Project description:Two-stage two-phase biogas reactor systems consisting each of one batch downflow hydrolysis reactor (HR, vol. 10 L), one process fluid storage tank (vol. 10 L), and one downstream upflow anaerobic filter reactor (AF, vol. 10 L), were operated at mesophilic (M, 37 °C) and thermophilic (T, 55 °C) temperatures and over a period of > 750 d (Figure 1, Additional file 1). For each reactor system and for each process temperature, two replicates were conducted in parallel, denominated further as biological replicates. Further process details were as previously published. Start-up of all fermenters were performed using liquid fermenter material from a biogas plant converting cattle manure in co-digestion with grass and maize silage and other biomass at varying concentrations and at mesophilic temperatures. Silage of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) was digested as sole substrate in batches of varying amounts with retention times of 28 d (storage of bale silage at -20 °C, cutting length 3 cm, volatile substances (VS) 32 % of fresh mass (FM), total Kjeldahl nitrogen 7.6 g kgFM-1, NH4+-N 0.7 g kgFM-1, acetic acid 2.6 g kgFM-1, propionic acid < 0.04 g kgFM-1, lactic acid 2.6 g kgFM-1, ethanol 2.2 g kgFM-1, C/N ratio 19.3, chemical oxygen demand (COD) 357.7 g kgFM-1, analysis of chemical properties according to [6]. No spoilage was observed in the silage. Biogas yields were calculated as liters normalized to 0 °C and 1013 hPa (LN) per kilogram volatile substances (kgVS). For chemical analysis, samples were taken from the effluents of HR and AF. For sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicon libraries, microbial metagenomes, and microbial metatranscriptomes, samples were taken from the silage digestate in the HR digested for 2 d. At this time point, high AD rates were detected as indicated by the fast increase of volatile fatty acids (VFA), e.g., acetic acid. Sampling was performed at two different organic loading rates (OLR), i.e., batch-fermentation of 500 g (denominated as “low OLR”, samples MOLR500 and TOLR500) and 1,500 g silage (denominated as “increased OLR”, samples MOLR1500 and TOLR1500).
Project description:Background. Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough is a sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) that is intensively studied in the context of metal corrosion and heavy-metal bioremediation, and SRB populations are commonly observed in pipe and subsurface environments as surface-associated populations. In order to elucidate physiological changes associated with biofilm growth at both the transcript and protein level, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were done on mature biofilm cells and compared to both batch and reactor planktonic populations. The biofilms were cultivated with lactate and sulfate in a continiouslly fed biofilm reactor, and compared to both batch and reactor planktonic populations. The functional genomic analysis demonstrated that biofilm cells were different compared to planktonic cells, and the majority of altered abundances for genes and proteins were annotated as hypothetical (unknown function), energy conservation, amino acid metabolism, and signal transduction. Genes and proteins that showed similar trends in detected levels were particularly involved in energy conservation such as increases in an annotated ech hydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase, pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, and rnf oxidoreductase, and the biofilm cells had elevated formate dehydrogenase activity. Several other hydrogenases and formate dehydrogenases also showed an increased protein level, while decreased transcript and protein levels were observed for putative coo hydrogenases as well as a lactate permease and hyp hydrogenases for biofilm cells. Genes annotated for amino acid synthesis and nitrogen utilization were also predominant changers within the biofilm state. Ribosomal transcripts and proteins were notably decreased within the biofilm cells compared to exponential-phase cells but were not as low as levels observed in planktonic, stationary-phase cells. Several putative, extracellular proteins (DVU1012, 1545) were also detected in the extracellular fraction from biofilm cells. Even though both the planktonic and biofilm cells were oxidizing lactate and reducing sulfate, the biofilm cells were physiologically distinct compared to planktonic growth states due to altered abundances of genes/proteins involved in carbon/energy flow and extracellular structures. In addition, average expression values for multiple rRNA transcripts and respiratory activity measurements indicated that biofilm cells were metabolically more similar to exponential-phase cells although biofilm cells are structured differently. The characterization of physiological advantages and constraints of the biofilm growth state for sulfate-reducing bacteria will provide insight into bioremediation applications as well as microbially-induced metal corrosion.
Project description:Background. Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough is a sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) that is intensively studied in the context of metal corrosion and heavy-metal bioremediation, and SRB populations are commonly observed in pipe and subsurface environments as surface-associated populations. In order to elucidate physiological changes associated with biofilm growth at both the transcript and protein level, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were done on mature biofilm cells and compared to both batch and reactor planktonic populations. The biofilms were cultivated with lactate and sulfate in a continiouslly fed biofilm reactor, and compared to both batch and reactor planktonic populations. The functional genomic analysis demonstrated that biofilm cells were different compared to planktonic cells, and the majority of altered abundances for genes and proteins were annotated as hypothetical (unknown function), energy conservation, amino acid metabolism, and signal transduction. Genes and proteins that showed similar trends in detected levels were particularly involved in energy conservation such as increases in an annotated ech hydrogenase, formate dehydrogenase, pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, and rnf oxidoreductase, and the biofilm cells had elevated formate dehydrogenase activity. Several other hydrogenases and formate dehydrogenases also showed an increased protein level, while decreased transcript and protein levels were observed for putative coo hydrogenases as well as a lactate permease and hyp hydrogenases for biofilm cells. Genes annotated for amino acid synthesis and nitrogen utilization were also predominant changers within the biofilm state. Ribosomal transcripts and proteins were notably decreased within the biofilm cells compared to exponential-phase cells but were not as low as levels observed in planktonic, stationary-phase cells. Several putative, extracellular proteins (DVU1012, 1545) were also detected in the extracellular fraction from biofilm cells. Even though both the planktonic and biofilm cells were oxidizing lactate and reducing sulfate, the biofilm cells were physiologically distinct compared to planktonic growth states due to altered abundances of genes/proteins involved in carbon/energy flow and extracellular structures. In addition, average expression values for multiple rRNA transcripts and respiratory activity measurements indicated that biofilm cells were metabolically more similar to exponential-phase cells although biofilm cells are structured differently. The characterization of physiological advantages and constraints of the biofilm growth state for sulfate-reducing bacteria will provide insight into bioremediation applications as well as microbially-induced metal corrosion. Biofilms grown in reactors were compared to reference samples of reactor, planktonic and batch, planktonic. Each sample had a biological triplicate.
Project description:The formation of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms contributes to persistent contamination in food processing facilities. A microarray comparison of L. monocytogenes between the transcriptome of the strong biofilm forming strain (Bfms) Scott A and the weak biofilm forming (Bfmw) strain F2365 was conducted to identify genes potentially involved in biofilm formation. Among 951 genes with significant difference in expression between the two strains, a GntR-family response regulator encoding gene (LMOf2365_0414), designated lbrA, was found to be highly expressed in Scott A relative to F2365. A Scott A lbrA-deletion mutant, designated AW3, formed biofilm to a much lesser extent as compared to the parent strain by a rapid attachment assay and scanning electron microscopy. Complementation with lbrA from Scott A restored the Bfms phenotype in the AW3 derivative. A second microarray assessment using the lbrA deletion mutant AW3 and the wild type Scott A revealed a total of 304 genes with expression significantly different between the two strains, indicating the potential regulatory role of LbrA in L. monocytogenes. A cloned copy of Scott A lbrA was unable to confer enhanced biofilm forming potential in F2365, suggesting that additional factors contributed to weak biofilm formation by F2365. Findings from the study may lead to new strategies to modulate biofilm formation.