Project description:we applied metaproteomic approach to capture proteins from three size-fractionated microbial communities at the DCM in the basin of the South China Sea. The deep recovery of proteomes from a marine DCM plankton assemblage provides the highest resolution of metabolic activities as well as microbial niche differentiation, revealing a spectrum of biological processes carrying out by microbes at DCM of the SCS.
Project description:In the present study, we studied microbial composition and metabolic activity in the bathypelagic zone of the South China Sea. 12 samples were collected and subjected to metaproteomic analysis. Our data provide a novel view of the roles of two lifestyle prokaryotes and their link in substrate utilization in dark ocean.
Project description:Analysis of U251 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells treated with a new culcita novaeguineae asterosaponion, CN-3. A new asterosaponin was isolated from culcita novaeguineae, an abundant marine resource in the south China sea. The asterosaponin induced significant growth inhibition with a 50% inhibitory concentration at 48 h of 2.013 μg/mL in U251MG cells. 1.8μg/mL of the asterosaponin reduced U251 MG cells viability from 100 % to 42.5% (24 h), 37.4% (48 h) and 52.1% (72 h). In this study, a microarray analysis was performed using RNA prepared from U251MG GBM cells treated with the asterosaponion. These data revealed that 661 genes had significant differential expressions.
Project description:Crude oil is the one of the most important natural assets of humankind, yet it is a major environmental pollutant, in particular, in marine environments. One of the largest crude oil polluted areas in the word is the semi-enclosed Mediterranean Sea, where the metabolic potential of indigenous populations towards the chronic pollution at a large scale is yet to be defined, particularly in anaerobic and micro-anaerobic marine sites. Here, we provided a novel insight into the active microbial metabolism in sediments from three environments along the coastline of Italy. Microbial proteomes exhibited prevalence in anaerobic metabolism, not related to the biodegradation directly, suggesting the strong limitation by oxygen induced by the carbon overload. They also point at previously unrecognized metabolic coupling between methane and methanol utilizers as well as sulfur reducers in marine petroleum polluted sediments.
Project description:Recent studies have unveiled the deep sea as a rich biosphere, populated by species descended from shallow-water ancestors post-mass extinctions. Research on genomic evolution and microbial symbiosis has shed light on how these species thrive in extreme deep-sea conditions. However, early adaptation stages, particularly the roles of conserved genes and symbiotic microbes, remain inadequately understood. This study examined transcriptomic and microbiome changes in shallow-water mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis exposed to deep-sea conditions at the Site-F cold seep in the South China Sea. Results reveal complex gene expression adjustments in stress response, immune defense, homeostasis, and energy metabolism pathways during adaptation. After 10 days of deep-sea exposure, shallow-water mussels and their microbial communities closely resembled those of native deep-sea mussels, demonstrating host and microbiome convergence in response to adaptive shifts. Notably, methanotrophic bacteria, key symbionts in native deep-sea mussels, emerged as a dominant group in the exposed mussels. Host genes involved in immune recognition and endocytosis correlated significantly with the abundance of these bacteria. Overall, our analyses provide insights into adaptive transcriptional regulation and microbiome dynamics of mussels in deep-sea environments, highlighting the roles of conserved genes and microbial community shifts in adapting to extreme environments.
Project description:Chemical analysis of the compounds present in sediment, although informative, often is not indicative of the downstream biological effects that these contaminants exert on resident aquatic organisms. More direct molecular methods are needed to determine if marine life is affected by exposure to sediments. In this study, we used an aquatic multispecies microarray and q-PCR to investigate the effects on gene expression in juvenile sea bream (Sparus aurata) of two contaminated sediments defined as sediment 1 and 2 respectively, from marine areas in Northern Italy.
Project description:In the present study, we studied microbial composition and metabolic activity in the euphotic zone of the South China Sea. 8 samples were collected and subjected to metaproteomic analysis. Our results suggested that mixotrophic phototrophs-driven NDL carbon fixation along with phytoplankton-driven NRL carbon fixation determined primary production in the oligotrophic ocean’s euphotic zone.
Project description:The deep marine subsurface is one of the largest unexplored biospheres on Earth, where members of the phylum Chloroflexi are abundant and globally distributed. However, the deep-sea Chloroflexi have remained elusive to cultivation, hampering a more thorough understanding of their metabolisms. In this work, we have successfully isolated a representative of the phylum Chloroflexi, designated strain ZRK33, from deep-sea cold seep sediments. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA genes, genomes, RpoB and EF-tu proteins indicated that strain ZRK33 represents a novel class within the phylum Chloroflexi, designated Sulfochloroflexia. We present a detailed description of the phenotypic traits, complete genome sequence and central metabolisms of the novel strain ZRK33. Notably, sulfate and thiosulfate could significantly promote the growth of the new isolate, possibly through accelerating the hydrolysis and uptake of saccharides. Thus, this result reveals that strain ZRK33 may play a crucial part in sulfur cycling in the deep-sea environments. Moreover, the putative genes associated with assimilatory and dissimilatory sulfate reduction are broadly distributed in the genomes of 27 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from deep-sea cold seep and hydrothermal vents sediments. Together, we propose that the deep marine subsurface Chloroflexi play key roles in sulfur cycling for the first time. This may concomitantly suggest an unsuspected availability of sulfur-containing compounds to allow for the high abundance of Chloroflexi in the deep sea.
Project description:Viral concentrates (VCs) contained both viral particles and cell-affiliated components. In this study, a shotgun metaproteomic approach was applied to characterize proteins in the VCs collected from chlorophyll maximum, mesopelagic (200 m) and bathypelagic (3000 m) waters in the South China Sea. Abundant viral proteins indicated the shift of viral community as depth. Whereas the remaining non-viral proteins suggested the diverse microbial metabolism distinct at different layers.