Project description:Gene expression microarrays were performed to investigate the molecular effects of exposure to environmental polluted groundwater. Zebrafish was treated with polluted waters collected from dumps located upstream and downstream a sanitary landfills. Gene expression profiling of zebrafish liver was analyzed after acute exposure to sampled waters.
Project description:Gene expression microarrays were performed to investigate the molecular effects of exposure to environmental polluted groundwater. Mice were treated with polluted waters collected from dumps located upstream and downstream a sanitary landfills. Gene expression profiling of mouse liver was analyzed after acute and chronic exposure to sampled waters.
Project description:Crude oil is the one of the most important natural assets of humankind, yet it is a major environmental pollutant, in particular, in marine environments. One of the largest crude oil polluted areas in the word is the semi-enclosed Mediterranean Sea, where the metabolic potential of indigenous populations towards the chronic pollution at a large scale is yet to be defined, particularly in anaerobic and micro-anaerobic marine sites. Here, we provided a novel insight into the active microbial metabolism in sediments from three environments along the coastline of Italy. Microbial proteomes exhibited prevalence in anaerobic metabolism, not related to the biodegradation directly, suggesting the strong limitation by oxygen induced by the carbon overload. They also point at previously unrecognized metabolic coupling between methane and methanol utilizers as well as sulfur reducers in marine petroleum polluted sediments.
Project description:The experiment was designed to test the interactions of Spartina alterniflora, its microbiome, and the interaction of the plant-microbe relationship with oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH). Total RNA was extracted from leaf and root microbiome of S. alterniflora in soils that were oiled in DWH oil spill with or without added oil, as well as those grown in unoiled soil with or without added oil. The work in its entirety characterizes the transport, fate and catabolic activities of bacterial communities in petroleum-polluted soils and within plant tissues.
Project description:Petroleum hydrocarbons are recalcitrant contaminants, which has caused most serious environmental problems. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Aca13 was isolated from petroleum polluted soil for petroleum biodegradation. Hexadecane and naphthalene were used to incubate with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Aca13. After incubation, the whole transcriptome was obtained from treated groups and control groups, and then used for RNA sequence and analysis. Obtained data in this project will help us understand the biodegradation mechanism of hexadecane and naphthalene, and will be helpful for the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons.
Project description:Neosartorya fischeri is a fungi that is able to grow in petroleum asphaltenes as sole carbon source. Here, was investigated which enzymes were up regulated
Project description:Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) have revealed the existence of novel bacterial and archaeal groups and provided insight into their genetic potential. However, metagenomics and even metatranscriptomics cannot resolve how the genetic potential translates into metabolic functions and physiological activity. Here, we present a novel approach for the quantitative and organism-specific assessment of the carbon flux through microbial communities with stable isotope probing-metaproteomics and integration of temporal dynamics in 13C incorporation by Stable Isotope Cluster Analysis (SIsCA). We used groundwater microcosms labeled with 13CO2 and D2O as model systems and stimulated them with reduced sulfur compounds to determine the ecosystem role of chemolithoautotrophic primary production. Raman microspectroscopy detected rapid deuterium incorporation in microbial cells from 12 days onwards, indicating activity of the groundwater organisms. SIsCA revealed that groundwater microorganisms fell into five distinct carbon assimilation strategies. Only one of these strategies, comprising less than 3.5% of the community, consisted of obligate autotrophs (Thiobacillus), with a 13C incorporation of approximately 95%. Instead, mixotrophic growth was the most successful strategy, and was represented by 12 of the 15 MAGs expressing pathways for autotrophic CO2 fixation, including Hydrogenophaga, Polaromonas and Dechloromonas, with varying 13C incorporation between 5% and 90%. Within 21 days, 43% of carbon in the community was replaced by 13C, increasing to 80% after 70 days. Of the 31 most abundant MAGs, 16 expressed pathways for sulfur oxidation, including strict heterotrophs. We concluded that chemolithoautotrophy drives the recycling of organic carbon and serves as a fill-up function in the groundwater. Mixotrophs preferred the uptake of organic carbon over the fixation of CO2, and heterotrophs oxidize inorganic compounds to preserve organic carbon. Our study showcases how next-generation physiology approach like SIsCA can move beyond metagenomics studies by providing information about expression of metabolic pathways and elucidating the role of MAGs in ecosystem functioning.