light to heterotrophic dark growth. Bacterial aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis (AAP) is an important mechanism of energy gain in aquatic habitats, accounting for up to 5% of the surface ocean’s photosynthetic electron transport. The dominant AAP bacteria in marine communities belong to the Roseobacter clade. For this reason we used Dinoroseobacter shibae as a model organism to study the transcriptional response of AAP bacteria to changing light regimes. We used continuous cultivation of D. shibae in a chemostat in combination with time series microarray analysis in order to identify gene regulatory patterns after a change in illumination. The change from heterotrophic growth in the dark to photoheterotrophic growth in the light was accompanied by a strong but transient activation of a broad stress response to cope with the formation of harmful singlet oxygen during photophosphorylation, an immediate downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, fine-tuning of the expression of electron transport chain components and upregulation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. Furthermore, our data indicate that D. shibae might use the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle for CO2 fixation. Analysis of the transcriptome dynamics after the switch from light to dark demonstrates that only few genes are directly regulated in response to light and other signals such as singlet oxygen concentration, electron flow, redox status and energy charge of the cell must be involved in the regulation of the processes accompanying AAP. Based on the transcriptome data first hypothesis about transcriptional control of AAP could be formulated. This study provides the first analysis of AAP on the level of transcriptome dynamics. Our data allow the formulation of testable hypotheses about the mechanisms involved in the regulation of this important biological process.
Project description:Transcriptional response of the photoheterotrophic marine bacterium D. shibea to changing light regimes. First part of the study analysing the transition from heterotrophic dark to photoheterotrophic light growth. Bacterial aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis (AAP) is an important mechanism of energy gain in aquatic habitats, accounting for up to 5% of the surface ocean’s photosynthetic electron transport. The dominant AAP bacteria in marine communities belong to the Roseobacter clade. For this reason we used Dinoroseobacter shibae as a model organism to study the transcriptional response of AAP bacteria to changing light regimes. We used continuous cultivation of D. shibae in a chemostat in combination with time series microarray analysis in order to identify gene regulatory patterns after a change in illumination. The change from heterotrophic growth in the dark to photoheterotrophic growth in the light was accompanied by a strong but transient activation of a broad stress response to cope with the formation of harmful singlet oxygen during photophosphorylation, an immediate downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes, fine-tuning of the expression of electron transport chain components and upregulation of the transcriptional and translational apparatus. Furthermore, our data indicate that D. shibae might use the 3-hydroxypropionate cycle for CO2 fixation. Analysis of the transcriptome dynamics after the switch from light to dark demonstrates that only few genes are directly regulated in response to light and other signals such as singlet oxygen concentration, electron flow, redox status and energy charge of the cell must be involved in the regulation of the processes accompanying AAP. Based on the transcriptome data first hypothesis about transcriptional control of AAP could be formulated. This study provides the first analysis of AAP on the level of transcriptome dynamics. Our data allow the formulation of testable hypotheses about the mechanisms involved in the regulation of this important biological process.
Project description:Under crowded, nutrient-limiting conditions, growth in the marine chordate O. dioica arrests until favorable conditions return. We profiled translation genome-wide using ribosome profiling in O. dioica during growth arrest and growth arrest recovery. We found that initial recovery is independent of nutrient-responsive, trans-spliced genes, suggesting that animal density is the primary trigger for the resumption of development in this species.
Project description:This project describes the protein composition of the Cafeteria roenbergensis virus (CroV, strain BV-PW1: TaxID 693272) particle, a giant marine DNA virus that infects the heterotrophic nanoflagellate microeukaryote C. roenbergensis. CroV is a member of the Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Large DNA Virus clade and related to Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus. CroV possesses a DNA genome of ~730 kilobase pairs that encodes 544 predicted proteins. We analyzed the protein composition of purified CroV particles by liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and identified 141 virion-associated CroV proteins. Predicted functions could be assigned to 37% of these proteins, which include structural proteins as well as enzymes for transcription, DNA repair, redox reactions and protein modification. Homologs of 36 CroV virion proteins have previously been found in the virion of Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus. This study shows that giant DNA virus particles contain more than one hundred viral proteins that include specific enzymatic functions.