A Virus That Infects a Hyperthermophile Encapsidates A-Form
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CRISPR Loci Reveal Networks of Gene Exchange in Archaea Avital Brodt, Mor N Lurie-Weinberger and Uri Gophna*
Brodt et al. Biology Direct 2011, 6:65 http://www.biology-direct.com/content/6/1/65 RESEARCH Open Access CRISPR loci reveal networks of gene exchange in archaea Avital Brodt, Mor N Lurie-Weinberger and Uri Gophna* Abstract Background: CRISPR (Clustered, Regularly, Interspaced, Short, Palindromic Repeats) loci provide prokaryotes with an adaptive immunity against viruses and other mobile genetic elements. CRISPR arrays can be transcribed and processed into small crRNA molecules, which are then used by the cell to target the foreign nucleic acid. Since spacers are accumulated by active CRISPR/Cas systems, the sequences of these spacers provide a record of the past “infection history” of the organism. Results: Here we analyzed all currently known spacers present in archaeal genomes and identified their source by DNA similarity. While nearly 50% of archaeal spacers matched mobile genetic elements, such as plasmids or viruses, several others matched chromosomal genes of other organisms, primarily other archaea. Thus, networks of gene exchange between archaeal species were revealed by the spacer analysis, including many cases of inter-genus and inter-species gene transfer events. Spacers that recognize viral sequences tend to be located further away from the leader sequence, implying that there exists a selective pressure for their retention. Conclusions: CRISPR spacers provide direct evidence for extensive gene exchange in archaea, especially within genera, and support the current dogma where the primary role of the CRISPR/Cas system is anti-viral and anti- plasmid defense. Open peer review: This article was reviewed by: Profs. W. Ford Doolittle, John van der Oost, Christa Schleper (nominated by board member Prof. -
Extremely Thermophilic Microorganisms As Metabolic Engineering Platforms for Production of Fuels and Industrial Chemicals
REVIEW published: 05 November 2015 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01209 Extremely thermophilic microorganisms as metabolic engineering platforms for production of fuels and industrial chemicals Benjamin M. Zeldes 1, Matthew W. Keller 2, Andrew J. Loder 1, Christopher T. Straub 1, Michael W. W. Adams 2 and Robert M. Kelly 1* 1 Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, 2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA Enzymes from extremely thermophilic microorganisms have been of technological interest for some time because of their ability to catalyze reactions of industrial significance at elevated temperatures. Thermophilic enzymes are now routinely produced in recombinant mesophilic hosts for use as discrete biocatalysts. Genome and metagenome sequence data for extreme thermophiles provide useful information for putative biocatalysts for a wide range of biotransformations, albeit involving at most a few enzymatic steps. However, in the past several years, unprecedented progress has been made in establishing molecular genetics tools for extreme thermophiles to the point Edited by: that the use of these microorganisms as metabolic engineering platforms has become Bettina Siebers, University of Duisburg-Essen, possible. While in its early days, complex metabolic pathways have been altered or Germany engineered into recombinant extreme thermophiles, such that the production of fuels and Reviewed by: chemicals at elevated temperatures has become possible. Not only does this expand the Haruyuki Atomi, thermal range for industrial biotechnology, it also potentially provides biodiverse options Kyoto University, Japan Phillip Craig Wright, for specific biotransformations unique to these microorganisms. The list of extreme University of Sheffield, UK thermophiles growing optimally between 70 and 100◦C with genetic toolkits currently *Correspondence: available includes archaea and bacteria, aerobes and anaerobes, coming from genera Robert M. -
The Stability of Lytic Sulfolobus Viruses
The Stability of Lytic Sulfolobus Viruses A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati In partial fulfillment of The requirements for the degree of Master of Sciences in the Department of Biological Sciences of the College of Arts and Sciences 2017 Khaled S. Gazi B.S. Umm Al-Qura University, 2011 Committee Chair: Dennis W. Grogan, Ph.D. i Abstract Among the three domains of cellular life, archaea are the least understood, and functional information about archaeal viruses is very limited. For example, it is not known whether many of the viruses that infect hyperthermophilic archaea retain infectivity for long periods of time under the extreme conditions of geothermal environments. To investigate the capability of viruses to Infect under the extreme conditions of geothermal environments. A number of plaque- forming viruses related to Sulfolobus islandicus rod-shaped viruses (SIRVs), isolated from Yellowstone National Park in a previous study, were evaluated for stability under different stress conditions including high temperature, drying, and extremes of pH. Screening of 34 isolates revealed a 95-fold range of survival with respect to boiling for two hours and 94-fold range with respect to drying for 24 hours. Comparison of 10 viral strains chosen to represent the extremes of this range showed little correlation of stability with respect to different stresses. For example, three viral strains survived boiling but not drying. On the other hand, five strains that survived the drying stress did not survive the boiling temperature, whereas one strain survived both treatments and the last strain showed low survival of both. -
A Korarchaeal Genome Reveals Insights Into the Evolution of the Archaea
A korarchaeal genome reveals insights into the evolution of the Archaea James G. Elkinsa,b, Mircea Podarc, David E. Grahamd, Kira S. Makarovae, Yuri Wolfe, Lennart Randauf, Brian P. Hedlundg, Ce´ line Brochier-Armaneth, Victor Kunini, Iain Andersoni, Alla Lapidusi, Eugene Goltsmani, Kerrie Barryi, Eugene V. Koonine, Phil Hugenholtzi, Nikos Kyrpidesi, Gerhard Wannerj, Paul Richardsoni, Martin Kellerc, and Karl O. Stettera,k,l aLehrstuhl fu¨r Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universita¨t Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany; cBiosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831; dDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712; eNational Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894; fDepartment of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520; gSchool of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154; hLaboratoire de Chimie Bacte´rienne, Unite´ Propre de Recherche 9043, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universite´de Provence Aix-Marseille I, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France; iU.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA 94598; jInstitute of Botany, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, D-80638 Munich, Germany; and kInstitute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Communicated by Carl R. Woese, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Urbana, IL, April 2, 2008 (received for review January 7, 2008) The candidate division Korarchaeota comprises a group of uncul- and sediment samples from Obsidian Pool as an inoculum. The tivated microorganisms that, by their small subunit rRNA phylog- cultivation system supported the stable growth of a mixed commu- eny, may have diverged early from the major archaeal phyla nity of hyperthermophilic bacteria and archaea including an or- Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. -
Do Ultrastable Proteins from Hyperthermophiles Have High Or Low Conformational Rigidity?
Commentary Do ultrastable proteins from hyperthermophiles have high or low conformational rigidity? Rainer Jaenicke* Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany ife on earth has an unbelievable adaptive parisons of their protein inventories with Lcapacity. Except for centers of volcanic those of suitable mesophilic counterparts, a activity, the entire surface of our planet is a wealth of data has been accumulated that biosphere. In this context, the most surpris- indicated that stabilization involves all levels ing discovery in our lifetime was the expan- of the hierarchy of protein structure, i.e., sion from the anthropocentrically defined secondary, supersecondary, tertiary, and ‘‘normal temperature’’ of mesophiles quaternary interactions. The common con- (Ͻ40°C) to the optimum temperature range clusion from model studies was that the of hyperthermophiles around and above the stability of proteins from extremophiles is boiling point of water. That in this class of optimized to maintain corresponding func- microorganisms high temperature is re- tional states under a given set of environ- quired for growth rather than tolerated im- mental conditions. For the standard state at plies that the whole repertoire of their bi- 25°C, enhanced thermal stability of hyper- omolecules must be sufficiently stable to thermophile proteins would then be the allow the cellular microcosm to work. The result of enhanced conformational rigidity Fig. 1. Three-dimensional structure of rubre- strategies nature has used to stabilize the in their folded native state (5). doxin from P. furiosus. Numbered residues mark inventory of the cell, especially proteins, Evidence from recent amide hydrogen the most slowly exchanging hydrogens, close to under extreme conditions are still enig- exchange experiments reported in this is- the two cysteine knuckles (7–9). -
Bhattacharya.1999.Thermophiles.Pdf
THE PHYLOGENY OF THERMOPHILES AND HYPERTHERMOPHILES AND THE THREE DOMAINS OF LIFE The Phylogeny of Thermophiles DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA University of Iowa Department of Biological Sciences Biology Building, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1324 United States THOMAS FRIEDL Department of Biology, General Botany University of Kaiserslautern P.O. Box 3049, D-67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany HEIKO SCHMIDT Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Theoretische Bioinformatik Im Neuenheimer Feld 280 , D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany 1. Introduction The nature of the first cells and the environment in which they lived are two of the most interesting problems in evolutionary biology. All living things are descendents of these primordial cells and are divided into three fundamental lineages or domains, Archaea (formerly known as Archaebacteria), Bacteria (formerly known as Eubacteria), and the Eucarya (formerly known as Eukaryotes, Woese et al. 1990). The Archaea and Bacteria are prokaryotic domains whereas the Eucarya includes all other living things that have a nucleus (i.e., the genetic material is separated from the cytoplasm by a nuclear envelope). The observation of the three primary domains, first made on the basis of small subunit (i.e., 16S, 18S) ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence comparisons (Woese 1987), has created a framework with which the nature of the last common ancestor (LCA) can be addressed. In this review we present phylogenies of the prokaryotic domains to understand the origin and distribution of the thermophiles (organisms able to grow in temperatures > 45°C) and the hyperthermophiles (organisms able to grow in temperatures > 80°C). Hyperthermophiles are limited to the Archaea and Bacteria. In addition, we inspect the distribution of extremophiles within the cyanobacteria. -
ATP Synthases from Archaea: the Beauty of a Molecular Motor
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1837 (2014) 940–952 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Biochimica et Biophysica Acta journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bbabio Review ATP synthases from archaea: The beauty of a molecular motor Gerhard Grüber a,⁎, Malathy Sony Subramanian Manimekalai a, Florian Mayer b, Volker Müller b,⁎ a School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Republic of Singapore b Molecular Microbiology & Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany article info abstract Article history: Archaea live under different environmental conditions, such as high salinity, extreme pHs and cold or hot tem- Received 13 November 2013 peratures. How energy is conserved under such harsh environmental conditions is a major question in cellular Received in revised form 7 March 2014 bioenergetics of archaea. The key enzymes in energy conservation are the archaeal A1AO ATP synthases, a class Accepted 11 March 2014 of ATP synthases distinct from the F F ATP synthase ATP synthase found in bacteria, mitochondria and chloro- Available online 17 March 2014 1 O plasts and the V1VO ATPases of eukaryotes. A1AO ATP synthases have distinct structural features such as a collar- Keywords: like structure, an extended central stalk, and two peripheral stalks possibly stabilizing the A1AO ATP synthase dur- ATPase ing rotation in ATP synthesis/hydrolysis at high temperatures as well as to provide the storage of transient elastic Na+ bioenergetics energy during ion-pumping and ATP synthesis/-hydrolysis. High resolution structures of individual subunits and Energy conservation subcomplexes have been obtained in recent years that shed new light on the function and mechanism of this Methanogenesis unique class of ATP synthases. -
Proteomics and in Vivo Labeling of Protein Thiols in Sulfolobus Solfataricus During Exposure to Antimony
PROTEOMICS AND IN VIVO LABELING OF PROTEIN THIOLS IN SULFOLOBUS SOLFATARICUS DURING EXPOSURE TO ANTIMONY by Patricia Mmatshetlha Kgomotso Mathabe A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Pathology MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana April 2014 ©COPYRIGHT by Patricia Mmatshetlha Kgomotso Mathabe 2014 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my son Vuyisile Ditumisho Mathabe Toli for persevering with me from the beginning until the end He is a good child through and through and I hope that one day when (Not if) he completes his own PhD, he will know and appreciate that everything I do, is so that he can have a brighter future than mine and follow a less turbulent pathway that I as a black South African had to follow. Salome Mathabe, for supporting all my pursuits and for preaching the gospel of education from a very young age. My grandparents, though late, raised me to be a stubborn determined woman. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you Professor Brian Bothner. It has been an honor to be his student. From him, I have learned that in life, everything has to be balanced. Family first and then everything else follows. I appreciate all his contributions of time, ideas, and funding to make my research possible. The joy and enthusiasm he has for his research was contagious and motivational, even during the tough times in the Ph.D pursuit. Dr Walid Maaty‘s knowledge of proteomics was beneficial to my studies. Professor Mark Young has been phenomenal all the time. -
Life in Extreme Environments
insight review articles Life in extreme environments Lynn J. Rothschild & Rocco L. Mancinelli NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California 94035-1000, USA (e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]) Each recent report of liquid water existing elsewhere in the Solar System has reverberated through the international press and excited the imagination of humankind. Why? Because in the past few decades we have come to realize that where there is liquid water on Earth, virtually no matter what the physical conditions, there is life. What we previously thought of as insurmountable physical and chemical barriers to life, we now see as yet another niche harbouring ‘extremophiles’. This realization, coupled with new data on the survival of microbes in the space environment and modelling of the potential for transfer of life between celestial bodies, suggests that life could be more common than previously thought. Here we examine critically what it means to be an extremophile, and the implications of this for evolution, biotechnology and especially the search for life in the Universe. ormal is passé; extreme is chic. While thriving in biological extremes (for example, nutritional Aristotle cautioned “everything in extremes, and extremes of population density, parasites, moderation”, the Romans, known for their prey, and so on). excesses, coined the word ‘extremus’, the ‘Extremophile’ conjures up images of prokaryotes, yet the superlative of exter (‘being on the outside’). taxonomic range spans all three domains. Although all NBy the fifteenth century ‘extreme’ had arrived, via Middle hyperthermophiles are members of the Archaea and French, to English. At the dawning of the twenty-first Bacteria, eukaryotes are common among the psychrophiles, century we know that the Solar System, and even Earth, acidophiles, alkaliphiles, piezophiles, xerophiles and contain environmental extremes unimaginable to the halophiles (which respectively thrive at low temperatures, low ‘ancients’ of the nineteenth century. -
Extremophiles-Basic Concepts
CONTENTS CONTENTS EXTREMOPHILES Extremophiles - Volume 1 No. of Pages: 396 ISBN: 978-1-905839-93-3 (eBook) ISBN: 978-1-84826-993-4 (Print Volume) Extremophiles - Volume 2 No. of Pages: 392 ISBN: 978-1-905839-94-0 (eBook) ISBN: 978-1-84826-994-1 (Print Volume) Extremophiles - Volume 3 No. of Pages: 364 ISBN: 978-1-905839-95-7 (eBook) ISBN: 978-1-84826-995-8 (Print Volume) For more information of e-book and Print Volume(s) order, please click here Or contact : [email protected] ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) EXTREMOPHILES CONTENTS VOLUME I Extremophiles: Basic Concepts 1 Charles Gerday, Laboratory of Biochemistry, University of Liège, Belgium 1. Introduction 2. Effects of Extreme Conditions on Cellular Components 2.1. Membrane Structure 2.2. Nucleic Acids 2.2.1. Introduction 2.2.2. Desoxyribonucleic Acids 2.2.3. Ribonucleic Acids 2.3. Proteins 2.3.1. Introduction 2.3.2. Thermophilic Proteins 2.3.2.1. Enthalpically Driven Stabilization Factors: 2.3.2.2. Entropically Driven Stabilization Factors: 2.3.3. Psychrophilic Proteins 2.3.4. Halophilic Proteins 2.3.5. Piezophilic Proteins 2.3.5.1. Interaction with Other Proteins and Ligands: 2.3.5.2. Substrate Binding and Catalytic Efficiency: 2.3.6. Alkaliphilic Proteins 2.3.7. Acidophilic Proteins 3. Conclusions Extremophiles: Overview of the Biotopes 43 Michael Gross, University of London, London, UK 1. Introduction 2. Extreme Temperatures 2.1. Terrestrial Hot Springs 2.2. Hot Springs on the Ocean Floor and Black Smokers 2.3. Life at Low Temperatures 3. High Pressure 3.1. -
4 Metabolic and Taxonomic Diversification in Continental Magmatic Hydrothermal Systems
Maximiliano J. Amenabar, Matthew R. Urschel, and Eric S. Boyd 4 Metabolic and taxonomic diversification in continental magmatic hydrothermal systems 4.1 Introduction Hydrothermal systems integrate geological processes from the deep crust to the Earth’s surface yielding an extensive array of spring types with an extraordinary diversity of geochemical compositions. Such geochemical diversity selects for unique metabolic properties expressed through novel enzymes and functional characteristics that are tailored to the specific conditions of their local environment. This dynamic interaction between geochemical variation and biology has played out over evolu- tionary time to engender tightly coupled and efficient biogeochemical cycles. The timescales by which these evolutionary events took place, however, are typically in- accessible for direct observation. This inaccessibility impedes experimentation aimed at understanding the causative principles of linked biological and geological change unless alternative approaches are used. A successful approach that is commonly used in geological studies involves comparative analysis of spatial variations to test ideas about temporal changes that occur over inaccessible (i.e. geological) timescales. The same approach can be used to examine the links between biology and environment with the aim of reconstructing the sequence of evolutionary events that resulted in the diversity of organisms that inhabit modern day hydrothermal environments and the mechanisms by which this sequence of events occurred. By combining molecu- lar biological and geochemical analyses with robust phylogenetic frameworks using approaches commonly referred to as phylogenetic ecology [1, 2], it is now possible to take advantage of variation within the present – the distribution of biodiversity and metabolic strategies across geochemical gradients – to recognize the extent of diversity and the reasons that it exists. -
Hyperthermophilic Microorganisms - Karl O
EXTREMOPHILES - Vol. I - Hyperthermophilic Microorganisms - Karl O. Stetter HYPERTHERMOPHILIC MICROORGANISMS Karl O. Stetter Universität Regensburg, Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universitätsstraße 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany Keywords: Thermophilic, hyperthermophile, extremophile, prokaryote, archaea, bacteria, primitive, phylogeny, physiology, autotrophic, heterotrophic, heat stability, protein, nucleic acid, biotechnology, biotope, volcanic, hydrothermal, geothermal, solfataric, abyssal, antarctic, extraterrestrial, Mars Contents 1. Introduction 2. Biotopes of hyperthermophiles 2.1. Terrestrial biotopes 2.2. Marine biotopes 3. Phylogeny of hyperthermophiles 4. Taxonomy of hyperthermophiles 5. Sampling and isolation of hyperthermophiles 6. Strategies of life and environmental adaptations of hyperthermophiles 6.1. General metabolic potentialities 6.2. Physiological properties of the different groups of hyperthermophiles 6.2.1. Terrestrial hyperthermophiles 6.2.2. Marine hyperthermophiles 7. Distribution of species and complexity in hyperthermophilic ecosystems 8. Basis of heat stability and the upper temperature limit for life 9. Conclusions: hyperthermophiles in the history of life Acknowledgments Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary Hyperthermophilic Archaea and Bacteria with optimal growth temperatures between 80 and 110° C have been isolated from geo- and hydrothermally heated terrestrial and submarineUNESCO environments. Small subunit – rR NAEOLSS sequence comparisons indicate great phylogenetic diversity among the 32genera