Project description:Quorum Quenching of Nitrobacter winogradskyi Suggests that Quorum Sensing Regulates Fluxes of Nitrogen Oxide(s) during Nitrification.
Project description:N.europaea and N. winogradskyi were grown singly and in co-culture in chemostat to probe for transcriptome diffrences between the two growth conditions.
Project description:N.europaea and N. winogradskyi were grown singly and in co-culture in chemostat to probe for transcriptome diffrences between the two growth conditions. The comparison was done in chemostats. Single cultures maintained with 60 mM ammonium or nitrate, as appropiate, were compared to co-culture maintained with 60 mM ammonium.
Project description:Quorum sensing (QS) is a widespread process in bacteria used to coordinate gene expression with cell density, diffusion dynamics, and spatial distribution through the production of diffusible chemical signals. To date, most studies on QS have focused on model bacteria that are amenable to genetic manipulation and capable of high growth rates, but many environmentally important bacteria have been overlooked. For example, representatives of proteobacteria that participate in nitrification, the aerobic oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite, produce QS signals called acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs). Nitrification emits nitrogen oxide gases (NO, NO2, and N2O), which are potentially hazardous compounds that contribute to global warming. Despite considerable interest in nitrification, the purpose of QS in the physiology/ecology of nitrifying bacteria is poorly understood. Through a quorum quenching approach, we investigated the role of QS in a well-studied AHL-producing nitrite oxidizer, Nitrobacter winogradskyi.We added a recombinant AiiA lactonase to N. winogradskyi cultures to degrade AHLs to prevent their accumulation and to induce a QS-negative phenotype and then used mRNA sequencing (mRNA-Seq) to identify putative QS-controlled genes. Our transcriptome analysis showed that expression of nirK and nirK cluster genes (ncgABC) increased up to 19.9-fold under QS-proficient conditions (minus active lactonase). These data led to us to query if QS influenced nitrogen oxide gas fluxes in N. winogradskyi. Production and consumption of NOx increased and production of N2O decreased under QS-proficient conditions. Quorum quenching transcriptome approaches have broad potential to identify QS-controlled genes and phenotypes in organisms that are not genetically tractable.
Project description:The alphaproteobacterium Nitrobacter winogradskyi (ATCC 25391) is a gram-negative facultative chemolithoautotroph capable of extracting energy from the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate. Sequencing and analysis of its genome revealed a single circular chromosome of 3,402,093 bp encoding 3,143 predicted proteins. There were extensive similarities to genes in two alphaproteobacteria, Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA110 (1,300 genes) and Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 CG (815 genes). Genes encoding pathways for known modes of chemolithotrophic and chemoorganotrophic growth were identified. Genes encoding multiple enzymes involved in anapleurotic reactions centered on C2 to C4 metabolism, including a glyoxylate bypass, were annotated. The inability of N. winogradskyi to grow on C6 molecules is consistent with the genome sequence, which lacks genes for complete Embden-Meyerhof and Entner-Doudoroff pathways, and active uptake of sugars. Two gene copies of the nitrite oxidoreductase, type I ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, cytochrome c oxidase, and gene homologs encoding an aerobic-type carbon monoxide dehydrogenase were present. Similarity of nitrite oxidoreductases to respiratory nitrate reductases was confirmed. Approximately 10% of the N. winogradskyi genome codes for genes involved in transport and secretion, including the presence of transporters for various organic-nitrogen molecules. The N. winogradskyi genome provides new insight into the phylogenetic identity and physiological capabilities of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. The genome will serve as a model to study the cellular and molecular processes that control nitrite oxidation and its interaction with other nitrogen-cycling processes.