Génomique comparative d'isolats phylogénétiquement proches appartenant au genre Thermococcus, une archée hyperthermophile

The immense genomic diversity of microorganisms allows them to live everywhere, even in extreme environments such as deep hydrothermal vents. Scattered over the seabed, these are a good model for studying the biogeography and genomes diversification. A comparative genomics approach has been used on closely related isolates, of the genus Thermococcus. This work aimed at identifying mechanisms that have a role in the diversification of these genomes, and also to identify genes involved in this differentiation. For this purpose, two groups of about 20 isolates with different geographical origins were selected and sequenced.The geographical isolation resulting from colonization of new hydrothermal systems is likely to be a diversification and speciation factor for some isolates. But when hydrothermal sites are relatively close, it would seem that gene transfer between isolates is still possible. In this case, adaptation to new ecological niches would be a factor contributing to the genomes diversification. The comparative genomics approach allowed highlighting genes specific to certain subgroups, related to species. These genes are involved in amino acid metabolism, energy production and the transport of inorganic ions. This reflects selection pressures that these organisms may experience in these environments, otherwise hostile to many forms of life.L'immense diversité génomique des microorganismes leur permet de vivre partout, même dans les environnements extrêmes tels que Ies sources hydrothermales profondes. Ces dernières, disséminées sur l’ensemble des fonds océaniques, sont un bon modèle pour étudier la biogéographie et la diversification des génomes. Une approche de génomique comparative a été employée sur des isolats du genre Thermococcus proches d'un point de vue évolutif. Ce travail visait à identifier des mécanismes ayant un rôle dans Ia diversification de ces génomes, et également d'identifier des gènes impliqués dans cette différenciation. A cette fin, deux groupes d'une vingtaine d'isolats ayant des origines géographiques diverses ont été sélectionnés et séquencés. L'éloignement géographique résultant de la colonisation de nouveaux systèmes hydrothermaux semble être un facteur de diversification et de spéciation pour certains isolats. Cependant, lorsque les sites hydrothermaux sont relativement proches, il semblerait qu'un transfert de gènes entre les isolats soit toujours possible. Dans ce cas, l’adaptation à de nouvelles niches écologiques serait un facteur de la diversification des génomes. L'approche de génomique comparative a permis d'identifier des gènes spécifiques à certains sous-groupes, apparentés à des espèces. Ces gènes sont notamment impliqués dans les métabolismes des acides aminés, de production d'énergie et de transport d'ions inorganiques. Ceci reflète les pressions de sélections que peuvent subir ces organismes dans ces environnements hostiles à de nombreuses formes de vie

Comparative genomics of closely related Thermococcus isolates, a genus of hyperthermophilic Archaea

L'immense diversité génomique des microorganismes leur permet de vivre partout, même dans les environnements extrêmes tels que Ies sources hydrothermales profondes. Ces dernières, disséminées sur l’ensemble des fonds océaniques, sont un bon modèle pour étudier la biogéographie et la diversification des génomes. Une approche de génomique comparative a été employée sur des isolats du genre Thermococcus proches d'un point de vue évolutif. Ce travail visait à identifier des mécanismes ayant un rôle dans Ia diversification de ces génomes, et également d'identifier des gènes impliqués dans cette différenciation. A cette fin, deux groupes d'une vingtaine d'isolats ayant des origines géographiques diverses ont été sélectionnés et séquencés. L'éloignement géographique résultant de la colonisation de nouveaux systèmes hydrothermaux semble être un facteur de diversification et de spéciation pour certains isolats. Cependant, lorsque les sites hydrothermaux sont relativement proches, il semblerait qu'un transfert de gènes entre les isolats soit toujours possible. Dans ce cas, l’adaptation à de nouvelles niches écologiques serait un facteur de la diversification des génomes. L'approche de génomique comparative a permis d'identifier des gènes spécifiques à certains sous-groupes, apparentés à des espèces. Ces gènes sont notamment impliqués dans les métabolismes des acides aminés, de production d'énergie et de transport d'ions inorganiques. Ceci reflète les pressions de sélections que peuvent subir ces organismes dans ces environnements hostiles à de nombreuses formes de vie.The immense genomic diversity of microorganisms allows them to live everywhere, even in extreme environments such as deep hydrothermal vents. Scattered over the seabed, these are a good model for studying the biogeography and genomes diversification. A comparative genomics approach has been used on closely related isolates, of the genus Thermococcus. This work aimed at identifying mechanisms that have a role in the diversification of these genomes, and also to identify genes involved in this differentiation. For this purpose, two groups of about 20 isolates with different geographical origins were selected and sequenced.The geographical isolation resulting from colonization of new hydrothermal systems is likely to be a diversification and speciation factor for some isolates. But when hydrothermal sites are relatively close, it would seem that gene transfer between isolates is still possible. In this case, adaptation to new ecological niches would be a factor contributing to the genomes diversification. The comparative genomics approach allowed highlighting genes specific to certain subgroups, related to species. These genes are involved in amino acid metabolism, energy production and the transport of inorganic ions. This reflects selection pressures that these organisms may experience in these environments, otherwise hostile to many forms of life

Comparative genomics of closely related Thermococcus isolates, a genus of hyperthermophilic Archaea

The immense genomic diversity of microorganisms allows them to live everywhere, even in extreme environments such as deep hydrothermal vents. Scattered over the seabed, these are a good model for studying the biogeography and genomes diversification. A comparative genomics approach has been used on closely related isolates, of the genus Thermococcus. This work aimed at identifying mechanisms that have a role in the diversification of these genomes, and also to identify genes involved in this differentiation. For this purpose, two groups of about 20 isolates with different geographical origins were selected and sequenced.The geographical isolation resulting from colonization of new hydrothermal systems is likely to be a diversification and speciation factor for some isolates. But when hydrothermal sites are relatively close, it would seem that gene transfer between isolates is still possible. In this case, adaptation to new ecological niches would be a factor contributing to the genomes diversification. The comparative genomics approach allowed highlighting genes specific to certain subgroups, related to species. These genes are involved in amino acid metabolism, energy production and the transport of inorganic ions. This reflects selection pressures that these organisms may experience in these environments, otherwise hostile to many forms of life.L'immense diversité génomique des microorganismes leur permet de vivre partout, même dans les environnements extrêmes tels que Ies sources hydrothermales profondes. Ces dernières, disséminées sur l’ensemble des fonds océaniques, sont un bon modèle pour étudier la biogéographie et la diversification des génomes. Une approche de génomique comparative a été employée sur des isolats du genre Thermococcus proches d'un point de vue évolutif. Ce travail visait à identifier des mécanismes ayant un rôle dans Ia diversification de ces génomes, et également d'identifier des gènes impliqués dans cette différenciation. A cette fin, deux groupes d'une vingtaine d'isolats ayant des origines géographiques diverses ont été sélectionnés et séquencés. L'éloignement géographique résultant de la colonisation de nouveaux systèmes hydrothermaux semble être un facteur de diversification et de spéciation pour certains isolats. Cependant, lorsque les sites hydrothermaux sont relativement proches, il semblerait qu'un transfert de gènes entre les isolats soit toujours possible. Dans ce cas, l’adaptation à de nouvelles niches écologiques serait un facteur de la diversification des génomes. L'approche de génomique comparative a permis d'identifier des gènes spécifiques à certains sous-groupes, apparentés à des espèces. Ces gènes sont notamment impliqués dans les métabolismes des acides aminés, de production d'énergie et de transport d'ions inorganiques. Ceci reflète les pressions de sélections que peuvent subir ces organismes dans ces environnements hostiles à de nombreuses formes de vie

Increased Pathogenicity of the Nematophagous Fungus Drechmeria coniospora Following Long-Term Laboratory Culture

International audienceDomestication provides a window into adaptive change. Over the course of 2 decades of laboratory culture, a strain of the nematode-specific fungus Drechmeria coniospora became more virulent during its infection of Caenorhabditis elegans . Through a close comparative examination of the genome sequences of the original strain and its more pathogenic derivative, we identified a small number of non-synonymous mutations in protein-coding genes. In one case, the mutation was predicted to affect a gene involved in hypoxia resistance and we provide direct corroborative evidence for such an effect. The mutated genes with functional annotation were all predicted to impact the general physiology of the fungus and this was reflected in an increased in vitro growth, even in the absence of C. elegans . While most cases involved single nucleotide substitutions predicted to lead to a loss of function, we also observed a predicted restoration of gene function through deletion of an extraneous tandem repeat. This latter change affected the regulatory subunit of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Remarkably, we also found a mutation in a gene for a second protein of the same, protein kinase A, pathway. Together, we predict that they result in a stronger repression of the pathway for given levels of ATP and adenylate cyclase activity. Finally, we also identified mutations in a few lineage-specific genes of unknown function that are candidates for factors that influence virulence in a more direct manner

H2-dependent formate production by hyperthermophilic Thermococcales: an alternative to sulfur reduction for reducing-equivalents disposal

International audienceRemoval of reducing equivalents is an essential catabolic process for all microorganisms to maintain their internal redox balance. The electron disposal by chemoorganotrophic Thermococcales generates H2 by proton reduction or H2S in presence of S0. Although in the absence of S0 growth of these (hyper)thermopiles was previously described to be H2-limited, it remains unclear how Thermococcales could be present in H2-rich S0-depleted habitats. Here, we report that 12 of the 47 strains tested, distributed among all three orders of Thermococcales, could grow without S0 at 0.8 mM dissolved H2 and that tolerance to H2 was always associated with formate production. Two conserved gene clusters coding for a formate hydrogenlyase (FHL) and a putative formate dehydrogenase-NAD(P)H-oxidoreductase were only present in H2-dependent formate producers, and were both systematically associated with a formate dehydrogenase and a formate transporter. As the reaction involved in this alternative pathway for disposal of reducing equivalents was close to thermodynamic equilibrium, it was strongly controlled by the substrates–products concentration ratio even in the presence of S0. Moreover, experimental data and thermodynamic modelling also demonstrated that H2-dependent CO2 reduction to formate could occur within a large temperature range in contrasted hydrothermal systems, suggesting it could also provide an adaptive advantage

Long-read only assembly of Drechmeria coniospora genomes reveals widespread chromosome plasticity and illustrates the limitations of current nanopore methods

International audienceBackground: Long-read sequencing is increasingly being used to determine eukaryotic genomes. We used nanopore technology to generate chromosome-level assemblies for 3 different strains of Drechmeria coniospora, a nematophagous fungus used extensively in the study of innate immunity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Results: One natural geographical isolate demonstrated high stability over decades, whereas a second isolate not only had a profoundly altered genome structure but exhibited extensive instability. We conducted an in-depth analysis of sequence errors within the 3 genomes and established that even with state-of-the-art tools, nanopore methods alone are insufficient to generate eukaryotic genome sequences of sufficient accuracy to merit inclusion in public databases. Conclusions: Although nanopore long-read sequencing is not accurate enough to produce publishable eukaryotic genomes, in our case, it has revealed new information about genome plasticity in D. coniospora and provided a backbone that will permit future detailed study to characterize gene evolution in this important model fungal pathogen

Thermococcus camini sp. nov., a hyperthermophilic and piezophilic archaeon isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

International audienceA coccoid-shaped, strictly anaerobic, hyperthermophilic and piezophilic organoheterotrophic archaeon, strain Iri35c T , was isolated from a hydrothermal chimney rock sample collected at a depth of 2300 m at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Rainbow vent field). Cells of strain Iri35c T grew at NaCl concentrations ranging from 1–5 % (w/v) (optimum 2.0 %), from pH 5.0 to 9.0 (optimum 7.0–7.5), at temperatures between 50 and 90 °C (optimum 75–80 °C) and at pressures from 0.1 to at least 50 MPa (optimum: 10–30 MPa). The novel isolate grew on complex organic substrates, such as yeast extract, tryptone, peptone or beef extract, preferentially in the presence of elemental sulphur or l -cystine; however, these molecules were not necessary for growth. Its genomic DNA G+C content was 54.63 mol%. The genome has been annotated and the metabolic predictions are in accordance with the metabolic characteristics of the strain and of Thermococcales in general. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and concatenated ribosomal protein sequences showed that strain Iri35c T belongs to the genus Thermococcus, and is closer to the species T. celericrescens and T. siculi . Average nucleotide identity scores and in silico DNA–DNA hybridization values between the genome of strain Iri35c T and the genomes of the type species of the genus Thermococcus were below the species delineation threshold. Therefore, and considering the phenotypic data presented, strain Iri35c T is suggested to represent a novel species, for which the name Thermococcus camini sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain Iri35c T (=UBOCC M-2026 T =DSM 111003 T )

Thermococcus henrietii sp. nov., a novel extreme thermophilic and piezophilic sulfur-reducing archaeon isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal chimney

A novel extreme thermophilic and piezophilic chemoorganoheterotrophic archaeon, strain EXT12cT, was isolated from a hydrothermal chimney sample collected at a depth of 2496 m at the East Pacific Rise 9° N. Cells were strictly anaerobic, motile cocci. The strain grew at NaCl concentrations ranging from 1 to 5 % (w/v; optimum, 2.0%), from pH 6.0 to 7.5 (optimum, pH 6.5–7.0), at temperatures between 60 and 95 °C (optimum, 80–85 °C), and at pressures from 0.1 to at least 50 MPa (optimum, 30 MPa). Strain EXT12cT grew chemoorganoheterotrophically on complex proteinaceous substrates. Its growth was highly stimulated by the presence of elemental sulphur or l-cystine, which were reduced to hydrogen sulfide. The DNA G+C content was 54.58 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and concatenated ribosomal protein sequences showed that strain EXT12cT falls into the genus Thermococcus and is most closely related to Thermococcus nautili strain 30-1T. Overall genome relatedness index analyses (average nucleotide identity scores and in silico DNA–DNA hybridizations) showed a sufficient genomic distance between the new genome and the ones of the Thermococcus type strains for the delineation of a new species. On the basis of genotypic and phenotypic data, strain EXT12cT is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Thermococcus henrietii sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain EXT12cT (=UBOCC M-2417T=DSM 111004T)

Complete Genome Sequence of the Hyperthermophilic and Piezophilic Archeon Thermococcus piezophilus CDGS T , Able To Grow under Extreme Hydrostatic Pressures

We report the genome sequence of Thermococcus superprofundus strain CDGST, a new piezophilic and hyperthermophilic member of the order Thermococcales isolated from the world’s deepest hydrothermal vents, at the Mid-Cayman Rise. The genome is consistent with a heterotrophic, anaerobic, and piezophilic lifestyle

Anémie hémolytique chez le cirrhotique. Le frottis sanguin toujours aussi utile.

Cirrhotic patients frequently and by different mechanisms, damage bone marrow. Anemia in particular has many faces. There hemolytic anemia, one of the causes to remember is spur cell anemia.We report the case of a 60 year old man.Les patients cirrhotiques ont fréquemment et par différents mécanismes, des atteintes des lignées médullaires. L'anémie notamment revêt plusieurs visages. Il y a l'anémie hémolytique dont l'une des causes à ne pas oublier est l'acanthocytose.Nous rapportons ici le cas d’un homme de 60 ans