GTL PI Meeting 2007 Abstracts

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

GTL PI Meeting 2007 Abstracts DOE/SC-0098 Joint Meeting Genomics:GTL Awardee Workshop V and Metabolic Engineering Working Group Interagency Conference on Metabolic Engineering 2007 and USDA-DOE Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy Awardee Workshop 2007 Bethesda, Maryland February 11–14, 2007 Prepared for the Prepared by U.S. Department of Energy Genome Management Information System Office of Science Oak Ridge National Laboratory Office of Biological and Environmental Research Oak Ridge, TN 37830 Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research Managed by UT-Battelle, LLC Germantown, MD 20874-1290 For the U.S. Department of Energy Under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 http://genomicsgtl.energy.gov Welcome elcome to the 2007 Joint Genomics:GTL fundamental research addressing DOE mission Awardee Workshop, Metabolic Engineer- needs, including bioenergy. DOE embraced this Wing Interagency Working Group Conference ,and recommendation, and review of proposals for GTL the USDA-DOE Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy Research Centers is under way. Bioenergy Joint Program Meeting. Attendees of this year’s joint meeting represent a broad cross sec- This year’s meeting features sessions that will be of tion of cutting-edge research disciplines, including broad interest to scientists funded by all three of the microbiology, plant biology, genomics, proteomics, participating research programs—the Genomics: physiology, structural biology, metabolic engineering, GTL program, the Metabolic Engineering Work- ecology, evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, and ing Group, and the USDA-DOE Plant Feedstock computational biology. Uniting this diverse com- Genomics for Bioenergy Joint Program. The goal of munity of researchers is the shared goal to understand the Metabolic Engineering Working Group is the the complex genetic and metabolic systems supporting targeted and purposeful alteration of an organism’s the life of microbes, plants, and biological communi- metabolic pathways to better understand and use ties. This approach is by definition integrative and cellular pathways for chemical transformation, multidisciplinary, and we applaud the collaborative energy transduction, and supramolecular assembly. spirit that brings you to this meeting and informs The USDA-DOE Plant Feedstock Genomics for your research. This joint meeting provides unique op- Bioenergy joint program focuses on genomics-based portunities to enhance collaboration and advance sci- research leading to the improved use of biomass and ence beyond the boundaries of any of these individual plant feedstocks for the production of such fuels as research programs. ethanol or renewable chemical feedstocks. By bring- ing together these distinct but complementary re- In May of 2006, the National Research Council of search communities, we hope to foster the exchange the National Academies completed an independent of ideas, sharing of expertise, and formation of new review of the Genomics:GTL program. The review partnerships among researchers. committee enthusiastically endorsed the systems biol- ogy focus of the program, lauded the general excel- We look forward to an exciting and productive meet- lence of research conducted by its grantees, and re- ing and encourage you to participate in discussions emphasized the critical importance of the program’s and build new relationships. We wish to thank the core mission—to advance fundamental research on organizers of this year’s meeting, especially members bioenergy solutions, bioremediation of environmental of the research community who have generously contaminants, and global carbon cycling and seques- agreed to play a larger role in organizing this year’s tration. The review also recommended that, in place breakout sessions. Finally, we thank you for lending of the previously proposed technology-oriented user your knowledge, creativity, and vision to the repre- facilities, the Genomics:GTL program should form sented research programs and wish you continued interdisciplinary research centers focused on success in the coming year. Jerry Elwood Michael Strayer Fred Heineken Anna Palmisano Acting Associate Director Associate Director of Chair of the Interagency Deputy Administrator of of Science for Biological and Science for Advanced Metabolic Engineering Competitive Programs Environmental Research Scientific Computing Working Group Cooperative State Research, Office of Science Research National Science Foundation Education, & Extension U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Service U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Department of Agriculture Agenda Sunday Evening, February 11th 2:00-4:30 Breakout Session A USDA-DOE Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy Joint Program 5:00-8:00 Registration and Poster Setup Meeting Moderators: Ed Kaleikau (USDA) & Sharlene Weatherwax (DOE) 6:00-8:00 Mixer 2:00-2:15 Program Overview: Chavonda Jacobs-Young - USDA 2:15-2:30 Vincent Chiang – North Carolina State University th Monday, February 12 2:30-2:45 Clint Chapple – Purdue University 2:45-3:00 Chang-Jun Liu – Brookhaven National Laboratory 7:00-8:00 Continental Breakfast 3:00-3:15 Bikram Gill – Kansas State University 3:15-3:30 Richard Dixon – The Nobel Foundation 8:00-8:45 Welcome 3:30-4:00 Break State of Genomics:GTL Program, Vision for the Future 4:00-4:15 William Rooney – Texas A&M University Mike Viola, David Thomassen, and Jim Fredrickson 4:15-4:30 Charles Brummer – University of Georgia 8:45-9:15 Systems Biology: An Overview 4:30-4:45 John Ralph - USDA-ARS, University of Wisconsin 4:45-5:00 Chris Somerville – Carnegie Institute of Timothy Donohue – University of Wisconsin, Madison Washington “Systems Analysis of Solar Energy Stress Responses” 2:00-5:00 Breakout Session B 9:15-12:00 Plenary Session Data Management & Sharing Tutorial Carbon Processing at Organismal, Community, & Global Scales Organizers: Ed Uberbacher – Oak Ridge National Laboratory Moderator: Dan Drell Jeff Grethe – University of California, San Diego Session Objectives: This session will examine the global carbon Moderator: John Houghton cycle at various levels of resolution and from a variety of differ- 2:00-3:30 Panel Discussion (Participants To Be Announced) ent research perspectives. The goal of the session is to promote 3:30-4:00 Break discussion of potential contributions of GTL research towards more 4:00-5:00 Group Discussion effectively modeling the global carbon budget and understanding the role of microbes and microbial communities in planetary scale 2:00-5:00 Breakout Session C processing and sequestration of carbon. Cultivation Methodology Tutorial 9:15-9:45 Jae Edmonds – Pacific Northwest National Moderator: Joe Graber Laboratory Organizers: Slava Epstein & Hans Scholten “Biotech, Energy, and a Climate-Constrained World” 2:00-2:20 Slava Epstein – Northeastern University 9:45-10:15 Bruce Hungate – Northern Arizona University 2:20-2:40 Hans Scholten – Pacific Northwest National Title To Be Announced Laboratory 2:40-2:55 Martin Keller – Oak Ridge National Laboratory 10:15-10:30 Break 2:55-3:10 Chris Belnap – University of California, Berkeley 10:30-11:00 Mary Lidstrom – University of Washington 3:10-3:25 Judy Wall – University of Missouri, Columbia “Integrated Metabolism Studies of Methylotrophy” 3:30-4:00 Break 11:00-11:30 Ramon Gonzalez – Rice University 4:00-5:00 Group Discussion “The Role of Metabolic Engineering and Systems 5:00-8:00 Poster Session Biology in Biofuel Production” 12:00-2:00 Lunch Tuesday, February 13th 2:00-5:00 Breakout Session D Metabolic Engineering Interagency Working Group Conference: 7:00-8:00 Continental Breakfast Methods to Examine Biochemical & Metabolic Networks Organizers: Gail McLean (USDA) & Sharlene Weatherwax (DOE) 8:00-10:00 Plenary Session Moderators: Mark Segal (EPA) & Fred Heineken (NSF) Environmental Sensing & Response In Contaminated Habitats 2:00-3:30 Presentations: Moderator: Joe Graber Bernhard Palsson – University of California, Session Objectives: This session will examine the means by which San Diego microorganisms sense environmental conditions and process the George Bennett – Rice University acquired information to form an adaptive response. Emphasis will James Liao – University of California, Los Angeles be placed on the role of GTL research in understanding organismal Jackie Shanks – Iowa State University and community dynamics in relevant habitats and how this 3:30-4:00 Break information can be integrated into the study of contaminant fate 4:00-5:00 Group Discussion and transport. 2:00-5:00 Breakout Session E 8:00-8:30 Derek Lovley – University of Massachusetts, Tools for the Prediction & Validation of Gene Function Amherst Organizers: Margaret Romine – Pacific Northwest National “Adaptive Evolution and Adaptive Responses Laboratory in Gene Expression of Geobacter Species During Andrei Osterman – The Burnham Institute Uranium Bioremediation and in Microbial Moderator: Marvin Stodolsky Fuel Cells” 8:30-9:00 Tim Gardner, Boston University 2:00-3:30 Panel Discussion: “Genome-scale mapping of transcription networks Scott Lesley - Scripps Research Institute in Shewanella oneidensis: identification of carbon Tom Squier - Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and metal-respiratory regulation” Tim Gardner - Boston University 9:00-9:30 Jill Banfield - University of California, Berkeley 3:30-4:00 Break Title To Be Announced 4:00-5:00 Group Discussion 9:30-10:00 Adam Arkin – Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory 2:00-5:00 Breakout Session F Title To Be Announced Imaging Techniques Tutorial Organizers: Eva Nogales - University of California, Berkeley 10:00-10:15
Recommended publications
  • The Biology and Community Structure of CO2-Reducing
    The Biology and Community Structure of CO2-Reducing Acetogens in the Termite Hindgut Thesis by Elizabeth Ann Ottesen In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 2009 (Defended September 25, 2008) i i © 2009 Elizabeth Ottesen All Rights Reserved ii i Acknowledgements Much of the scientist I have become, I owe to the fantastic biology program at Grinnell College, and my mentor Leslie Gregg-Jolly. It was in her molecular biology class that I was introduced to microbiology, and made my first attempt at designing degenerate PCR primers. The year I spent working in her laboratory taught me a lot about science, and about persistence in the face of experimental challenges. At Caltech, I have been surrounded by wonderful mentors and colleagues. The greatest debt of gratitude, of course, goes to my advisor Jared Leadbetter. His guidance has shaped much of how I think about microbes and how they affect the world around us. And through all the ups and downs of these past six years, Jared’s enthusiasm for microbiology—up to and including the occasional microscope session spent exploring a particularly interesting puddle—has always reminded me why I became a scientist in the first place. The Leadbetter Lab has been a fantastic group of people. In the early days, Amy Wu taught me how much about anaerobic culture work and working with termites. These last few years, Eric Matson has been a wonderful mentor, endlessly patient about reading drafts and discussing experiments. Xinning Zhang also read and helped edit much of this work.
    [Show full text]
  • Treponema Primitia Sp
    APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Mar. 2004, p. 1315–1320 Vol. 70, No. 3 0099-2240/04/$08.00ϩ0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.3.1315–1320.2004 Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved. Description of Treponema azotonutricium sp. nov. and Treponema primitia sp. nov., the First Spirochetes Isolated from Termite Guts Joseph R. Graber,1 Jared R. Leadbetter,2 and John A. Breznak1* Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-4320,1 and Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125-78002 Received 12 August 2003/Accepted 27 November 2003 Long after their original discovery, termite gut spirochetes were recently isolated in pure culture for the first time. They revealed metabolic capabilities hitherto unknown in the Spirochaetes division of the Bacteria, i.e., H2 plus CO2 acetogenesis (J. R. Leadbetter, T. M. Schmidt, J. R. Graber, and J. A. Breznak, Science 283:686-689, 1999) and dinitrogen fixation (T. G. Lilburn, K. S. Kim, N. E. Ostrom, K. R. Byzek, J. R. Leadbetter, and J. A. Breznak, Science 292:2495-2498, 2001). However, application of specific epithets to the strains isolated (Trepo- nema strains ZAS-1, ZAS-2, and ZAS-9) was postponed pending a more complete characterization of their pheno- typic properties. Here we describe the major properties of strain ZAS-9, which is readily distinguished from strains ZAS-1 and ZAS-2 by its shorter mean cell wavelength or body pitch (1.1 versus 2.3 ␮m), by its nonhomoacetogenic fermentation of carbohydrates to acetate, ethanol, H2, and CO2, and by 7 to 8% dissimilarity between its 16S rRNA sequence and those of ZAS-1 and ZAS-2.
    [Show full text]
  • The Flagellates of the Australian Termite Mastotermes Darwiniensis: Identification of Their Symbiotic Bacteria and Cellulases
    SYMBIOSIS (2007) 44, 51-65 ©2007 Balaban, Philadelphia/Rehovot ISSN 0334-5114 Review article The flagellates of the Australian termite Mastotermes darwiniensis: Identification of their symbiotic bacteria and cellulases Helmut Konig1*, Jurgen Frohlich 1, Li Li1, Marika Wenzel 1, Manfred Berchtold', Stefan Droge', Alfred Breunig', Peter Pfeiffer', Renate Radek', and Guy Brugerolle 4 'Institute of Microbiology and Wine-Research, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55099 Mainz, Germany, Tel. +49-6 l 31-39-24634, Fax. +49-6131-39-22695, Email. [email protected]; 2Abteilung Angewandte Mikrobiologie und Mykologie, Universitat Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany (present address: Robert-Stolz-Strasse 23, 89231 Neu-Ulm); 3lnstitute of Biology/Zoology, FU Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; "Laboratoire Biologie des Protistes, Universite Blaise Pascal de Clermont-Fd., 63177 Aubiere, France (Received November 3, 2006; Accepted February 15, 2007) Abstract Termites are among the most important wood- and litter-feeding insects. The gut microbiota plays an indispensable role in the digestion of food. They can include Bacteria, Archaea, flagellates, yeasts, and fungi. The unique flagellates of the termite gut belong to the Preaxostyla (Oxymonadida) and Parabasalia (Cristamonadida, Spirotrichonymphida, Trichomonadida, Trichonymphida), which have branched off very early in the evolution of the eukaryotes. The termite Mastotermes darwiniensis is the only species of the most primitive termite family Mastotermitidae. It harbors four large flagellate species in the hindgut: the cristamonads Koruga bonita, Deltotrichonympha nana, Deltotrichonympha operculata and Mixotricha paradoxa. Two small flagellate species also thrive in the intestine: the cristamonad Metadevescovina extranea and the trichomonad Pentatrichomonoides scroa. The flagellates themselves harbor extracellular and intracellular prokaryotes. From cell extracts of the not yet culturable symbiotic flagellates two endoglucanases with a similar apparent molecular mass of approximately 36 kD have been isolated.
    [Show full text]
  • Old Acetogens, New Light Steven L
    Eastern Illinois University The Keep Faculty Research & Creative Activity Biological Sciences January 2008 Old Acetogens, New Light Steven L. Daniel Eastern Illinois University, [email protected] Harold L. Drake University of Bayreuth Anita S. Gößner University of Bayreuth Follow this and additional works at: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/bio_fac Part of the Bacteriology Commons, Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons, and the Microbial Physiology Commons Recommended Citation Daniel, Steven L.; Drake, Harold L.; and Gößner, Anita S., "Old Acetogens, New Light" (2008). Faculty Research & Creative Activity. 114. http://thekeep.eiu.edu/bio_fac/114 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Biological Sciences at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Research & Creative Activity by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Old Acetogens, New Light Harold L. Drake, Anita S. Gößner, & Steven L. Daniel Keywords: acetogenesis; acetogenic bacteria; acetyl-CoA pathway; autotrophy; bioenergetics; Clostridium aceticum; electron transport; intercycle coupling; Moorella thermoacetica; nitrate dissimilation Abstract: Acetogens utilize the acetyl-CoA Wood-Ljungdahl pathway as a terminal electron-accepting, energy-conserving, CO2-fixing process. The decades of research to resolve the enzymology of this pathway (1) preceded studies demonstrating that acetogens not only harbor a novel CO2-fixing pathway, but are also ecologically important, and (2) overshadowed the novel microbiological discoveries of acetogens and acetogenesis. The first acetogen to be isolated, Clostridium aceticum, was reported by Klaas Tammo Wieringa in 1936, but was subsequently lost. The second acetogen to be isolated, Clostridium thermoaceticum, was isolated by Francis Ephraim Fontaine and co-workers in 1942.
    [Show full text]
  • Formate Dehydrogenase Gene Diversity in Acetogenic Gut Communities of Lower, Wood-Feeding Termites and a Wood
    2 -1 Formate dehydrogenase gene diversity in acetogenic gut communities of lower, wood-feeding termites and a wood- feeding roach Abstract The bacterial Wood-Ljungdahl pathway for CO2-reductive acetogenesis is important for the nutritional mutualism occurring between wood-feeding insects and their hindgut microbiota. A key step in this pathway is the reduction of CO2 to formate, catalyzed by the enzyme formate dehydrogenase (FDH). Putative selenocysteine- (Sec) and cysteine- (Cys) containing paralogs of hydrogenase-linked FDH (FDHH) have been identified in the termite gut acetogenic spirochete, Treponema primitia, but knowledge of their relevance in the termite gut environment remains limited. In this study, we designed degenerate PCR primers for FDHH genes (fdhF) and assessed fdhF diversity in insect gut bacterial isolates and the gut microbial communities of termites and roaches. The insects examined herein represent the wood-feeding termite families Termopsidae, Kalotermitidae, and Rhinotermitidae (phylogenetically “lower” termite taxa), the wood-feeding roach family Cryptocercidae (the sister taxon to termites), and the omnivorous roach family Blattidae. Sec and Cys FDHH variants were identified in every wood-feeding insect but not the omnivorous roach. Of 68 novel phylotypes obtained from inventories, 66 affiliated phylogenetically with enzymes from T. primitia. These formed two sub-clades (37 and 29 phylotypes) almost completely comprised of Sec-containing and Cys-containing enzymes, respectively. A gut cDNA 2 -2 inventory showed transcription of both variants in the termite Zootermopsis nevadensis (family Termopsidae). The results suggest FDHH enzymes are important for the CO2- reductive metabolism of uncultured acetogenic treponemes and imply that the trace element selenium has shaped the gene content of gut microbial communities in wood-feeding insects.
    [Show full text]
  • Spirochetes Isolated from Arthropods Constitute a Novel Genus Entomospira Genus Novum Within the Order Spirochaetales
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Spirochetes isolated from arthropods constitute a novel genus Entomospira genus novum within the order Spirochaetales Lucía Graña‑Miraglia1,5, Silvie Sikutova2,5, Marie Vancová3, Tomáš Bílý3, Volker Fingerle4, Andreas Sing4, Santiago Castillo‑Ramírez1, Gabriele Margos4* & Ivo Rudolf2 Spirochetal bacteria were successfully isolated from mosquitoes (Culex pipiens, Aedes cinereus) in the Czech Republic between 1999 and 2002. Preliminary 16S rRNA phylogenetic sequence analysis showed that these strains difered signifcantly from other spirochetal genera within the family Spirochaetaceae and suggested a novel bacterial genus in this family. To obtain more comprehensive genomic information of these isolates, we used Illumina MiSeq and Oxford Nanopore technologies to sequence four genomes of these spirochetes (BR151, BR149, BR193, BR208). The overall size of the genomes varied between 1.68 and 1.78 Mb; the GC content ranged from 38.5 to 45.8%. Draft genomes were compared to 36 publicly available genomes encompassing eight genera from the class Spirochaetes. A phylogeny generated from orthologous genes across all taxa and the percentage of conserved proteins (POCP) confrmed the genus status of these novel spirochetes. The genus Entomospira gen. nov. is proposed with BR151 selected as type species of the genus. For this isolate and the closest related isolate, BR149, we propose the species name Entomospira culicis sp. nov. The two other isolates BR208 and BR193 are named Entomospira nematocera sp. nov. (BR208) and Entomospira entomophilus sp. nov. (BR193). Finally, we discuss their interesting phylogenetic positioning. Te phylum Spirochaetes Garrity and Holt 2001 encompasses motile free-living, host associated and parasitic microorganisms all of which are characterised by their distinct helical morphology.
    [Show full text]
  • Identifying Infection Reservoirs of Digital Dermatitis in Dairy Cattle
    Identifying infection reservoirs of digital dermatitis in dairy cattle Thesis submitted in accordance with the requirements of the University of Liverpool for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy By Jennifer Bell September 2017 1 Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 9 List of knowledge exchange contributions relating to this thesis ......................................... 10 Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 14 1.1 Bovine digital dermatitis – overview ........................................................................... 14 1.2.1 Anatomical location of DD lesions ........................................................................ 14 1.2.2 Clinical appearance and histopathology of DD lesions ......................................... 15 1.2.3 DD lesion classification.......................................................................................... 17 1.3 Epidemiology of DD...................................................................................................... 18 1.3.1 Geographic spread of DD .....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Phylogenomic and Molecular Signature Based
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE published: 30 July 2013 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00217 A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades: proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum Radhey S. Gupta*, Sharmeen Mahmood and Mobolaji Adeolu Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Edited by: The Spirochaetes species cause many important diseases including syphilis and Lyme Hiromi Nishida, Toyama Prefectural disease. Except for their containing a distinctive endoflagella, no other molecular or University, Japan biochemical characteristics are presently known that are specific for either all Spirochaetes Reviewed by: or its different families. We report detailed comparative and phylogenomic analyses Viktoria Shcherbakova, Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of of protein sequences from Spirochaetes genomes to understand their evolutionary Microorganisms, Russian Academy relationships and to identify molecular signatures for this group. These studies have of Sciences, Russia identified 38 conserved signature indels (CSIs) that are specific for either all members David L. Bernick, University of of the phylum Spirochaetes or its different main clades. Of these CSIs, a 3 aa insert in California, Santa Cruz, USA the FlgC protein is uniquely shared by all sequenced Spirochaetes providing a molecular *Correspondence: Radhey S. Gupta, Department of marker for this phylum. Seven, six, and five CSIs in different proteins are specific Biochemistry and Biomedical for members of the families Spirochaetaceae, Brachyspiraceae, and Leptospiraceae, Sciences, McMaster University, respectively. Of the 19 other identified CSIs, 3 are uniquely shared by members of the 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, genera Sphaerochaeta, Spirochaeta,andTreponema, whereas 16 others are specific for ON L8N 3Z5, Canada e-mail: [email protected] the genus Borrelia.
    [Show full text]
  • Biochemical and Molecular Characterization of Treponema Phagedenis-Like Spirochetes Isolated from a Bovine Digital Dermatitis Lesion Wilson-Welder Et Al
    Biochemical and molecular characterization of Treponema phagedenis-like spirochetes isolated from a bovine digital dermatitis lesion Wilson-Welder et al. Wilson-Welder et al. BMC Microbiology 2013, 13:280 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/13/280 Wilson-Welder et al. BMC Microbiology 2013, 13:280 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/13/280 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Biochemical and molecular characterization of Treponema phagedenis-like spirochetes isolated from a bovine digital dermatitis lesion Jennifer H Wilson-Welder1,3*, Margaret K Elliott1, Richard L Zuerner1,3, Darrell O Bayles1, David P Alt1 and Thad B Stanton2 Abstract Background: Bovine papillomatous digital dermatitis (DD) is the leading cause of lameness in dairy cattle and represents a serious welfare and economic burden. Found primarily in high production dairy cattle worldwide, DD is characterized by the development of an often painful red, raw ulcerative or papillomatous lesion frequently located near the interdigital cleft and above the bulbs of the heel. While the exact etiology is unknown, several spirochete species have been isolated from lesion material. Four isolates of Treponema phagedenis-like spirochetes were isolated from dairy cows in Iowa. Given the distinct differences in host, environmental niche, and disease association, a closer analysis of phenotypic characteristics, growth characteristics, and genomic sequences of T. phagedenis, a human genitalia commensal, and the Iowa DD isolates was undertaken. Results: Phenotypically, these isolates range from 8.0 to 9.7 μm in length with 6–8 flagella on each end. These isolates, like T. phagedenis, are strictly anaerobic, require serum and volatile fatty acids for growth, and are capable of fermenting fructose, mannitol, pectin, mannose, ribose, maltose, and glucose.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of a Targeted Omic Approach to Dissect the Nested Symbiosis of the Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes Flavipes
    University of Connecticut OpenCommons@UConn Doctoral Dissertations University of Connecticut Graduate School 8-28-2019 The seU of a Targeted Omic Approach to Dissect the Nested Symbiosis of the Eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes Flavipes Michael Stephens University of Connecticut - Storrs, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations Recommended Citation Stephens, Michael, "The sU e of a Targeted Omic Approach to Dissect the Nested Symbiosis of the Eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes Flavipes" (2019). Doctoral Dissertations. 2304. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/2304 The Use of a Targeted Omic Approach to Dissect the Nested Symbiosis of the Eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes Michael Eric Stephens Jr. PhD University of Connecticut 2019 The Eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes is a member of lower wood- feeding termites and feeds on lignocellulose (wood) in nature. The ability to survive on this hard- to-digest, nutrient-poor diet relies on a division of labor between the host termite and its hindgut microbiota. Key players of this symbiotic digestive strategy include a community of various protist species and their associated, prokaryotic, endo- and ectosymbionts. These protists aid the hydrolysis of the various polysaccharides found in wood and it is thought that their bacterial symbionts contribute to a number of processes that are regarded as essential in the termite’s hindgut. The inability to currently culture these organisms has hindered our ability to understand these complex interactions and their contributions to the digestion of wood. By focusing on these protist-associated communities of bacteria and leveraging the sensitivity and coverage of high-throughput sequencing, this complex hindgut community can be dissected and studied to reveal ecological, metabolic, and evolutionary processes that have previously evaded us.
    [Show full text]
  • New Insights Into the Emerging Role of Oral Spirochaetes in Periodontal Disease
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector REVIEW 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03460.x New insights into the emerging role of oral spirochaetes in periodontal disease M. B. Visser and R. P. Ellen Matrix Dynamics Group, Dental Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Abstract Spirochaetes are prominent in the polymicrobial infections that cause periodontal diseases. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory con- dition of the periodontium, characterized by proinflammatory soft tissue damage and alveolar bone loss. Treponema denticola is the most well-understood oral spirochaete, expressing a wealth of virulence factors that mediate tissue penetration and destruction as well as evasion of host immune responses. This review focuses on emerging knowledge of virulence mechanisms of Treponema denticola as well as mechanisms of other less-studied oral treponemes. Keywords: Oral, pathogenesis, periodontitis, review, spirochaete, Treponema, virulence Article published online: 14 January 2011 Clin Microbiol Infect 2011; 17: 502–512 Corresponding author: M. B. Visser, Matrix Dynamics Group, Dental Research Institute, University of Toronto, 124 Edward St, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 1G6 E-mail: [email protected] variety of factors that allow for its survival, host tissue pen- Introduction etration and immune evasion. Treponema species in addition to T. denticola have also been identified in various forms of Periodontitis is characterized by chronic inflammation, alve- disease and at differing pocket depths [15], raising a need olar bone loss and destruction of the gingival and periodon- for greater understanding of their potential virulence. tal ligament attachment to teeth, coincident with a shift in Advances in genome sequencing have furthered our the microbial population in the gingival pocket.
    [Show full text]
  • Subsistence Strategies in Traditional Societies Distinguish Gut Microbiomes
    ARTICLE Received 19 Aug 2014 | Accepted 4 Feb 2015 | Published 25 Mar 2015 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7505 OPEN Subsistence strategies in traditional societies distinguish gut microbiomes Alexandra J. Obregon-Tito1,2,3,*, Raul Y. Tito1,2,*, Jessica Metcalf4, Krithivasan Sankaranarayanan1, Jose C. Clemente5, Luke K. Ursell4, Zhenjiang Zech Xu4, Will Van Treuren4, Rob Knight6, Patrick M. Gaffney7, Paul Spicer1, Paul Lawson1, Luis Marin-Reyes8, Omar Trujillo-Villarroel8, Morris Foster9, Emilio Guija-Poma2, Luzmila Troncoso-Corzo2, Christina Warinner1, Andrew T. Ozga1 & Cecil M. Lewis1 Recent studies suggest that gut microbiomes of urban-industrialized societies are different from those of traditional peoples. Here we examine the relationship between lifeways and gut microbiota through taxonomic and functional potential characterization of faecal samples from hunter-gatherer and traditional agriculturalist communities in Peru and an urban-industrialized community from the US. We find that in addition to taxonomic and metabolic differences between urban and traditional lifestyles, hunter-gatherers form a distinct sub-group among traditional peoples. As observed in previous studies, we find that Treponema are characteristic of traditional gut microbiomes. Moreover, through genome reconstruction (2.2–2.5 MB, coverage depth  26–513) and functional potential character- ization, we discover these Treponema are diverse, fall outside of pathogenic clades and are similar to Treponema succinifaciens, a known carbohydrate metabolizer in swine. Gut Treponema are found in non-human primates and all traditional peoples studied to date, suggesting they are symbionts lost in urban-industrialized societies. 1 Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, Dale Hall Tower, 521 Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA. 2 Universidad Cientı´fica del Sur, Lima 18, Peru´.
    [Show full text]