DOCSLIB.ORG

Interactions Between the Human Pathogen Vibrio Parahaemolyticus and Common Marine Microalgae

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Interactions Between the Human Pathogen Vibrio Parahaemolyticus and Common Marine Microalgae Current Trends in Microbiology Vol. 12, 2018 Interactions between the human pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus and common marine microalgae Savannah L. Klein, Katherine E. Haney, Thomas M. Hornaday, India B. Gartmon and Charles R. Lovell* Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, 29208, USA. ABSTRACT KEYWORDS: Vibrio parahaemolyticus, tdh, trh, T3SS2, T6SS, microalgae. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a gastrointestinal pathogen that is abundant in coastal marine environments. Elevated numbers of V. parahaemolyticus cells INTRODUCTION have been correlated with marine microalgae Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a common organism in blooms, particularly blooms of diatoms and coastal environments, is a significant and sometimes dinoflagellates, but the nature of the relationship pandemic human pathogen responsible for an between V. parahaemolyticus and microalgae is estimated 34,000 cases of seafood-associated unknown. We performed in vitro assays using 27 gastroenteritis per year in the United States [1]. Most environmental V. parahaemolyticus strains and cases of V. parahaemolyticus-induced gastroenteritis various phototrophs; a diatom, a dinoflagellate, are self-limiting and relatively mild, but infections unarmored and armored forms of a coccolithophore, can be deadly in immunocompromised individuals. and two species of cyanobacteria. The V. The common mode of transmission of this parahaemolyticus strains we employed contained bacterium to the human host is ingestion of raw or different combinations of virulence-correlated genes, undercooked shellfish, primarily oysters. In addition, the hemolysin genes tdh and trh, the Type III some strains of V. parahaemolyticus can infect Secretion System 2 (T3SS2) marker gene vscC2, wounds and some produce systemic infections, and the Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) marker while others are apparently non-pathogenic. gene vipA1. We determined that all V. Elevated densities of V. parahaemolyticus most parahaemolyticus strains, even strains in which no often occur during the warm months and at warm virulence factor genes were detected, were able to locations [2, 3] but recently large vibriosis outbreaks cause decreases in diatom, dinoflagellate, and have occurred at locations not considered typical unarmored coccolithophore biomass in vitro. for this organism [4, 5]. No correlation between content of any virulence V. parahaemolyticus not only persists but can gene and damage to microalgae was apparent. increase in population size very rapidly in coastal We hypothesize that marine microalgae represent marine environments [3, 6, 7]. It is not understood a reservoir of nutrients that the copiotroph how this copiotrophic organism acquires carbon V. parahaemolyticus can utilize in salt marsh and other nutrients in coastal marine ecosystems environments, which are often poor in labile carbon where levels of utilizable soluble (labile) carbon and energy sources. This helps to explain the and energy sources are typically quite low [8-10]. recent correlations between V. parahaemolyticus Even considering the known catabolic versatility and microalgae blooms in such environments. of this species [3], rapid growth opportunities in many coastal ecosystems would seem infrequent *Corresponding author: [email protected] at best. The abundance of V. parahaemolyticus as Savannah L. Klein et al. free-living cells in water is typically low (< 2,000 2011 as described previously [27]. The North cells per liter) [6], but this organism can be very Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research abundant in surficial sediment and in infaunal Reserve protects the third largest watershed on the burrows [3, 6]. V. parahaemolyticus also occurs at east coast of the United States; and North Inlet is higher levels in shellfish [2, 7, 11], and in a bar built oligotrophic salt marsh where human association with algal blooms [12-16]. Thus, impact is negligible [28, 29]. Samples were diluted significant reservoirs exist even when no outbreak and plated directly onto Thiosulfate Citrate Bile is underway [17]. The population expansion of Salts Sucrose agar (TCBS) (BD, NJ). The V. parahaemolyticus that predicates an outbreak presumptive identification of all V. parahaemolyticus may be supported by means other than the typically strains used in this study was confirmed by recA low abundance, and largely refractory, dissolved sequence analysis [27] using the PCR primers and organic carbon pool found in relatively low protocols of Thompson et al. [30]. human impact coastal marine systems. Virulence gene PCR screening Potential for a V. parahaemolyticus outbreak has often been predicted on the basis of local temperature, Two virulence-related hemolysin genes, tdh and trh, have been correlated with pathogenesis in salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll a concentrations V. parahaemolyticus, and these hemolysin genes are [18-20]. In addition, some correlations between V. parahaemolyticus densities and certain algal taxa, frequently used as molecular markers for strain specifically diatoms and dinoflagellates [12, 21, 22], virulence [27, 31]. Additional virulence factors, have been reported and elevated levels of specifically secretion systems, have been discovered with recent sequencing of V. parahaemolyticus V. parahaemolyticus can occur during dinoflagellate genomes [32-34]. The Type III Secretion System and diatom blooms [13, 14]. The interaction between microalgae and V. parahaemolyticus could be (T3SS2) has also been implicated in V. commensalistic, based on soluble exudates released parahaemolyticus virulence [32] and the outer from algal cells lysed by viruses [23, 24], inefficient membrane protein gene, vscC2 is a useful marker for this structure [35, 36]. grazing by zooplankton [25, 26], or from undamaged The Type VI Secretion System (T6SS) has also algal cells. Or, perhaps, the microalgae themselves serve as supplemental carbon sources that been detected in some V. parahaemolyticus isolates V. parahaemolyticus can utilize. [37]. This secretion system has not been implicated We examined the ability of V. parahaemolyticus in the pathogenicity of V. parahaemolyticus to to cause damage to healthy phototrophs. Chlorophyll humans, but T6SS producing V. parahaemolyticus strains have been shown to cause damage to other a served as an indicator of phototroph biomass. prokaryotes in vitro when incubated on a surface Six phototrophs, including three species of microalgae and two species of cyanobacteria were incubated [37]. Its impacts on eukaryotic microalgae are with several strains of V. parahaemolyticus. The presently unknown. Strains were screened for the phototrophs employed are abundant in marine T6SS marker gene vipA1 using the PCR primers environments and present a variety of cell wall and protocols of Salomon et al. [37]. surface structures and properties, providing insight V. parahaemolyticus strains were grown overnight into associations between susceptibility of the at 37 ºC in Saline Luria-Bertani Broth (SLB; per L microalgae to V. parahaemolyticus predation and 27 g NaCl, 10 g Tryptone, 5 g Yeast Extract) and cell wall features. boiled extracts (15 min at 95-100 ºC) were prepared. All PCR reactions were completed within three MATERIALS AND METHODS days of DNA extraction and 1 μl of boiled DNA extract was used per reaction. PCR products were V. parahaemolyticus strain isolation and resolved on a 1.5% agarose gel and sequenced using characterization an ABI Prism 3730 DNA analyzer to confirm V. parahaemolyticus strains were isolated from the gene identity. Sequences were analyzed using the pristine North Inlet estuary near Georgetown, SC, Kimura 2 parameter model with Mega version 7 USA (33°20’N, 79°12’W) in August and September [38]. Sequence data obtained from this work were Vibrio parahaemolyticus interactions with phototrophs submitted to the NCBI GenBank and assigned the final and initial time points was determined by the accession numbers KX171447- KX171449. formula: ((Tfinal – Tinitial) / (Tinitial)) x 100. Before and after incubation, aliquots were observed under a Cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria Nikon Eclipse TS100 microscope to determine the Phototroph cultures were obtained from the Bigelow effect of V. parahaemolyticus clinical strains ATCC National Center for Marine Algae and Microbiota 17802T, ATCC 33846, and environmental strain (Bigelow Center, East Boothbay, ME). Three species 5-10-J5-4 on unarmored E. huxleyi. Microalgal cell of eukaryotic microalgae were used in this project, counts were performed using a hemocytometer after the diatom Thallasiosira pseudonana (CCMP 1335), the 24-h co-incubation. the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum (CCMP Each V. parahaemolyticus strain was tested in 12 695), and two strains of the coccolithophore, wells per 96 well plate. For true replication, each Emiliania huxleyi (CCMP 371 and CCMP 373). 96 well plate was repeated three times. Controls T. pseudonana and P. minimum are common in included replicates of phototrophs in appropriate North Inlet and E. huxleyi CCMP 371 is a coccolith- media and replicates of phototrophs in artificial producing (armored) form that causes extensive seawater (with no V. parahaemolyticus added), blooms. E. huxleyi CCMP 373 is an unarmored against which experimental replicates were compared. mutant phenotype. Two species of cyanobacteria Vibrio pacinii, an avirulent Vibrio [43], was used were also used, Prochlorococcus marinus (CCMP as a non-V. parahaemolyticus, heterotrophic bacterial 1986) and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Genomics 98 (2011) 370–375
    Genomics 98 (2011) 370–375 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Genomics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ygeno Whole-genome comparison clarifies close phylogenetic relationships between the phyla Dictyoglomi and Thermotogae Hiromi Nishida a,⁎, Teruhiko Beppu b, Kenji Ueda b a Agricultural Bioinformatics Research Unit, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan b Life Science Research Center, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan article info abstract Article history: The anaerobic thermophilic bacterial genus Dictyoglomus is characterized by the ability to produce useful Received 2 June 2011 enzymes such as amylase, mannanase, and xylanase. Despite the significance, the phylogenetic position of Accepted 1 August 2011 Dictyoglomus has not yet been clarified, since it exhibits ambiguous phylogenetic positions in a single gene Available online 7 August 2011 sequence comparison-based analysis. The number of substitutions at the diverging point of Dictyoglomus is insufficient to show the relationships in a single gene comparison-based analysis. Hence, we studied its Keywords: evolutionary trait based on whole-genome comparison. Both gene content and orthologous protein sequence Whole-genome comparison Dictyoglomus comparisons indicated that Dictyoglomus is most closely related to the phylum Thermotogae and it forms a Bacterial systematics monophyletic group with Coprothermobacter proteolyticus (a constituent of the phylum Firmicutes) and Coprothermobacter proteolyticus Thermotogae. Our findings indicate that C. proteolyticus does not belong to the phylum Firmicutes and that the Thermotogae phylum Dictyoglomi is not closely related to either the phylum Firmicutes or Synergistetes but to the phylum Thermotogae. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Vibrio Species in an Urban Tropical Estuary: Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Interaction with Environmental Parameters, and Possible Public Health Outcomes
    microorganisms Article Vibrio Species in an Urban Tropical Estuary: Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Interaction with Environmental Parameters, and Possible Public Health Outcomes Anna L. B. Canellas 1 , Isabelle R. Lopes 1 , Marianne P. Mello 2, Rodolfo Paranhos 2, Bruno F. R. de Oliveira 1 and Marinella S. Laport 1,* 1 Laboratório de Bacteriologia Molecular e Marinha, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941902, Brazil; [email protected] (A.L.B.C.); [email protected] (I.R.L.); [email protected] (B.F.R.d.O.) 2 Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941617, Brazil; [email protected] (M.P.M.); [email protected] (R.P.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: The genus Vibrio comprises pathogens ubiquitous to marine environments. This study evaluated the cultivable Vibrio community in the Guanabara Bay (GB), a recreational, yet heavily polluted estuary in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Over one year, 66 water samples from three locations along a pollution gradient were investigated. Isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, revealing 20 Vibrio species, including several potential pathogens. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing confirmed resistance to aminoglycosides, beta-lactams (including carbapenems and third-generation cephalosporins), fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines. Four strains were producers Citation: Canellas, A.L.B.; Lopes, of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), all of which carried beta-lactam and heavy metal I.R.; Mello, M.P.; Paranhos, R.; de resistance genes. The toxR gene was detected in all V. parahaemolyticus strains, although none carried Oliveira, B.F.R.; Laport, M.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Genomic Signatures of Predatory Bacteria
    The ISME Journal (2013) 7, 756–769 & 2013 International Society for Microbial Ecology All rights reserved 1751-7362/13 www.nature.com/ismej ORIGINAL ARTICLE By their genes ye shall know them: genomic signatures of predatory bacteria Zohar Pasternak1, Shmuel Pietrokovski2, Or Rotem1, Uri Gophna3, Mor N Lurie-Weinberger3 and Edouard Jurkevitch1 1Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel; 2Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel and 3Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Predatory bacteria are taxonomically disparate, exhibit diverse predatory strategies and are widely distributed in varied environments. To date, their predatory phenotypes cannot be discerned in genome sequence data thereby limiting our understanding of bacterial predation, and of its impact in nature. Here, we define the ‘predatome,’ that is, sets of protein families that reflect the phenotypes of predatory bacteria. The proteomes of all sequenced 11 predatory bacteria, including two de novo sequenced genomes, and 19 non-predatory bacteria from across the phylogenetic and ecological landscapes were compared. Protein families discriminating between the two groups were identified and quantified, demonstrating that differences in the proteomes of predatory and non-predatory bacteria are large and significant. This analysis allows predictions to be made, as we show by confirming from genome data an over-looked bacterial predator. The predatome exhibits deficiencies in riboflavin and amino acids biosynthesis, suggesting that predators obtain them from their prey. In contrast, these genomes are highly enriched in adhesins, proteases and particular metabolic proteins, used for binding to, processing and consuming prey, respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • BACTERIAL and PHAGE INTERACTIONS INFLUENCING Vibrio Parahaemolyticus ECOLOGY
    University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Master's Theses and Capstones Student Scholarship Spring 2016 BACTERIAL AND PHAGE INTERACTIONS INFLUENCING Vibrio parahaemolyticus ECOLOGY Ashley L. Marcinkiewicz University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Marcinkiewicz, Ashley L., "BACTERIAL AND PHAGE INTERACTIONS INFLUENCING Vibrio parahaemolyticus ECOLOGY" (2016). Master's Theses and Capstones. 852. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/852 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Capstones by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BACTERIAL AND PHAGE INTERACTIONS INFLUENCING Vibrio parahaemolyticus ECOLOGY BY ASHLEY MARCINKIEWICZ Bachelor of Arts, Wells College, 2011 THESIS Submitted to the University of New Hampshire In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Microbiology May, 2016 This thesis has been examined and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Microbiology by: Thesis Director, Cheryl A. Whistler Associate Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences Stephen H. Jones Research Associate Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment Jeffrey T. Foster Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences On April 15th, 2016 Original approved signatures are on file with the University of New Hampshire Graduate School. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………... vi LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………… vii LIST OF FIGURES…….………………………………………………………….. viii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • S41598-020-68891-6.Pdf
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Structure and co‑occurrence patterns of bacterial communities associated with white faeces disease outbreaks in Pacifc white‑leg shrimp Penaeus vannamei aquaculture Yustian Rovi Alfansah1,2,3*, Sonja Peters1, Jens Harder4, Christiane Hassenrück1,7 & Astrid Gärdes1,5,6,7 Bacterial diseases cause production failures in shrimp aquacultures. To understand environmental conditions and bacterial community dynamics contributing to white faeces disease (WFD) events, we analysed water quality and compared bacterial communities in water as well as in intestines and faeces of healthy and diseased shrimps, respectively, via 16S rRNA gene sequencing and qPCR of transmembrane regulatory protein (toxR), thermolabile haemolysin (tlh), and thermostable direct haemolysin genes of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus as a proxy for virulence. WFD occurred when pH decreased to 7.71–7.84, and Alteromonas, Pseudoalteromonas and Vibrio dominated the aquatic bacterial communities. The disease severity further correlated with increased proportions of Alteromonas, Photobacterium, Pseudoalteromonas and Vibrio in shrimp faeces. These opportunistic pathogenic bacteria constituted up to 60% and 80% of the sequences in samples from the early and advances stages of the disease outbreak, respectively, and exhibited a high degree of co-occurrence. Furthermore, toxR and tlh were detected in water at the disease event only. Notably, bacterial community resilience in water occurred when pH was adjusted to 8. Then WFD ceased without a mortality event. In conclusion, pH was a reliable indicator of the WFD outbreak risk. Dissolved oxygen and compositions of water and intestinal bacteria may also serve as indicators for better prevention of WFD events. Bacterial diseases are a major problem for Penaeus vannamei pond aquaculture in Asia and Latin America.
    [Show full text]
  • Luxr Solos in Photorhabdus Species
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE published: 18 November 2014 CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00166 LuxR solos in Photorhabdus species Sophie Brameyer 1, Darko Kresovic 2, Helge B. Bode 2* and Ralf Heermann 1* 1 Bereich Mikrobiologie, Biozentrum, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany 2 Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Merck Stiftungsprofessur für Molekulare Biotechnologie, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Edited by: Bacteria communicate via small diffusible molecules to mediate group-coordinated Vittorio Venturi, International Centre behavior, a process designated as quorum sensing. The basic molecular quorum sensing for Genetic Engineering and system of Gram-negative bacteria consists of a LuxI-type autoinducer synthase producing Biotechnology, Italy acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as signaling molecules, and a LuxR-type receptor Reviewed by: Brian Ahmer, The Ohio State detecting the AHLs to control expression of specific genes. However, many proteobacteria University, USA possess one or more unpaired LuxR-type receptors that lack a cognate LuxI-like synthase, Eric Déziel, Institut National de la referred to as LuxR solos. The enteric and insect pathogenic bacteria of the genus Recherche Scientifique, Canada Photorhabdus harbor an extraordinarily high number of LuxR solos, more than any other *Correspondence: known bacteria, and all lack a LuxI-like synthase. Here, we focus on the presence Helge B. Bode, Fachbereich Biowissenschaften, Merck and the different types of LuxR solos in the three known Photorhabdus species Stiftungsprofessur für Molekulare using bioinformatics analyses. Generally, the N-terminal signal-binding domain (SBD) of Biotechnologie, Goethe-Universität LuxR-type receptors sensing AHLs have a motif of six conserved amino acids that is Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str.
    [Show full text]
  • Enterovibrio, Grimontia (Grimontia Hollisae, Formerly Vibrio Hollisae), Listonella, Photobacterium (Photobacterium Damselae
    VIBRIOSIS (Non-Cholera Vibrio spp) Genera in the family Vibrionaceae currently include: Aliivibrio, Allomonas, Catenococcus, Enterovibrio, Grimontia (Grimontia hollisae, formerly Vibrio hollisae), Listonella, Photobacterium (Photobacterium damselae, formerly Vibrio damselae), Salinivibrio, and Vibrio species including V. cholerae non-O1/non-O139, V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, V. fluvialis, V. furnissii, and V. mimicus alginolyticus and V. metschnikovi. (Not all of these have been recognized to cause human illness.) REPORTING INFORMATION • Class B2: Report by the end of the business week in which the case or suspected case presents and/or a positive laboratory result to the local public health department where the patient resides. If patient residence is unknown, report to the local public health department in which the reporting health care provider or laboratory is located. • Reporting Form(s) and/or Mechanism: Ohio Confidential Reportable Disease form (HEA 3334, rev. 1/09), Positive Laboratory Findings for Reportable Disease form (HEA 3333, rev. 8/05), the local health department via the Ohio Disease Reporting System (ODRS) or telephone. • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requests that states collect information on the Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance Report (52.79 E revised 08/2007) (COVIS), available at http://www.cdc.gov/nationalsurveillance/PDFs/CDC5279_COVISvibriosis.pdf. Reporting sites should use the COVIS reporting form to assist in local disease investigation and traceback activities. Information collected from the form should be entered into ODRS and sent to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). • Additional reporting information, with specifics regarding the key fields for ODRS Reporting can be located in Section 7. AGENTS Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Vibrio cholerae non-O1 (does not agglutinate in O group-1 sera), strains other than O139; Vibrio vulnificus and Photobacterium damselae (formerly Vibrio damselae) and Grimontia hollisae (formerly Vibrio hollisae), V.
    [Show full text]
  • (COVIS) Overview
    National Enteric Disease Surveillance: Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance (COVIS) Surveillance System Overview: Cholera and Other Vibrio Illness Surveillance (COVIS) Background on infection with species from the family Vibrionaceae Infection with pathogenic species of the family Vibrionaceae can cause two distinct categories of infection: cholera and vibriosis, both of which are nationally notifiable. Cholera is, by definition, caused by infection with toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 or O139 and was first reported in the United States in 1832. Infection is characterized by acute, watery diarrhea. An average of 5-10 cases of cholera are reported annually in the United States; most are acquired during international travel, however, on average 1-2 per year are domestically acquired. An increase in the number of cholera cases reported in the United States has occurred when there are cholera outbreaks in the Western Hemisphere, such as Latin America in the 1990s and Haiti in 2010, with almost all attributable to exposures during international travel. CDC annually reports to the World Health Organization all confirmed cholera cases diagnosed in the United States. Vibriosis is caused by infection with any species of the family Vibrionaceae (excluding toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139), with an estimated 80,000 cases and 300 deaths annually in the United States (1). The most common clinical manifestations are watery diarrhea, primary septicemia, wound infection, and otitis externa. Risk factors for illness include consumption of shellfish,
    [Show full text]
  • Investigating the Interactions Between Cyanobacteria and Vibrio Parahaemolyticus
    University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Honors Theses and Capstones Student Scholarship Spring 2014 Investigating the Interactions Between Cyanobacteria and Vibrio parahaemolyticus Caroline E. Ward University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/honors Part of the Biology Commons, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Genetics Commons, and the Pathogenic Microbiology Commons Recommended Citation Ward, Caroline E., "Investigating the Interactions Between Cyanobacteria and Vibrio parahaemolyticus" (2014). Honors Theses and Capstones. 168. https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/168 This Senior Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses and Capstones by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Investigating the Interactions Between Cyanobacteria and Vibrio parahaemolyticus B. S. Thesis, Department of Biomedical Sciences University of New Hampshire Caroline E. Ward One well-known pathogen that has been the topic of many recent studies is Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which causes thousands of foodborne illnesses a year, mostly from the ingestion of raw or undercooked oysters. It has been shown cyanobacteria can act as a long-term reservoir of Vibrio cholerae, another pathogenic Vibrio, by encasing the cells within mucilaginous sheaths during which Vibrios enter a viable but non-culturable state. In this study we investigated the interaction of V. parahaemolyticus with cyanobacteria to determine whether cyanobacteria aid in the longevity and survival of V.
    [Show full text]
  • Pathogenic Vibrio Species Are Associated with Distinct Environmental Niches and Planktonic Taxa in Southern California (USA) Aquatic Microbiomes
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Pathogenic Vibrio Species Are Associated with Distinct Environmental Niches and Planktonic Taxa in Southern California (USA) Aquatic Microbiomes Rachel E. Diner,a,b,c Drishti Kaul,c Ariel Rabines,a,c Hong Zheng,c Joshua A. Steele,d John F. Griffith,d Andrew E. Allena,c aScripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA bDepartment of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA cMicrobial and Environmental Genomics Group, J. Craig Venter Institute, La Jolla, California, USA dSouthern California Coastal Water Research Project, Costa Mesa, California, USA ABSTRACT Interactions between vibrio bacteria and the planktonic community impact marine ecology and human health. Many coastal Vibrio spp. can infect humans, represent- ing a growing threat linked to increasing seawater temperatures. Interactions with eukaryo- tic organisms may provide attachment substrate and critical nutrients that facilitate the per- sistence, diversification, and spread of pathogenic Vibrio spp. However, vibrio interactions with planktonic organisms in an environmental context are poorly understood. We quanti- fied the pathogenic Vibrio species V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus,andV. vulnificus monthly for 1 year at five sites and observed high abundances, particularly during summer months, with species-specific temperature and salinity distributions. Using metabarcoding, we estab- lished a detailed profile of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic coastal microbial communities. We found that pathogenic Vibrio species were frequently associated with distinct eukaryo- tic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), including diatoms and copepods. Shared environ- mental conditions, such as high temperatures and low salinities, were associated with both high concentrations of pathogenic vibrios and potential environmental reservoirs, which may influence vibrio infection risks linked to climate change and should be incorporated into predictive ecological models and experimental laboratory systems.
    [Show full text]
  • Differential RNA-Seq of Vibrio Cholerae Identifies the Vqmr Small RNA As a Regulator of Biofilm Formation
    Differential RNA-seq of Vibrio cholerae identifies the VqmR small RNA as a regulator of biofilm formation Kai Papenforta, Konrad U. Förstnerb, Jian-Ping Conga, Cynthia M. Sharmab, and Bonnie L. Basslera,c,1 aDepartment of Molecular Biology and cHoward Hughes Medical Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544; and bResearch Center for Infectious Diseases (ZINF), University of Würzburg, D-97080 Würzburg, Germany Contributed by Bonnie L. Bassler, January 6, 2015 (sent for review October 30, 2014; reviewed by Brian K. Hammer) Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of cell-to-cell communication ther diversified the possible uses of RNA-seq. One such that enables bacteria to transition between individual and collec- technology is called differential RNA sequencing (dRNA-seq), tive lifestyles. QS controls virulence and biofilm formation in Vib- in which enrichment of primary transcript termini can be com- rio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera disease. Differential bined with strand-specific generation of cDNA libraries to ach- V. cholerae RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of wild-type and a locked ieve genome-wide identification of transcriptional start sites low-cell-density QS-mutant strain identified 7,240 transcriptional (TSSs) (10). ∼ start sites with 47% initiated in the antisense direction. A total of In this study, we applied dRNA-seq to the study of QS in 107 of the transcripts do not appear to encode proteins, suggest- V. cholerae. We performed dRNA-seq on wild-type V. cholerae ing they specify regulatory RNAs. We focused on one such tran- under conditions of low and high cell density. We performed script that we name VqmR.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogenetically Conserved Resource Partitioning in the Coastal Microbial Loop
    OPEN The ISME Journal (2017) 11, 2781–2792 www.nature.com/ismej ORIGINAL ARTICLE Phylogenetically conserved resource partitioning in the coastal microbial loop Samuel Bryson1, Zhou Li2,3, Francisco Chavez4, Peter K Weber5, Jennifer Pett-Ridge5, Robert L Hettich2,3, Chongle Pan2,3, Xavier Mayali5 and Ryan S Mueller1 1Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA; 2Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA; 3Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA; 4Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA and 5Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA Resource availability influences marine microbial community structure, suggesting that population- specific resource partitioning defines discrete niches. Identifying how resources are partitioned among populations, thereby characterizing functional guilds within the communities, remains a challenge for microbial ecologists. We used proteomic stable isotope probing (SIP) and NanoSIMS analysis of phylogenetic microarrays (Chip-SIP) along with 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenomic sequencing to characterize the assimilation of six 13C-labeled common metabolic substrates and changes in the microbial community structure within surface water collected from Monterey Bay, CA. Both sequencing approaches indicated distinct substrate-specific community shifts. However, observed changes in relative abundance for individual populations did not correlate well with directly measured substrate assimilation. The complementary SIP techniques identified assimilation of all six substrates by diverse taxa, but also revealed differential assimilation of substrates into protein and ribonucleotide biomass between taxa. Substrate assimilation trends indicated significantly conserved resource partitioning among populations within the Flavobacteriia, Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria classes, suggesting that functional guilds within marine microbial communities are phylogenetically cohesive.
    [Show full text]