Project description:Hydrothermal chimney microbial communities from Main Endeavour vent field at the Juan de Fuca Ridge, Pacific Ocean - Hulk metagenome
Project description:<p>Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are unique ecosystems that may release chemically distinct dissolved organic matter to the deep ocean. Here, we describe the composition and concentrations of polar dissolved organic compounds observed in low and high temperature hydrothermal vent fluids at 9°50′N on the East Pacific Rise. The concentration of dissolved organic carbon was 46 µM in the low temperature hydrothermal fluids and 14 µM in the high temperature hydrothermal fluids. In the low temperature vent fluids, quantifiable dissolved organic compounds were dominated by water-soluble vitamins and amino acids. Derivatives of benzoic acid and the organic sulfur compound 2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate (DHPS) were also present in low and high temperature hydrothermal fluids. The low temperature vent fluids contain organic compounds that are central to biological processes, suggesting that they are a by-product of biological activity in the subseafloor. These compounds may fuel heterotrophic and other metabolic processes at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and beyond.</p>
Project description:Iron-sulfur minerals such as pyrite are found in many marine benthic habitats. At deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites they occur as massive sulfide chimneys. Hydrothermal chimneys formed by mineral precipitation from reduced vent fluids upon mixing with cold oxygenated sea water. While microorganisms inhabiting actively venting chimneys and utilizing reduced compounds dissolved in the fluids for energy generation are well studied, only little is known about the microorganisms inhabiting inactive sulfide chimneys. We performed a comprehensive meta-proteogenomic analysis combined with radiometric dating to investigate the diversity and function of microbial communities found on inactive sulfide chimneys of different ages from the Manus Basin (SW Pacific). Our study sheds light on potential lifestyles and ecological niches of yet poorly described bacterial clades dominating inactive chimney communities.
Project description:a salmonid microarray was used to characterize environmentally-regulated shifts in gene expression between ocean and river habitats in gill and liver tissues of wild migrating adult Pacific sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). To correlate gene expression with survival, non-lethal biopsy sampling of gill tissue and microarray-based profiling was combined with biotelemetry and genetic stock identification so that transcriptomic profiles could be compared between fish reaching spawning grounds and presumed mortalities. Fish were captured fish at two marine sampling sites, one within Johnstone Strait (JS), BC. Canada and one within Juan De Fuca Strait (JDFS), BC Canada. Ocean sites were contrasted to fish sampled within the Fraser River at Whonnock (W), BC, Canada. Gill and liver tissues were dissected at each of these sites. Non-lethal biopsy sampling was performed on migrating sockeye salmon intercepted within the Fraser River at Mission, BC, Canada and genetically-based stock ID was used to determine the stock-specific spawning grounds for each fish, giving an intended end-point of migration for each of the stocks investigated in this study.Gene expression levels were determined by comparing the amount of mRNA transcript in the experimental samples relative to a reference sample. A total of 123 microarrays were used to generate the dataset, corresponding to individual hybridizations of both gill and liver samples collected from JS (gill n=14; liver n=15), JDFS (gill n=15; liver n=13), W (gill n=11; liver n=10), and biopsy sampled gill tissue collected at Mission (n=45).Total RNA was amplified (1 round) with MessageAmpTMII-96 kit (Ambion, TX, USA), and reverse transcribed to cDNA before labelling with ALEXA dyes using the Invitrogen Indirect Labelling Kit. The reference contained the combined aRNA of all individuals used in the experiment, excluding bioposy sampled fish. Individual samples were labelled with Alexa 555 and the reference control with Alexa 647, and no dye swaps were perfromed.