Project description:Rhodothermus marinus, a marine aerobic thermophile, was first isolated from an intertidal hot spring in Iceland. In recent years, the R. marinus strain PRI 493 has been genetically modified, which opens up possibilities for targeted metabolic engineering of the species, such as of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. In this study, the carotenoids of the R. marinus type-strain DSM 4252T , strain DSM 4253, and strain PRI 493 were characterized. Bioreactor cultivations were used for pressurized liquid extraction and analyzed by ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography with diode array and quadropole time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection (UHPSFC-DAD-QTOF/MS). Salinixanthin, a carotenoid originally found in Salinibacter ruber and previously detected in strain DSM 4253, was identified in all three R. marinus strains, both in the hydroxylated and nonhydroxylated form. Furthermore, an additional and structurally distinct carotenoid was detected in the three strains. MS/MS fragmentation implied that the mass difference between salinixanthin and the novel carotenoid structure corresponded to the absence of a 4-keto group on the ß-ionone ring. The study confirmed the lack of carotenoids for the strain SB-71 (?trpB?purAcrtBI'::trpB) in which genes encoding two enzymes of the proposed pathway are partially deleted. Moreover, antioxidant capacity was detected in extracts of all the examined R. marinus strains and found to be 2-4 times lower for the knock-out strain SB-71. A gene cluster with 11 genes in two operons in the R. marinusDSM 4252T genome was identified and analyzed, in which several genes were matched with carotenoid biosynthetic pathway genes in other organisms.
Project description:This work presents an evaluation of batch, fed-batch, and sequential batch cultivation techniques for production of R. marinus DSM 16675 and its exopolysaccharides (EPSs) and carotenoids in a bioreactor, using lysogeny broth (LB) and marine broth (MB), respectively, in both cases supplemented with 10 g/L maltose. Batch cultivation using LB supplemented with maltose (LBmalt) resulted in higher cell density (OD620 = 6.6) than use of MBmalt (OD620 = 1.7). Sequential batch cultivation increased the cell density threefold (OD620 = 20) in LBmalt and eightfold (OD620 = 14) in MBmalt. In both single and sequential batches, the production of carotenoids and EPSs using LBmalt was detected in the exponential phase and stationary phase, respectively, while in MBmalt formation of both products was detectable in both the exponential and stationary phases of the culture. Heteropolymeric EPSs were produced with an overall volumetric productivity (QE) of 0.67 (mg/L h) in MBmalt and the polymer contained xylose. In LB, QE was lower (0.1 mg/L h) and xylose could not be detected in the composition of the produced EPSs. In conclusion, this study showed the importance of a process design and medium source for production of R. marinus DSM 16675 and its metabolites.
Project description:Rhodothermus marinus Alfredsson et al. 1995 is the type species of the genus and is of phylogenetic interest because the Rhodothermaceae represent the deepest lineage in the phylum Bacteroidetes. R. marinus R-10(T) is a Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming bacterium isolated from marine hot springs off the coast of Iceland. Strain R-10(T) is strictly aerobic and requires slightly halophilic conditions for growth. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence, and annotation. This is the first complete genome sequence of the genus Rhodothermus, and only the second sequence from members of the family Rhodothermaceae. The 3,386,737 bp genome (including a 125 kb plasmid) with its 2914 protein-coding and 48 RNA genes is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.
Project description:The aim of this work was to develop an approach for chromosomal engineering of the thermophile Rhodothermus marinus. A selection strategy for R. marinus had previously been developed; this strategy was based on complementing a restriction-negative trpB strain with the R. marinus trpB gene. The current work identified an additional selective marker, purA, which encodes adenylosuccinate synthase and confers adenine prototrophy. In a two-step procedure, the available Trp(+) selection was used during the deletion of purA from the R. marinus chromosome. The alternative Ade(+) selection was in turn used while deleting the endogenous trpB gene. Since both deletions are unmarked, the purA and trpB markers may be reused. Through the double deletant SB-62 (?trpB ?purA), the difficulties that are associated with spontaneous revertants and unintended chromosomal integration of marker-containing molecules are circumvented. The selection efficiency in R. marinus strain SB-62 (?trpB ?purA) was demonstrated by targeting putative carotenoid biosynthesis genes, crtBI, using a linear molecule containing a marked deletion with 717 and 810 bp of 5' and 3' homologous sequences, respectively. The resulting Trp(+) transformants were colorless rather than orange-red. The correct replacement of an internal crtBI fragment with the trpB marker was confirmed by Southern hybridization analysis of the transformants. Thus, it appears that target genes in the R. marinus chromosome can be readily replaced with linear molecules in a single step by double-crossover recombination.
Project description:Rhodothermus marinus has the potential to be well suited for biorefineries, as an aerobic thermophile that produces thermostable enzymes and is able to utilize polysaccharides from different 2nd and 3rd generation biomass. The bacterium produces valuable chemicals such as carotenoids. However, the native carotenoids are not established for industrial production and R. marinus needs to be genetically modified to produce higher value carotenoids. Here we genetically modified the carotenoid biosynthetic gene cluster resulting in three different mutants, most importantly the lycopene producing mutant TK-3 (?trpB?purA?cruFcrtB::trpBcrtB T.thermophilus ). The genetic modifications and subsequent structural analysis of carotenoids helped clarify the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in R. marinus. The nucleotide sequences encoding the enzymes phytoene synthase (CrtB) and the previously unidentified 1',2'-hydratase (CruF) were found fused together and encoded by a single gene in R. marinus. Deleting only the cruF part of the gene did not result in an active CrtB enzyme. However, by deleting the entire gene and inserting the crtB gene from Thermus thermophilus, a mutant strain was obtained, producing lycopene as the sole carotenoid. The lycopene produced by TK-3 was quantified as 0.49 ?g/kg CDW (cell dry weight).
Project description:A dnaB gene encoding a homologue of the Escherichia coli DNA helicase DnaB was cloned and sequenced in the thermophilic eubacterium Rhodothermus marinus, predicting a DnaB protein that harbors an intein. This DnaB intein is 428 amino acid residues long, has several putative intein sequence motifs (including two putative endonuclease motifs), and is capable of protein splicing when produced in E. coli cells. The R. marinus DnaB intein is a close homologue of a DnaB intein in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. The two inteins are positioned identically in their respective DnaB proteins. They also share a 54% sequence identity (74% sequence similarity) that is markedly higher than the 37% sequence identity shared by the extein sequences of the two DnaB proteins. Horizontal intein transfer (homing) is therefore invoked to relate these two DnaB inteins. The codon usage of R. marinus DnaB intein coding sequence differs markedly from the codon usages of its flanking extein coding sequences and other genes in the same genome, suggesting more recent acquisition of the DnaB intein in this organism.
Project description:Substrate-binding proteins (SBPs) are key elements in determining the substrate specificity and high affinity of the ATP-binding cassette uptake system. A typical SBP has two domains that recognize substrates and are responsible for the specific substrate delivery. Conversely, in GenBank, genes for SBPs constituting a single domain SBP are often found in vicinity of a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein gene. However, the molecular function and mechanism of single domain SBPs are not fully elucidated. To understand their molecular functions, we performed a crystallographic study of single domain SBP from Rhodothermus marinus (RmSBP). RmSBP crystals were soaked in solution containing NaBr or HgCl2 and their structures determined at 1.75 and 2.3 Å resolution, respectively. RmSBP soaked in NaBr exhibited disorder of the α2-helix, β5-to β6-strand loop, and C-terminus region, showing the structural dynamic region of RmSBP. RmSBP soaked in HgCl2 showed that Hg2+ bound to Cys145 located between the α5-and α6-helices. The structural properties of RmSBP were compared with those of single domain SBP homologs. These results will contribute to continued identification of the molecular function and mechanism of single domain SBPs.
Project description:Rhodothermus marinus is a halophilic extreme thermophile, with potential as a model organism for studies of the structural basis of antibiotic resistance. In order to facilitate genetic studies of this organism, we have surveyed the antibiotic sensitivity spectrum of R. marinus and identified spontaneous antibiotic-resistant mutants. R. marinus is naturally insensitive to aminoglycosides, aminocylitols and tuberactinomycins that target the 30S ribosomal subunit, but is sensitive to all 50S ribosomal subunit-targeting antibiotics examined, including macrolides, lincosamides, streptogramin B, chloramphenicol, and thiostrepton. It is also sensitive to kirromycin and fusidic acid, which target protein synthesis factors. It is sensitive to rifampicin (RNA polymerase inhibitor) and to the fluoroquinolones ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin (DNA gyrase inhibitors), but insensitive to nalidixic acid. Drug-resistant mutants were identified using rifampicin, thiostrepton, erythromycin, spiramycin, tylosin, lincomycin, and chloramphenicol. The majority of these were found to have mutations that are similar or identical to those previously found in other species, while several novel mutations were identified. This study provides potential selectable markers for genetic manipulations and demonstrates the feasibility of using R. marinus as a model system for studies of ribosome and RNA polymerase structure, function, and evolution.