Project description:Isoprene-metabolizing bacteria represent a global regulator for atmospheric isoprene concentrations. Under anoxic conditions, isoprene can be used as an electron acceptor reducing it to methylbutene. This study describes the proteogenomic profiling of an isoprene reducing enrichment culture to identify organisms and genes responsible for the isoprene hydrogenation reaction. A metagenome assembled genome (MAG) of the most abundant (88 % rel. abundance) lineage in the enrichment, Acetobacterium wieringae, was obtained. Comparative proteogenomics and RT-PCR identified a five-gene operon from the A. wieringae MAG upregulated during isoprene reduction. The operon encodes a putative oxidoreductase, three pleiotropic nickel chaperones (HypA, HypA, HypB) and one 4Fe-4S ferredoxin. The oxidoreductase is proposed as the putative isoprene reductase with a binding site for NADH, FAD as well as two pairs of [4Fe-4S]-clusters. Other Acetobacterium strains (A. woodii DSM 1030, A. wieringae DSM 1911, A. malicum DSM 4132 and A. dehalogenans DSM 11527) do not encode the isoprene reduction operon and could not reduce isoprene. Uncharacterized homologs of the putative isoprene reductase are observed across the Firmicutes, Spirochaetes, Tenericutes, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, suggesting the ability of biohydrogenation of non-functionalized conjugated doubled bonds in other unsaturated hydrocarbons.
Project description:Isoprene is a well-studied volatile hemiterpene that protects plants from abiotic stress through mechanisms that are not fully understood. The antioxidant and membrane stabilizing potential of isoprene are the two most commonly invoked mechanisms. However, isoprene also affects phenylpropanoid metabolism, suggesting an additional role as a signaling molecule. In this study, microarray based gene expression profiling reveals widespread transcriptional reprogramming of Arabidopsis thaliana plants fumigated for 24 hrs with a physiologically relevant concentration of isoprene. Functional enrichment analysis of fumigated plants revealed enhanced heat- and light-stress-responsive processes in response to isoprene. Isoprene induced a network enriched in ERF and WRKY transcription factors, which may play a role in stress tolerance. The isoprene-induced upregulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes was specifically confirmed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. These results support a role for isoprene as a signaling molecule, in addition to its possible roles as an antioxidant and membrane thermoprotectant. Plants were held at 23 °C for 24 hours and then held at 40 °C for 24 hours, either in the presence or absence of 20 PPM isoprene during the entire 48 hours. Leaf samples were taken at the end of both 24 hour treatment periods. Each of the 4 resulting conditions was replicated 3 times.
Project description:Isoprene is a well-studied volatile hemiterpene that protects plants from abiotic stress through mechanisms that are not fully understood. The antioxidant and membrane stabilizing potential of isoprene are the two most commonly invoked mechanisms. However, isoprene also affects phenylpropanoid metabolism, suggesting an additional role as a signaling molecule. In this study, microarray based gene expression profiling reveals widespread transcriptional reprogramming of Arabidopsis thaliana plants fumigated for 24 hrs with a physiologically relevant concentration of isoprene. Functional enrichment analysis of fumigated plants revealed enhanced heat- and light-stress-responsive processes in response to isoprene. Isoprene induced a network enriched in ERF and WRKY transcription factors, which may play a role in stress tolerance. The isoprene-induced upregulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic genes was specifically confirmed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. These results support a role for isoprene as a signaling molecule, in addition to its possible roles as an antioxidant and membrane thermoprotectant.
Project description:Here, we successfully used NO as the direct electron acceptor for the enrichment of a microbial community in a continuous bioreactor. The enrichment culture, mainly comprised of two new organisms from the Sterolibacteriaceae family, grew on NO reduction to N2 and formate oxidation, with virtually no accumulation of N2O. The microbial growth kinetics of the enrichment culture as well as its affinity for different N-oxides were determined. In parallel, using metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics, the biochemical reactions underlying the growth of these microorganisms on NO were investigated. This study demonstrates that microorganisms thrive and can be enriched on NO, and presents new opportunities to study microbial growth on this highly energetic and climate-active molecule that may have been pivotal in the evolution of aerobic respiration.
Project description:Identification of the peptides composing the enriched multisubunit enzymes natively purified from the microbial enrichment, based on gel bands obtained by native electrophoresis. The anaerobic oxidation of alkanes is a microbial process occurring in deep-sea hydrocarbon seeps that plays a key ecological role in these exotic niches. The metabolic capacity of anaerobic ethane oxidation, involving uncharted biochemistry, was reported in two archaeal species depending on sulfate-reducing partner bacteria. This study deciphers the molecular basis of the CO2-generating steps of ethanotrophy by characterising the native archaeal enzymes isolated from a thermophilic enrichment. While other microorganisms couple these steps to ferredoxin reduction, we found that the CO-dehydrogenase and the formylmethanofuran-dehydrogenase are bound to F420-reductase modules. The crystal structures of these multi-metalloenzyme complexes revealed electronic bridges coupling C1-oxidation to F420-reduction. Accordingly, both systems exhibit robust F420-reductase activities, which are not detected in methanogenic or methanotrophic relative organisms. We speculate that the whole catabolism of these archaea is reoriented towards F420-reduction, which facilitates the electron transfer to the sulfate-reducing partner, therefore representing the driving force of ethanotrophy.