Efficient long-range conduction in cable bacteria through nickel protein wires

Filamentous cable bacteria display long-range electron transport, generating electrical currents over centimeter distances through a highly ordered network of fibers embedded in their cell envelope. The conductivity of these periplasmic wires is exceptionally high for a biological material, but their chemical structure and underlying electron transport mechanism remain unresolved. Here, we combine high-resolution microscopy, spectroscopy, and chemical imaging on individual cable bacterium filaments to demonstrate that the periplasmic wires consist of a conductive protein core surrounded by an insulating protein shell layer. The core proteins contain a sulfur-ligated nickel cofactor, and conductivity decreases when nickel is oxidized or selectively removed. The involvement of nickel as the active metal in biological conduction is remarkable, and suggests a hitherto unknown form of electron transport that enables efficient conduction in centimeter-long protein structures

Temporal fluctuations in the trophic role of large benthic sulfur bacteria in mangrove sediment

International audienceFilamentous sulfur bacteria of the genus Beggiatoa form large mats covering the sediment in the shallow waters of a Guadeloupean mangrove (French West Indies). The abundance of these bacteria varies over the year and their trophic role may, therefore, also vary. We investigated this variation by conducting a survey examining the stable isotopic compositions of four grazers and four food sources during nine sampling sessions in three different periods of the year. We analyzed bulk isotopic compositions for each component except for the bacterial and diatom communities, for which we carried out a compound-specific 13C analysis of phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFAs). Correlations between isotopic compositions revealed a predominance of diatoms in the diet of nematodes and the important role of detritus and bacteria in the diet of the polychaete Ceratocephale sp. None of the grazers had an isotopic composition correlated with that of Beggiatoa suggesting that sulfur bacteria were not a predominant part of the diet of any grazer. Beggiatoa has a large central vacuole, resulting in a very low carbon content-to-volume ratio, potentially accounting for its low level of attractiveness to grazers. Mangrove sediments are habitats rich in organic carbon, in which, the addition of a food source, such as Beggiatoa, would have a limited effect on the structure of the food web over the course of the year

Nutrient deficiencies and the restriction of compensatory mechanisms in copepods

The flexible regulation of feeding behaviour and nutrient metabolism is a prerequisite for consumers to grow and survive under variable food conditions. Thus, it is essential to understand the ecological trade-offs that restrict regulatory mechanisms in consumers to evaluate the consequences of nutrient limitations for trophic interactions. Here, we assessed behavioural and physiological adjustments to nutrient deficiencies in copepods and examined whether energy limitation, food digestibility or co-limitation with a second nutrient restricted compensatory mechanisms. A combination of C-13-labelling and compound-specific stable isotope measurements revealed that copepods compensated nitrogen deficiencies by raising retention efficiencies of amino acids (AA). The costs of higher retention efficiencies were reflected in the doubling of structural fatty acids (FA), probably required for morphological adaptations of the gut. A depletion of highly unsaturated FA in storage lipids and their selective retention suggested that these FA became co-limiting and restricted a further increase in AA retention efficiencies. Copepods feeding on phosphorus-limited algae showed a marked increase in ingestion rates but were not fully able to compensate dietary deficiencies. The increase in ingestion rates was thereby not restricted by higher foraging costs because energy storage in copepods increased. Instead, thicker cell walls of nutrient-limited algae indicated that algal digestion resistance restricted the extent of surplus feeding. The strongly nutrient-specific response of copepods had large implications for recycling rates, growth efficiencies and the potential top-down control at the plant-animal interface. Compensatory mechanisms to mitigate nutrient deficiencies are therefore an essential aspect of trophic interactions and have the potential to alter the structure of food web.FORMA

Analysis of [U-13C6]glucose in human plasma using liquid chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry compared with two other mass spectrometry techniques

The use of stable isotope labelled glucose provides insight into glucose metabolism. The 13C-isotopic enrichment of glucose is usually measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) or gas chromatography/combustion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS). However, in both techniques the samples must be derivatized prior to analysis, which makes sample preparation more labour-intensive and increases the uncertainty of the measured isotopic composition. A novel method for the determination of isotopic enrichment of glucose in human plasma using liquid chromatography/ isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/IRMS) has been developed. Using this technique, for which hardly any sample preparation is needed, we showed that both the enrichment and the concentration could be measured with very high precision using only 20μL of plasma. In addition, a comparison with GC/MS and GC/IRMS showed that the best performance was achieved with the LC/IRMS method making it the method of choice for the measurement of 13C-isotopic enrichment in plasma samples

Cell Cycle, Filament Growth and Synchronized Cell Division in Multicellular Cable Bacteria

Cable bacteria are multicellular, Gram-negative filamentous bacteria that display a unique division of metabolic labor between cells. Cells in deeper sediment layers are oxidizing sulfide, while cells in the surface layers of the sediment are reducing oxygen. The electrical coupling of these two redox half reactions is ensured via long-distance electron transport through a network of conductive fibers that run in the shared cell envelope of the centimeter-long filament. Here we investigate how this unique electrogenic metabolism is linked to filament growth and cell division. Combining dual-label stable isotope probing (13C and 15N), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy and genome analysis, we find that the cell cycle of cable bacteria cells is highly comparable to that of other, single-celled Gram-negative bacteria. However, the timing of cell growth and division appears to be tightly and uniquely controlled by long-distance electron transport, as cell division within an individual filament shows a remarkable synchronicity that extends over a millimeter length scale. To explain this, we propose the “oxygen pacemaker” model in which a filament only grows when performing long-distance transport, and the latter is only possible when a filament has access to oxygen so it can discharge electrons from its internal electrical network

Shifting carbon flow from roots into associated microbial communities in response to elevated atmospheric CO2

Rising atmospheric CO2 levels are predicted to have major consequences on carbon cycling and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Increased photosynthetic activity is expected, especially for C-3 plants, thereby influencing vegetation dynamics; however, little is known about the path of fixed carbon into soil-borne communities and resulting feedbacks on ecosystem function. Here, we examine how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) act as a major conduit in the transfer of carbon between plants and soil and how elevated atmospheric CO2 modulates the belowground translocation pathway of plant-fixed carbon. Shifts in active AMF species under elevated atmospheric CO2 conditions are coupled to changes within active rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities. Thus, as opposed to simply increasing the activity of soil-borne microbes through enhanced rhizodeposition, elevated atmospheric CO2 clearly evokes the emergence of distinct opportunistic plant-associated microbial communities. Analyses involving RNA-based stable isotope probing, neutral/phosphate lipid fatty acids stable isotope probing, community fingerprinting, and real-time PCR allowed us to trace plant-fixed carbon to the affected soil-borne microorganisms. Based on our data, we present a conceptual model in which plant-assimilated carbon is rapidly transferred to AMF, followed by a slower release from AMF to the bacterial and fungal populations well-adapted to the prevailing (myco-)rhizosphere conditions. This model provides a general framework for reappraising carbon-flow paths in soils, facilitating predictions of future interactions between rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations and terrestrial ecosystems

Cell Cycle, Filament Growth and Synchronized Cell Division in Multicellular Cable Bacteria

Cable bacteria are multicellular, Gram-negative filamentous bacteria that display a unique division of metabolic labor between cells. Cells in deeper sediment layers are oxidizing sulfide, while cells in the surface layers of the sediment are reducing oxygen. The electrical coupling of these two redox half reactions is ensured via long-distance electron transport through a network of conductive fibers that run in the shared cell envelope of the centimeter-long filament. Here we investigate how this unique electrogenic metabolism is linked to filament growth and cell division. Combining dual-label stable isotope probing (13C and 15N), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry, fluorescence microscopy and genome analysis, we find that the cell cycle of cable bacteria cells is highly comparable to that of other, single-celled Gram-negative bacteria. However, the timing of cell growth and division appears to be tightly and uniquely controlled by long-distance electron transport, as cell division within an individual filament shows a remarkable synchronicity that extends over a millimeter length scale. To explain this, we propose the “oxygen pacemaker” model in which a filament only grows when performing long-distance transport, and the latter is only possible when a filament has access to oxygen so it can discharge electrons from its internal electrical network