Firmicutes dominate the bacterial taxa within sugar-cane processing plants

Sugar cane processing sites are characterised by high sugar/hemicellulose levels, available moisture and warm conditions, and are relatively unexplored unique microbial environments. The PhyloChip microarray was used to investigate bacterial diversity and community composition in three Australian sugar cane processing plants. These ecosystems were highly complex and dominated by four main Phyla, Firmicutes (the most dominant), followed by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi. Significant variation (p , 0.05) in community structure occurred between samples collected from ‘floor dump sediment’, ‘cooling tower water’, and ‘bagasse leachate’. Many bacterial Classes contributed to these differences, however most were of low numerical abundance. Separation in community composition was also linked to Classes of Firmicutes, particularly Bacillales, Lactobacillales and Clostridiales, whose dominance is likely to be linked to their physiology as ‘lactic acid bacteria’, capable of fermenting the sugars present. This process may help displace other bacterial taxa, providing a competitive advantage for Firmicutes bacteria.

Cystine-mediated oxidative defence in Lactobacillus reuteri BR11

Lactobacillus reuteri BR11 possesses an abundant cystine uptake (Cyu) ABC-transporter that was previously found to be involved in a novel mechanism of oxidative defence mediated by cystine. The current study aimed to elucidate this mechanism with a focus on the role of the co-transcribed cystathionine ã-lyase (Cgl). Growth studies of wild-type L. reuteri BR11 and mutants inactivated in cgl and the cystine-binding protein encoding gene cyuC showed that in contrast to the Cyu transporter, whose inactivation led to growth arrest in aerated cultures, Cgl is not crucial for oxidative defence. However, the role of Cgl in oxidative defence became apparent in the presence of severe oxidative damage and cysteine deprivation. Cysteine was found to be protective against oxidative stress, and the action of Cgl in both cysteine biosynthesis and degradation poses a seemingly futile pathway that deprives the intracellular cysteine pool. To further characterise the relationship between Cgl activity and cysteine and their roles in oxidative defence, enzymatic assays were performed on purified Cgl, and intracellular concentrations of cysteine, cystathionine and methionine were determined. Cgl was highly active towards cystine and cystathionine and less active towards cysteine in vitro, suggesting the main function of Cgl to be cysteine biosynthesis. Cysteine was found at high concentrations in the cell, but the levels were not significantly affected by inactivation of cgl or growth under aerobic conditions. It was concluded that both anabolic and catabolic activities of Cgl towards cysteine contribute to oxidative defence, the former by maintaining an intracellular reservoir of thiol analogous to glutathione, and the latter by producing H2S which is readily secreted, thus creating a reducing extracellular environment. The significance of the Cyu transporter to the physiology of L. reuteri BR11 prompted a phylogenetic study to determine its presence in bacteria. Orthologs of the Cyu transporter that are closest matches to the Cyu transporter are only limited to several species of Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc. Outside the Lactobacillales order, the closest matching orthologs belong to Proteobacteria, and there are more orthologs in Proteobacteria than non-Lactobacillales Firmicutes, suggesting that the Cyu transporter locus was present in the ancestor of the Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, and over evolutionary time has been lost or diverged in many Firmicutes. The clustering of the Cyu transporter locus with a gene encoding a Cgl family protein is even rarer. It was only found in L. reuteri, Lactobacillus vaginalis, Weissella paramesenteroides, the Lactobacillus casei group, and several Campylobacter sp. An accompanying phylogenetic study of L. reuteri BR11 using multi-locus sequence analysis showed that L. reuteri BR11 had diverged from more than 100 strains of L. reuteri isolated from various hosts and geographical locations. However, comparison with other Lactobacillus species supported the current classification of BR11 as L. reuteri. The most closely related species to L. reuteri is L. vaginalis or Lactobacillus antri, depending on the housekeeping gene used for analysis. The close evolutionary relationship of L. vaginalis to L. reuteri and the high degree of sequence identity between the cgl-cyuABC loci in both species suggest that the Cyu system is highly likely to perform similar functions in L. vaginalis. In search of other genes that function in oxidative defence, a number of mutants which were inactivated in genes that confer increased resistance to oxidative stress in other bacteria were constructed. The genes targeted were ahpC (peroxidase component of the alkyl hydroperoxide reductase system), tpx (thiol peroxidase), osmC (osmotically induced protein C), mntH (Mn2+/Fe2+ transporter), gshA (ã-glutamylcysteine synthetase) and msrA (methionine sulfoxide reductase). The ahpC and mntH mutants had slightly lower minimum inhibitory concentrations of organic peroxides, suggesting these genes might be involved in resistance to organic peroxides in L. reuteri. However, none of the mutants exhibited growth defects in aerated cultures, in stark contrast to the cyuC mutant. This may be due to compensatory functions of other genes, a hypothesis which cannot be tested until a robust protocol for constructing markerless multiple gene deletion mutants in L. reuteri is developed. These results highlight the importance of the Cyu transporter in oxidative defence and provide a foundation for extending the research of this system in other bacteria.

Bacterial Community Structure in the Hindgut of Wild and Captive Dugongs (Dugong dugon)

Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are marine mammals that obtain nutrients through hindgut fermentation of seagrass, however, the microbes responsible have not been identified. This study used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 454-pyrosequencing to profile hindgut bacterial communities in wild dugongs. Faecal samples obtained from 32 wild dugongs representing four size/maturity classes, and two captive dugongs fed on cos lettuce were screened using DGGE. Partial 16S rRNA gene profiles of hindgut bacteria from wild dugong calves and juveniles were grouped together and were different to those in subadults and adults. Marked differences between hindgut bacterial communities of wild and captive dugongs were also observed, except for a single captive whose profile resembled wild adults following an unsuccessful reintroduction to the wild. Pyrosequencing of hindgut communities in two wild dugongs confirmed the stability of bacterial populations, and Firmicutes (average 75.6% of Operational Taxonomic Units [OTUs]) and Bacteroidetes (19.9% of OTUs) dominated. Dominant genera were Roseburia, Clostridium, and Bacteroides. Hindgut microbial composition and diversity in wild dugongs is affected by ontogeny and probably diet. In captive dugongs, the absence of the dominant bacterial DNA bands identified in wild dugongs is probably dependent upon prevailing diet and other captive conditions such as the use of antibiotics. This study represents a first step in the characterisation of a novel microbial ecosystem-the marine hindgut of Sirenia.

Shedding Light on the Microbial Community of the Macropod Foregut Using 454-Amplicon Pyrosequencing

Twenty macropods from five locations in Queensland, Australia, grazing on a variety of native pastures were surveyed and the bacterial community of the foregut was examined using 454-amplicon pyrosequencing. Specifically, the V3/V4 region of 16S rRNA gene was examined. A total of 5040 OTUs were identified in the data set (post filtering). Thirty-two OTUs were identified as 'shared' OTUS (i.e. present in all samples) belonging to either Firmicutes or Bacteroidetes (Clostridiales/Bacteroidales). These phyla predominated the general microbial community in all macropods. Genera represented within the shared OTUs included: unclassified Ruminococcaceae, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, unclassified Clostridiales, Peptococcus sp. Coprococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Blautia sp., Ruminoccocus sp., Eubacterium sp., Dorea sp., Oscillospira sp. and Butyrivibrio sp. The composition of the bacterial community of the foregut samples of each the host species (Macropus rufus, Macropus giganteus and Macropus robustus) was significantly different allowing differentiation between the host species based on alpha and beta diversity measures. Specifically, eleven dominant OTUs that separated the three host species were identified and classified as: unclassified Ruminococcaceae, unclassified Bacteroidales, Prevotella spp. and a Syntrophococcus sucromutans. Putative reductive acetogens and fibrolytic bacteria were also identified in samples. Future work will investigate the presence and role of fibrolytics and acetogens in these ecosystems. Ideally, the isolation and characterization of these organisms will be used for enhanced feed efficiency in cattle, methane mitigation and potentially for other industries such as the biofuel industry.

Impact of the Human Bacterial Environment on Mycobacteriosis and Allergy

My work describes two sectors of the human bacterial environment: 1. The sources of exposure to infectious non-tuberculous mycobacteria. 2. Bacteria in dust, reflecting the airborne bacterial exposure in environments protecting from or predisposing to allergic disorders. Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) transmit to humans and animals from the environment. Infection by NTM in Finland has increased during the past decade beyond that by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Among the farm animals, porcine mycobacteriosis is the predominant NTM disease in Finland. Symptoms of mycobacteriosis are found in 0.34 % of slaughtered pigs. Soil and drinking water are suspected as sources for humans and bedding materials for pigs. To achieve quantitative data on the sources of human and porcine NTM exposure, methods for quantitation of environmental NTM are needed. We developed a quantitative real-time PCR method, utilizing primers targeted at the 16S rRNA gene of the genus of Mycobacterium. With this method, I found in Finnish sphagnum peat, sandy soils and mud high contents of mycobacterial DNA, 106 to 107 genome equivalents per gram. A similar result was obtained by a method based on the Mycobacterium-specific hybridization of 16S rRNA. Since rRNA is found mainly in live cells, this result shows that the DNA detected by qPCR mainly represented live mycobacteria. Next, I investigated the occurrence of environmental mycobacteria in the bedding materials obtained from 5 pig farms with high prevalence (>4 %) of mycobacteriosis. When I used for quantification the same qPCR methods as for the soils, I found that piggery samples contained non-mycobacterial DNA that was amplified in spite of several mismatches with the primers. I therefore improved the qPCR assay by designing Mycobacterium-specific detection probes. Using the probe qPCR assay, I found 105 to 107 genome equivalents of mycobacterial DNA in unused bedding materials and up to 1000 fold more in the bedding collected after use in the piggery. This result shows that there was a source of mycobacteria in the bedding materials purchased by the piggery and that mycobacteria increased in the bedding materials during use in the piggery. Allergic diseases have reached epidemic proportions in urbanized countries. At the same time, childhood in rural environment or simple living conditions appears to protect against allergic disorders. Exposure to immunoreactive microbial components in rural environments seems to prevent allergies. I searched for differences in the bacterial communities of two indoor dusts, an urban house dust shown to possess immunoreactivity of the TH2-type and a farm barn dust with TH1-activity. The immunoreactivities of the dusts were revealed by my collaborators, in vitro in human dendritic cells and in vivo in mouse. The dusts accumulated >10 years in the respiratory zone (>1.5 m above floor), thus reflecting the long-term content of airborne bacteria at the two sites. I investigated these dusts by cloning and sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes from dust contained DNA. From the TH2-active urban house dust, I isolated 139 16S rRNA gene clones. The most prevalent genera among the clones were Corynebacterium (5 species, 34 clones), Streptococcus (8 species, 33 clones), Staphylococcus (5 species, 9 clones) and Finegoldia (1 species, 9 clones). Almost all of these species are known as colonizers of the human skin and oral cavity. Species of Corynebacterium and Streptococcus have been reported to contain anti-inflammatory lipoarabinomannans and immunmoreactive beta-glucans respectively. Streptococcus mitis, found in the urban house dust is known as an inducer of TH2 polarized immunity, characteristic of allergic disorders. I isolated 152 DNA clones from the TH1-active farm barn dust and found species quite different from those found from the urban house dust. Among others, I found DNA clones representing Bacillus licheniformis, Acinetobacter lwoffii and Lactobacillus each of which was recently reported to possess anti-allergy immunoreactivity. Moreover, the farm barn dust contained dramatically higher bacterial diversity than the urban house dust. Exposure to this dust thus stimulated the human dendritic cells by multiple microbial components. Such stimulation was reported to promote TH1 immunity. The biodiversity in dust may thus be connected to its immunoreactivity. Furthermore, the bacterial biomass in the farm barn dust consisted of live intact bacteria mainly. In the urban house dust only ~1 % of the biomass appeared as intact bacteria, as judged by microscoping. Fragmented microbes may possess bioactivity different from that of intact cells. This was recently shown for moulds. If this is also valid for bacteria, the different immunoreactivities of the two dusts may be explained by the intactness of dustborne bacteria. Based on these results, we offer three factors potentially contributing to the polarized immunoreactivities of the two dusts: (i) the species-composition, (ii) the biodiversity and (iii) the intactness of the dustborne bacterial biomass. The risk of childhood atopic diseases is 4-fold lower in the Russian compared with the Finnish Karelia. This difference across the country border is not explainable by different geo-climatic factors or genetic susceptibilities of the two populations. Instead, the explanation must be lifestyle-related. It has already been reported that the microbiological quality of drinking water differs on the two sides of the borders. In collaboration with allergists, I investigated dusts collected from homes in the Russian Karelia and in the Finnish Karelia. I found that bacterial 16S rRNA genes cloned from the Russian Karelian dusts (10 homes, 234 clones) predominantly represented Gram-positive taxa (the phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, 67%). The Russian Karelian dusts contained nine-fold more of muramic acid (60 to 70 ng mg-1) than the Finnish Karelian dusts (3 to 11 ng mg-1). Among the DNA clones isolated from the Finnish side (n=231), Gram-negative taxa (40%) outnumbered the Gram-positives (34%). Out of the 465 DNA clones isolated from the Karelian dusts, 242 were assigned to cultured validly described bacterial species. In Russian Karelia, animal-associated species e.g. Staphylococcus and Macrococcus were numerous (27 clones, 14 unique species). This finding may connect to the difference in the prevalence of allergy, as childhood contacts with pets and farm animals have been connected with low allergy risk. Plant-associated bacteria and plant-borne 16S rRNA genes (chloroplast) were frequent among the DNA clones isolated from the Finnish Karelia, indicating components originating from plants. In conclusion, my work revealed three major differences between the bacterial communtites in the Russian and in the Finnish Karelian homes: (i) the high prevalence of Gram-positive bacteria on the Russian side and of Gram-negative bacteria on the Finnish side and (ii) the rich presence of animal-associated bacteria on the Russian side whereas (iii) plant-associated bacteria prevailed on the Finnish side. One or several of these factors may connect to the differences in the prevalence of allergy.

Variation in the hindgut microbial communities of the Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris over winter in Crystal River, Florida

The Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris, is a hindgut-fermenting herbivore. In winter, manatees migrate to warm water overwintering sites where they undergo dietary shifts and may suffer from cold-induced stress. Given these seasonally induced changes in diet, the present study aimed to examine variation in the hindgut bacterial communities of wild manatees overwintering at Crystal River, west Florida. Faeces were sampled from 36 manatees of known sex and body size in early winter when manatees were newly arrived and then in mid-winter and late winter when diet had probably changed and environmental stress may have increased. Concentrations of faecal cortisol metabolite, an indicator of a stress response, were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Using 454-pyrosequencing, 2027 bacterial operational taxonomic units were identified in manatee faeces following amplicon pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V3/V4 region. Classified sequences were assigned to eight previously described bacterial phyla; only 0.36% of sequences could not be classified to phylum level. Five core phyla were identified in all samples. The majority (96.8%) of sequences were classified as Firmicutes (77.3 ± 11.1% of total sequences) or Bacteroidetes (19.5 ± 10.6%). Alpha-diversity measures trended towards higher diversity of hindgut microbiota in manatees in mid-winter compared to early and late winter. Beta-diversity measures, analysed through permanova, also indicated significant differences in bacterial communities based on the season.

Production attributes of Merino sheep genetically divergent for wool growth are reflected in differing rumen microbiotas

Divergent genetic selection for wool growth as a single trait has led to major changes in sheep physiology and metabolism, including variations in rumen microbial protein production and uptake of α-amino nitrogen in portal blood. This study was conducted to determine if sheep with different genetic merit for wool growth exhibit distinct rumen bacterial diversity. Eighteen Merino wethers were separated into groups of contrasting genetic merit for clean fleece weight (CFW; low: WG− and high: WG+) and fed a blend of oaten and lucerne chaff diet at two levels of intake (LOI; 1 or 1.5 times maintenance energy requirements) for two seven-week periods in a crossover design. Bacterial diversity in rumen fluid collected by esophageal intubation was characterized using 454 amplicon pyrosequencing of the V3/V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial diversity estimated by Phylogenetic distance, Chao1 and observed species did not differ significantly with CFW or LOI; however, the Shannon diversity index differed (P=0.04) between WG+ (7.67) and WG− sheep (8.02). WG+ animals had a higher (P=0.03) proportion of Bacteroidetes (71.9% vs 66.5%) and a lower (P=0.04) proportion of Firmicutes (26.6% vs 31.6%) than WG− animals. Twenty-four specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs), belonging to the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla, were shared among all the samples, whereas specific OTUs varied significantly in presence/abundance (P<0.05) between wool genotypes and 50 varied (P<0.05) with LOI. It appears that genetic selection for fleece weight is associated with differences in rumen bacterial diversity that persist across different feeding levels. Moderate correlations between seven continuous traits, such as methane production or microbial protein production, and the presence and abundance of 17 OTUs were found, indicating scope for targeted modification of the microbiome to improve the energetic efficiency of rumen microbial synthesis and reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of ruminants.

Lower Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Health and Irritable Bowel Syndrome : Characterisation and Effect of Probiotic Intervention

The human gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota is a complex ecosystem that lives in symbiosis with its host. The growing awareness of the importance of the microbiota to the host as well as the development of culture-free laboratory techniques and computational methods has enormously expanded our knowledge of this microbial community. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional bowel disorder affecting up to a fifth of the Western population. To date, IBS diagnosis has been based on GI symptoms and the exclusion of organic diseases. The GI microbiota has been found to be altered in this syndrome and probiotics can alleviate the symptoms, although clear links between the symptoms and the microbiota have not been demonstrated. The aim of the present work was to characterise IBS related alterations in the intestinal microbiota, their relation to IBS symptoms and their responsiveness to probiotic theraphy. In this thesis research, the healthy human microbiota was characterised by cloning and sequencing 16S rRNA genes from a faecal microbial community DNA pool that was first profiled and fractionated according to its guanine and cytosine content (%G+C). The most noticeable finding was that the high G+C Gram-positive bacteria (the phylum Actinobacteria) were more abundant compared to a corresponding library constructed from the unfractionated DNA pool sample. Previous molecular analyses of the gut microbiota have also shown comparatively low amounts of high G+C bacteria. Furthermore, the %G+C profiling approach was applied to a sample constructed of faecal DNA from diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) subjects. The phylogenetic microbial community comparison performed for healthy and IBS-D sequence libraries revealed that the IBS-D sample was rich in representatives of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria whereas Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were abundant in the healthy subjects. The family Lachnospiraceae within the Firmicutes was especially prevalent in the IBS-D sample. Moreover, associations of the GI microbiota with intestinal symptoms and the quality of life (QOL) were investigated, as well as the effect of probiotics on these factors. The microbial targets that were analysed with the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in this study were phylotypes (species definition according to 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) previously associated with either health or IBS. With a set of samples, the presence or abundance of a phylotype that had 94% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to Ruminococcus torques (R. torques 94%) was shown to be associated with the severity of IBS symptoms. The qPCR analyses for selected phylotypes were also applied to samples from a six-month probiotic intervention with a mixture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, L. rhamnosus Lc705, Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS and Bifidobacterium breve Bb99. The intervention had been previously reported to alleviate IBS symptoms, but no associations with the analysed microbiota representatives were shown. However, with the phylotype-specific assays applied here, the abundance of the R. torques 94% -phylotype was shown to be lowered in the probiotic-receiving group during the probiotic supplementation, whereas a Clostridium thermosuccinogenes 85% phylotype, previously associated with a healthy microbiota, was found to be increased compared to the placebo group. To conclude, with the combination of methods applied, higher abundance of Actinobacteria was detected in the healthy gut than found in previous studies, and significant phylum-level microbiota alterations could be shown in IBS-D. Thus, the results of this study provide a detailed overview of the human GI microbiota in healthy subjects and in subjects with IBS. Furthermore, the IBS symptoms were linked to a particular clostridial phylotype, and probiotic supplementation was demonstrated to alter the GI microbiota towards a healthier state with regard to this and an additional bacterial phylotype. For the first time, distinct phylotype-level alterations in the microbiota were linked to IBS symptoms and shown to respond to probiotic therapy.

Molecular profiling of indoor microbial communities in moisture damaged and non-damaged buildings

Epidemiological studies have shown an elevation in the incidence of asthma, allergic symptoms and respiratory infections among people living or working in buildings with moisture and mould problems. Microbial growth is suspected to have a key role, since the severity of microbial contamination and symptoms show a positive correlation, while the removal of contaminated materials relieves the symptoms. However, the cause-and-effect relationship has not been well established and knowledge of the causative agents is incomplete. The present consensus of indoor microbes relies on culture-based methods. Microbial cultivation and identification is known to provide qualitatively and quantitatively biased results, which is suspected to be one of the reasons behind the often inconsistent findings between objectively measured microbiological attributes and health. In the present study the indoor microbial communities were assessed using culture-independent, DNA based methods. Fungal and bacterial diversity was determined by amplifying and sequencing the nucITS- and16S-gene regions, correspondingly. In addition, the cell equivalent numbers of 69 mould species or groups were determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR). The results from molecular analyses were compared with results obtained using traditional plate cultivation for fungi. Using DNA-based tools, the indoor microbial diversity was found to be consistently higher and taxonomically wider than viable diversity. The dominant sequence types of fungi, and also of bacteria were mainly affiliated with well-known microbial species. However, in each building they were accompanied by various rare, uncultivable and unknown species. In both moisture-damaged and undamaged buildings the dominant fungal sequence phylotypes were affiliated with the classes Dothideomycetes (mould-like filamentous ascomycetes); Agaricomycetes (mushroom- and polypore-like filamentous basidiomycetes); Urediniomycetes (rust-like basidiomycetes); Tremellomycetes and the family Malasseziales (both yeast-like basidiomycetes). The most probable source for the majority of fungal types was the outdoor environment. In contrast, the dominant bacterial phylotypes in both damaged and undamaged buildings were affiliated with human-associated members within the phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Indications of elevated fungal diversity within potentially moisture-damage-associated fungal groups were recorded in two of the damaged buildings, while one of the buildings was characterized by an abundance of members of the Penicillium chrysogenum and P. commune species complexes. However, due to the small sample number and strong normal variation firm conclusions concerning the effect of moisture damage on the species diversity could not be made. The fungal communities in dust samples showed seasonal variation, which reflected the seasonal fluctuation of outdoor fungi. Seasonal variation of bacterial communities was less clear but to some extent attributable to the outdoor sources as well. The comparison of methods showed that clone library sequencing was a feasible method for describing the total microbial diversity, indicated a moderate quantitative correlation between sequencing and qPCR results and confirmed that culture based methods give both a qualitative and quantitative underestimate of microbial diversity in the indoor environment. However, certain important indoor fungi such as Penicillium spp. were clearly underrepresented in the sequence material, probably due to their physiological and genetic properties. Species specific qPCR was a more efficient and sensitive method for detecting and quantitating individual species than sequencing, but in order to exploit the full advantage of the method in building investigations more information is needed about the microbial species growing on damaged materials. In the present study, a new method was also developed for enhanced screening of the marker gene clone libraries. The suitability of the screening method to different kinds of microbial environments including biowaste compost material and indoor settled dusts was evaluated. The usability was found to be restricted to environments that support the growth and subsequent dominance of a small number microbial species, such as compost material.

Microbial community profiling shows dysbiosis in the lesional skin of Vitiligo subjects

Healthy human skin harbours a diverse array of microbes that comprise the skin microbiome. Commensal bacteria constitute an important component of resident microbiome and are intricately linked to skin health. Recent studies describe an association between altered skin microbial community and epidemiology of diseases, like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis etc. In this study, we compare the differences in bacterial community of lesional and non-lesional skin of vitiligo subjects. Our study reveals dysbiosis in the diversity of microbial community structure in lesional skin of vitiligo subjects. Although individual specific signature is dominant over the vitiligo-specific microbiota, a clear decrease in taxonomic richness and evenness can be noted in lesional patches. Investigation of community specific correlation networks reveals distinctive pattern of interactions between resident bacterial populations of the two sites (lesional and non-lesional). While Actinobacterial species constitute the central regulatory nodes (w.r.t. degree of interaction) in non-lesional skin, species belonging to Firmicutes dominate on lesional sites. We propose that the changes in taxonomic characteristics of vitiligo lesions, as revealed by our study, could play a crucial role in altering the maintenance and severity of disease. Future studies would elucidate mechanistic relevance of these microbial dynamics that can provide new avenues for therapeutic interventions.

Bacterial diversity in activated sludge from a consecutively aerated submerged membrane bioreactor treating domestic wastewater

The bacterial diversity of activated sludge from submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) was investigated. A 16S rDNA clone library was generated, and 150 clones were screened using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Of the screened clones, almost full-length 16S rDNA sequences of 64 clones were sequenced. Phylogenetic tree was constructed with a database containing clone sequences from this study and bacterial rDNA sequences from NCB1 for identification purposes. The 90.6% of the clones were affiliated with the two phyla Bacteroidetes (50%) and Proteobacteria (40%), and beta-, -gamma-, and delta-Proteobacteria accounted for 7.8%, 28.1%, and 4.7%, respectively. Minor portions were affiliated with the Actinobacteria and Firmicutes (both 3.1%). Only 6 out of 64 16S rDNA sequences exhibited similarities of more than 97% to classified bacterial species, which indicated that a substantial fraction of the clone sequences were derived from unknown taxa. Rarefaction analysis of operational taxonomic units (orrUs) clusters demonstrated that 150 clones screened were still insufficient to describe the whole bacterial diversity. Measurement of water quality parameter demonstrated that performance of the SMBR maintained high level, and the SMBR system remained stable during this study.

长期重金属污染胁迫下农田土壤微生物特征研究

本论文以沈阳张士污灌区土壤为例，首次采用传统微生物生态学与现代微生物分子生态学相结合的研究方法系统地研究了污灌区长期重金属污染胁迫下原位农田土壤微生物特征。结果表明，虽然已经停止污灌十多年，张士灌区土壤耕作层（0～30 cm）仍然存在普遍的Cd污染，灌区土壤Cd含量高达1.75～3.89 mg kg-1。部分区域土壤Cd呈现向下迁移的趋势,且同时伴随有Cu、Zn复合污染。灌区土壤Cd含量较高时清水灌溉能降低土壤表层Cd含量，灌区土壤Cd含量下降到一定程度（约2 mg kg-1）后，清水灌溉对消除土壤表层Cd污染的作用消失。重金属元素中Cd对土壤微生物的影响最突出，在三个不同季节中土壤Cd与土壤微生物生物量（MBC）和微生物商（qM）呈显著负相关，与土壤微生物代谢商（qCO2）呈显著正相关。所检测的微生物指标中qM和qCO2与多种重金属元素呈显著相关性，可作为评价一定程度重金属污染的微生物指标。土壤营养元素（除P外）与微生物特征呈显著正相关性，土壤营养元素对微生物的刺激作用有可能在某种程度上掩盖了重金属对土壤微生物的负面影响。 用16S rDNA-PCR-DGGE方法，研究了不同浓度Cd胁迫下土壤Cd抗性细菌群落结构的动态变化，结果表明在Cd的胁迫下Cd抗性细菌多样性显著增加，不同土壤样品中Cd抗性细菌群落结构向相似的方向偏移，群落结构最终将可能趋向一致。Cd胁迫使敏感菌Pontibacter消失，而伯克氏菌（Burkholderia）、罗尔斯通氏菌（Ralstonia）、芽孢杆菌（Bacillus）和节杆菌（Arthrobacter）则富集成为优势菌。 从张士灌区Cd污染土壤中分离出32株Cd抗性细菌，研究了Cd抗性细菌和Cd抗性基因cadA的分布特征。这32株Cd抗性细菌分别归属于拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)（37.5%）、变形菌门(Proteobacteria) （37.5%）、放线菌门(Actinobacteria)（9.4%） 和厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)（15.6%）。在液体LB培养基中对Cd的抗性浓度都大于2 mmol L-1，对Zn抗性浓度介于5～13 mmol L-1。首次从Cetobacillus属的Cd抗性菌株S1基因组DNA中扩增出cadA基因的部分片断。在芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)的4株菌N7，N9，N10和N11的基因组DNA中扩增出cadA基因的部分片断。序列分析结果表明这5株菌的cadA基因序列相似性为99％～93％，它们与坚强芽孢杆菌（Bacillus firmus） cadA 基因序列(M90750）相似性为94％～92％。系统发育分析结果表明这5株菌的cadA都与Bacillus firmus cadA 基因有着较近的亲缘关系。不同属的Cd抗性细菌间cadA基因的高度相似性揭示了cadA基因能在不同种属间转移的特性。

污水处理体系中的微生物群落特征研究

污水生物处理系统本质上是一种人工强化的工程化微生态系统。污水处理过程往往由多个功能互补的反应单元协同完成，例如因对污水中有机碳、氮和磷兼具良好的去除功能而在城市污水处理中被广泛应用的Anoxic / Oxic（A/O）生物处理工艺。不同反应单元特有的微生物群落之间的相互关系和相互作用与处理系统的稳定性和处理效率密切相关。所以对污水处理系统中微生物群落进行系统分析非常重要。研究系统中微生物群落的时空演替对于优化处理系统的设计和操作具有重要意义。但是，以往对于污水处理系统中微生态系统的解析多数针对实验室规模的其中个别反应器独立进行，还缺乏从系统水平对实际大规模运行的整个污水处理过程中所有反应单元群落进行分析的研究。 悬挂链移动曝气系统是对A / O工艺的完善和发展。悬挂链曝气工艺的实现是依靠悬挂链移动曝气设备和完善的自动控制系统来完成的。可以在系统中实现类似多级A/O的可能性，水力停留时间较长，污泥龄达到15天以上，能够完全实现A / O 工艺。 目前正被广泛应用在各种行业的污水处理项目中。 本文应用基于细菌16S rRNA中的PCR扩增方法（Polymerase Chain Reactor），结合变性梯度凝胶电泳指纹分离技术（Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis, DGGE），对实际规模的运用Anoxic / Oxic（A/O）工艺并采用悬挂链式移动曝气技术的污水生物处理系统中微生物群落特征，主要对细菌组成结构和群落动态，细菌优势菌群的多样性以及与系统功能稳定性的关系进行了研究，拟为更全面了解活性污泥处理系统中的优势菌群特征，以及细菌群落结构和功能动态变化关系，实现对活性污泥处理的优化操作，对污染物降解功能菌群的筛选，为运用现代培养技术实现分离培养并运用于环境修复实践奠定方法和理论基础。 首先，对影响PCR-DGGE分析的重要前操作步骤进行了优化和筛选，包括两个方面：细菌基因组DNA的高效提取和纯化；不同16S rRNA靶序列对PCR-DGGE分析的影响。从中选出适合于活性污泥样品的细菌基因组DNA提取方法和PCR-DGGE分析的最优靶序列组合。 其次，运用PCR-DGGE指纹图谱技术分析了该污水处理系统中不同功能反应单元中活性污泥的细菌种群结构特征，探讨了系统运行过程中细菌种群时间和空间上的动态特征。并将图谱中所显示的优势条带进行切割回收，重复扩增，电泳检测，序列测定并与GenaBank数据库中的微生物类群进行同源性比对，探讨活性污泥中细菌种群多样性，了解污泥中可能含有的主要具有污染物降解功能的类群信息。 在整个处理过程中，同一功能反应单元中不同位置的活性污泥微生物菌群结构不同。执行不同功能的处理单元活性污泥细菌多样性和组成结构各有不同。 在系统稳定运行的状态下，细菌组成结构的时间变化动态不显著。但是在系统的不同操作条件下，主要处理池的微生物群落的DGGE遗传指纹图谱较独特。 对该处理系统污泥中优势菌群的序列测定和同源性比对表明，优势菌群所对应的细菌的16S rDNA序列可以被归属于以下四个主要的细菌系：α, β, γ- Proteobacteria 以及厚壁菌门 phylum Firmicutes （low G+C Gram-positive）。 该处理系统的优势菌群的DGGE条带拥有潜在的具有异养硝化/好氧反硝化的除 N / P 类群。该类菌群中的大多数属于Pseudomonas spp.。另外，回收到两个与已鉴定的具有异养硝化和好氧反硝化能力的Pseudomonas stutzeri 和 Pseudomonas borbori 最相似的菌株的条带。γ-变形菌纲门（γ- Proteobacteria）的微生物类群在该缺氧-好氧处理厂中分布较广泛，尤其是和 N / P 去除紧密相关的具有脱氮除磷能力的Pseudomonas 类群，而且在好氧曝气处理池中分布较广，这可能和系统中表现的好氧反硝化现象相关。 不同的操作状况下微生物群落结构有差异。增加污泥回流比，增加DO（Dissolved oxygen）浓度，COD去除率和NH4+-N去除率显著增加，总N和总P的去除率改变不显著。 最后，对整个处理过程中微生物群落结构在系统正常调控改变范围内的长期动态和稳定性进行了探讨。整个处理系统的长期稳定性与体系中的每个处理环节相关，而不是仅与其中的单个主要反应池相关。污水处理体系的功能稳定性与其中的微生物群落稳定性相关，微生物群落结构决定了生态功能，群落结构变化能反应系统的运行状况及其降解效率。

应用PCR-DGGE技术分析长江口低氧区和黄海冷水团的细菌群落组成

利用PCR-DGGE技术对长江口外低氧区海域和黄海冷水团海域的细菌群落组成进行了分析。 长江口外低氧区海域的细菌群落组成分析结果为：对获得的25条DGGE条带进行了克隆、测序，所得到的序列进行了系统进化分析（细菌16S rRNA基因V3区序列），分别归属于4个细菌类群：变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroides)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)和蓝细菌门(Cyanobacteria)。其中有16条分别与变形细菌亚群的γ和δ-Proteobacteria相似。通过时空分析发现，低氧水体的细菌群落组成与非低氧水体的组成是不同的。低氧水体的优势菌群是拟杆菌门(Bacteroides)中的Flavobacteria。 黄海冷水团海域的细菌群落组成和优势菌群分析结果为：细菌16S rDNA V3区特征片段经DGGE分离、条带切割，共得到24条DGGE条带，克隆、测序后，将所得序列进行系统进化分析，分别归属于2个细菌类群：变形细菌门(Proteobacteria)和拟杆菌门(Bacteroides)。在24条序列中有16条分别与变形细菌亚群的γ和δ-Proteobacteria相似，有5条与拟杆菌门相似。通过时空分析发现，10月份（冷水团存在期），冷水团内部水体的细菌群落组成包括γ-Proteobacteria、δ-Proteobacteria和Bacteroides，而冷水团外部的水体的细菌群落组成包括γ-Proteobacteria和Bacteroides。冷水团内部水层的优势菌群为γ-Proteobacteria。4月份虽然冷水团没有形成，但是所调查的海域海水温度都不高，在7℃－12℃范围内，所以4月份所有站位，不管是底层的还是总的的细菌群落组成都与10月份冷水团内部（海水温度低于10℃）水体的相同，与10月份冷水团外部（海水温度大于19℃）的不同。

Analysis of transduction in wastewater bacterial populations by targeting the phage-derived 16S rRNA gene sequences

Bacterial 16S rRNA genes transduced by bacteriophages were identified and analyzed in order to estimate the extent of the bacteriophage-mediated horizontal gene transfer in the wastewater environment. For this purpose, phage and bacterial DNA was isolated from the oxidation tank of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences cloned from a phage metagenome revealed that bacteriophages transduce genetic material in several major groups of bacteria. The groups identified were as follows: Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Actinomycetales and Firmicutes. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences in the total bacterial DNA from the same sample revealed that several bacterial groups found in the oxidation tank were not present in the phage metagenome (e.g. Deltaproteobacteria, Nitrospira, Planctomycetes and many Actinobacteria genera). These results suggest that transduction in a wastewater environment occurs in several bacterial groups; however, not all species are equally involved into this process. The data also showed that a number of distinctive bacterial strains participate in transduction-mediated gene transfer within identified bacterial groupings. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis confirmed that profiles of the transduced 16S rRNA gene sequences and those present in the whole microbial community show significant differences.