Madeline Vargas

Microbiological Evidence for Fe(III) Reduction on Early Earth

It is generally considered that sulphur reduction was one of the earliest forms of microbial respiration, because the known microorganisms that are most closely related to the last common ancestor of modern life are primarily anaerobic, sulphur-reducing hyperthermophiles. However, geochemical evidence indicates that Fe(III) is more likely than sulphur to have been the first external electron acceptor of global significance in microbial metabolism. Here we show that Archaea and Bacteria that are most closely related to the last common ancestor can reduce Fe(III) to Fe(II) and conserve energy to support growth from this respiration. Surprisingly, even Thermotoga maritima, previously considered to have only a fermentative metabolism, could grow as a respiratory organism when Fe(III) was provided as an electron acceptor. These results provide microbiological evidence that Fe(III) reduction could have been an important process on early Earth and suggest that microorganisms might contribute to Fe(III) reduction in modern hot biospheres. Furthermore, our discovery that hyperthermophiles that had previously been thought to require sulphur for cultivation can instead be grown without the production of toxic and corrosive sulphide, should aid biochemical investigations of these poorly understood organisms.

Recent advances in genetic analyses of hyperthermophilic Archaea and Bacteria

Abstract Hyperthermophilic Archaea and Bacteria are an extraordinarily important class of organisms for which genetic tools remain to be developed. Unique technological obstacles to this goal are posed by the thermophilic and, in some cases, strictly anaerobic nature of these organisms. However, recent advances in the cultivation of hyperthermophiles, in the discovery of genetic elements for vector development, and in the construction of genetic markers point toward the achievement of this goal in the near future. Transformation protocols have already been reported for Sulfolobus and Pyrococcus, and plasmid-mediated conjugation was recently found in Sulfolobus. Plasmids are available for Sulfolobus, Pyrococcus, and the bacterial hyperthermophile Thermotoga, and these provide the bases for vector construction in these hosts. A Desulfurococcus mobile intron may provide a novel means to introduce genes into a variety of archaeal hosts. With full genome sequences of several hyperthermophiles available soon, genetic tools will allow full exploitation of this information to study these organisms in depth and to utilize their unique properties in biotechnological applications.

Catabolite repression in the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana is independent of cAMP

Thermotoga neapolitana is a hyperthermophilic bacterium whose phylogenetic lineage includes the most primitive of the bacterial heterotrophs. It is not known whether Thermotoga exhibits preferences for growth substrates or regulates the synthesis of degradative enzymes. We have found that T. neapolitana exhibits diauxic growth in medium containing 300 microM glucose and 1 mM lactose. We measured the activity of beta-galactosidase and beta-glucosidase in extracts prepared from cells grown on defined media and found that cells grown on 0.5% lactose, galactose or cellobiose contained beta-galactosidase specific activities of 1.19, 1.78 and 1.34 U (mg protein)-1, respectively. Cells grown on 0.5% glucose, maltose, fructose, sucrose, xylose, ribose or starch had no measurable beta-galactosidase activity. beta-Glucosidase activity was found only in cells grown on cellobiose. Cells grown on the combination of 0.5% lactose or galactose and 0.05% glucose had no detectable beta-galactosidase activity, whereas up to 0.5% glucose did not prevent expression of beta-galactosidase or beta-glucosidase activity in cells induced with 0.5% cellobiose. These activities are catalysed by separate enzymes as determined by resolution of their activities on 6% native polyacrylamide gels. Therefore, only beta-galactosidase synthesis induced by lactose is subject to catabolite repression. To determine the mechanism of catabolite repression, the levels of cAMP were measured in T. neapolitana cells grown on various defined media using an enzyme-immunoassay. The cAMP levels ranged from 44 to 280 fmol (mg protein)-1 irrespective of the carbon source used. By comparison, Escherichia coli grown on lactose contained 5.1 pmol (mg protein)-1. Like Gram-positive bacteria, T. neapolitana displays a cAMP-independent mechanism for catabolite repression and this may represent the more ancient mode of regulation.

Biofilm Formation by Clostridium ljungdahlii Is Induced by Sodium Chloride Stress: Experimental Evaluation and Transcriptome Analysis

The acetogen Clostridium ljungdahlii is capable of syngas fermentation and microbial electrosynthesis. Biofilm formation could benefit both these applications, but was not yet reported for C. ljungdahlii. Biofilm formation does not occur under standard growth conditions, but attachment or aggregation could be induced by different stresses. The strongest biofilm formation was observed with the addition of sodium chloride. After 3 days of incubation, the biomass volume attached to a plastic surface was 20 times higher with than without the addition of 200 mM NaCl to the medium. The addition of NaCl also resulted in biofilm formation on glass, graphite and glassy carbon, the latter two being often used electrode materials for microbial electrosynthesis. Biofilms were composed of extracellular proteins, polysaccharides, as well as DNA, while pilus-like appendages were observed with, but not without, the addition of NaCl. A transcriptome analysis comparing planktonic (no NaCl) and biofilm (NaCl addition) cells showed that C. ljungdahlii coped with the salt stress by the upregulation of the general stress response, Na+ export and osmoprotectant accumulation. A potential role for poly-N-acetylglucosamines and D-alanine in biofilm formation was found. Flagellar motility was downregulated, while putative type IV pili biosynthesis genes were not expressed. Moreover, the gene expression analysis suggested the involvement of the transcriptional regulators LexA, Spo0A and CcpA in stress response and biofilm formation. This study showed that NaCl addition might be a valuable strategy to induce biofilm formation by C. ljungdahlii, which can improve the efficacy of syngas fermentation and microbial electrosynthesis applications.

Isolation of auxotrophic and antimetabolite-resistant mutants of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana

Antimetabolite-resistant and auxotrophic mutants of the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana were isolated to provide strains with genetic backgrounds amenable to genetic analyses. Norleucine, azaleucine, 4-nitropyridine-N-oxide, and 3-amino-1, 2, 4-triazole did not affect growth, while 5-fluorouracil (5 μg/ml), 5-methyltryptophan (250μg/ml), 6-azauracil (100 μg/ml), and 4-fluorophenylalanine (30 μg/ml) inhibited growth at the indicated minimum inhibitory concentrations. The effect of 5-fluorouracil was analyzed and found to be bacteriostatic. These inhibitors were used to select spontaneously arising resistant mutants. In addition, auxotrophic mutants requiring leucine, tryptophan, adenine, and histidine were isolated following mutagenesis with ethyl methanesulfonate. Six other auxotrophs with undefined growth requirements were also isolated. These strains will be useful for the development of genetic methods for T. neapolitana.