Project description:Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are among the most abundant microorganisms and key players in the global nitrogen and carbon cycles. They share a common energy metabolism but represent a heterogeneous group with respect to their environmental distri- bution and adaptions, growth requirements, and genome contents. We report here the genome and proteome of Nitrososphaera viennensis EN76, the type species of the archaeal class Nitrososphaeria of the phylum Thaumarchaeota encompassing all known AOA. N. viennensis is a soil organism with a 2.52-Mb genome and 3,123 predicted protein-coding genes. Proteomic analysis revealed that nearly 50% of the predicted genes were translated under standard laboratory growth conditions. Comparison with genomes of closely related species of the predominantly terrestrial Nitrososphaerales as well as the more streamlined marine Nitrosopumilales (Candidatus order) and the acidophile Nitrosotalea devanaterra revealed a core genome of AOA comprising 860 genes, which allowed for the reconstruction of central metabolic pathways common to all known AOA and expressed in the N. viennensis and Nitrosopelagicus brevis proteomes. Concomitantly, we were able to identify candidate proteins for as yet unidentified crucial steps in central metabolisms. In addition to unraveling aspects of core AOA metabolism, we identified specific metabolic innovations associated with the Nitrososphaerales mediating growth and survival in the soil milieu, including the capacity for biofilm formation, cell surface modifications and cell adhesion, and carbohydrate conversions as well as detoxification of aromatic compounds and drugs.
Project description:Salinity strongly influences the physiology and distribution of nitrifying microorganisms, yet the effects of low salinity on these key players in nitrogen cycling remain understudied. This study investigates the impact of hypoosmolarity on different groups of ammonia oxidizers in soil and lake environments, as well as in pure culture isolates. In soil microcosms amended with ammonium, at low salinity levels (~120 µS/cm), which are comparable to values commonly found in pristine terrestrial and aquatic environments, the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), dominated by Nitrosomonas oligotropha, significantly increased. In contrast, the growth of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), dominated by “Ca. Nitrosotenuis” of the Nitrosopumilaceae family, was stimulated by high salinity (~760 µS/cm). In ammonium-fed lake microcosms, the abundance of AOB, dominated by N. oligotropha, significantly increased under both low (~170 µS/cm) and high salinity (~850 µS/cm) conditions. In the presence of allylthiourea, a bacterial nitrification inhibitor, AOA were found to be sensitive to low salinity in both soil and lake microcosms. Consistently, pure culture studies revealed marked growth inhibition of AOA, especially of members of the Nitrosopumilaceae, under hypoosmolarity, unlike AOB and complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) strains. Comparative genomic analyses with AOB and comammox, along with transcriptomic studies, suggested that the sensitivity of AOA to hypoosmolarity stress is attributed to a lack of sophisticated osmoregulatory transport systems and their S-layer cell wall structure. Overall, this study highlights the importance of hypoosmolarity as a key factor shaping the ecological niches and distribution of ammonia oxidizers as well as nitrification activities in terrestrial and aquatic environments increasingly affected in their salinities by intensified water cycles due to climate change.
Project description:There are 16 organ samples (dry seeds, 24H imbibed seeds, 48H imbibed seeds, juvenile rosette, adult rosette, senescence leaves, cauline leaves, stems, young buds, mature flower buds, flowers, young siliques, mature siliques and old siliques) with triplicates. There are 17 samples of different environmental samples (0 h white, 1 h white, 6 h white, 24 h white, dark, blue, far-red and red lights, control, cold 2h, cold 6h, hot 2h, hot 6h, NaCl 2h, NaCl 6h, dry 2h and dry 6h) with triplicates.
Project description:Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) play a significant role in global nitrogen and carbon cycling. AOA can survive under fluctuating environmental conditions by modulating gene expression. Little is known about how AOA regulate gene expression to adapt environmental stress. Here, we report a chromatin-driven mechanism of transcription in Nitrososphaera Viennensis (EN76) to adapt to temperature stress. Using computational and biochemical assays, we found EN76 contains an archaeasome structure. We found that several residues, including G20, K57, and T58 of histone, are important to form archaea chromatin structures. In vitro transcription assays revealed that AOA chromatin efficiently controls gene expression, similar to eukaryote chromatin. Furthermore, we identified AOA histone acetylation, which activates gene expression. Moreover, by integrating chromatin-based gene expression analyses, we revealed that AOA differentially regulate gene expression in response to temperature stress by altering archaeasome occupancy. Our study provides unprecedented documentation that AOA fine-tunes gene expression through a chromatin-driven epigenetic mechanism.
Project description:The aim of the study was to identify genes which are differentially expressed in the peripheral blood nuclear cells of two breeds of cattle (Holstein-Friesian and Polish Red) and cervine in different points in their physiological states (dry-off period, peak of lactation) RNA from peripheral blood nuclear cells taken from cattle and cervine in peak lactation and dry period were hybridized to Agilent two color microarrays with a common reference. There were four Holstein-Friesian cattle, four Polish Red cattle and four deer investigated. The whole blood was drawn in two time point from each animal – during dry period and peak lactation. This means that there were six research groups (Holstein-Friesian cattle in dry period and Holstein-Friesian cattle in peak lactation; Polish Red cattle in dry period and Polish Red cattle in peak lactation; Deer in dry period and Deer in peak lactation). Using Gene Spring Software (one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD Post-hoc test) three lists of differentially expressed transcripts were obtained: a list of 576 transcripts which differ deer in dry period and in peak lactation, a list of 437 transcripts which differ Holstein-Friesian cattle in dry period and in peak lactation and a list of 158 transcripts which differ Polish Red cattle in dry period and in peak lactation.
Project description:The rapid expansion of fast-growing plantations in subtropical regions is closely linked to dry-season irrigation and fertilization; however, improper practices often lead to soil acidification and reduced nutrient bioavailability. Phosphorus (P), one of the most critical elements for plantation tree growth, shows complex spatial distribution patterns in soil that are influenced by multiple factors, directly affecting plantation productivity. This study investigated the effects of long-term fertilization and dry-season irrigation on the vertical distribution of phosphorus in an 8-year-old subtropical Eucalyptus plantation. This study employed stratified sampling (0–30 cm topsoil, 30–60 cm subsoil, 60–90 cm substratum) during dry seasons, coupled with metagenomics, metabolomics, and environmental factor analysis, to reveal vertical phosphorus cycling patterns and multiomics regulatory networks. Key findings: (1) Fertilization and dry-season irrigation had a limited influence on labile phosphorus and the diversity of P-cycling microorganisms. The topsoil presented significantly greater P availability than did the subsoil, manifested as elevated acid phosphatase activity (ACP), significant enrichment of the tryptophan metabolic pathway, and greater microbial diversity. (2) pH and the C:P ratio represent critical factors of vertical stratification in soil P cycling. Under acidic conditions, topsoil microorganisms facilitate P release via diverse metabolic pathways, whereas oligotrophic constraints in the substratum limit enzymatic activities. (3) We believe that potential cross-stratum microbial functional coordination exists in acidic soil P cycling, with linkages to tryptophan metabolism and polyP synthesis/degradation. Our study provides theoretical multiomics insights for optimizing the management of soil P pools in subtropical plantations under fertilization and dry-season irrigation.