Halo(natrono)archaea from hypersaline lakes can utilize sulfoxides other than DMSO as electron acceptors for anaerobic respiration

Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) has long been known to support anaerobic respiration in a few species of basically aerobic extremely halophilic euryarchaea living in hypersaline lakes. Recently, it has also been shown to be utilized as an additional electron acceptor in basically anaerobic sulfur-reducing haloarchaea. Here we investigated whether haloarchaea would be capable of anaerobic respiration with other two sulfoxides, methionine sulfoxide (MSO) and tetramethylene sulfoxide (TMSO). For this, anaerobic enrichment cultures were inoculated with sediments from hypersaline salt and soda lakes in southwestern Siberia and southern Russia. Positive enrichments were obtained for both MSO and TMSO with yeast extract but not with formate or acetate as the electron donor. Two pure cultures obtained from salt lakes, either with MSO or TMSO, were obligate anaerobes closely related to sulfur-reducing Halanaeroarchaeum sulfurireducens, although the type strain of this genus was unable to utilize any sulfoxides. Two pure cultures isolated from soda lakes were facultatively anaerobic alkaliphilic haloarchaea using O2, sulfur and sulfoxides as the electron acceptors. One isolate was identical to the previously described sulfur-reducing Natrarchaeobaculum sulfurireducens, while another one, enriched at lower alkalinity, is forming a new species in the genus Halobiforma. Since all isolates enriched with either MSO or TMSO were able to respire all three sulfoxides including DMSO and the corresponding activities were cross-induced, it suggest that a single enzyme of the DMSO-reductase family with a broad substrate specificity is responsible for various sulfoxide-dependent respiration in haloarchaea.</p

Halo(natrono)archaea from hypersaline lakes can utilize sulfoxides other than DMSO as electron acceptors for anaerobic respiration

Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) has long been known to support anaerobic respiration in a few species of basically aerobic extremely halophilic euryarchaea living in hypersaline lakes. Recently, it has also been shown to be utilized as an additional electron acceptor in basically anaerobic sulfur-reducing haloarchaea. Here we investigated whether haloarchaea would be capable of anaerobic respiration with other two sulfoxides, methionine sulfoxide (MSO) and tetramethylene sulfoxide (TMSO). For this, anaerobic enrichment cultures were inoculated with sediments from hypersaline salt and soda lakes in southwestern Siberia and southern Russia. Positive enrichments were obtained for both MSO and TMSO with yeast extract but not with formate or acetate as the electron donor. Two pure cultures obtained from salt lakes, either with MSO or TMSO, were obligate anaerobes closely related to sulfur-reducing Halanaeroarchaeum sulfurireducens, although the type strain of this genus was unable to utilize any sulfoxides. Two pure cultures isolated from soda lakes were facultatively anaerobic alkaliphilic haloarchaea using O2, sulfur and sulfoxides as the electron acceptors. One isolate was identical to the previously described sulfur-reducing Natrarchaeobaculum sulfurireducens, while another one, enriched at lower alkalinity, is forming a new species in the genus Halobiforma. Since all isolates enriched with either MSO or TMSO were able to respire all three sulfoxides including DMSO and the corresponding activities were cross-induced, it suggest that a single enzyme of the DMSO-reductase family with a broad substrate specificity is responsible for various sulfoxide-dependent respiration in haloarchaea.BT/Environmental Biotechnolog

Sulfate-dependent acetate oxidation under extremely natron-alkaline conditions by syntrophic associations from hypersaline soda lakes

So far, anaerobic sulfate-dependent acetate oxidation at high pH has only been demonstrated for a low-salt-tolerant syntrophic association of a clostridium ‘Candidatus Contubernalis alkalaceticum’ and its hydrogenotrophic sulfate-reducing partner Desulfonatronum cooperativum. Anaerobic enrichments at pH 10 inoculated with sediments from hypersaline soda lakes of the Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia) demonstrated the possibility of sulfate-dependent acetate oxidation at much higher salt concentrations (up to 3.5 M total Na+). The most salt-tolerant purified cultures contained two major components apparently working in syntrophy. The primary acetate-fermenting component was identified as a member of the order Clostridiales forming, together with ‘Ca. Contubernalis alkalaceticum’, an independent branch within the family Syntrophomonadaceae. A provisional name, ‘Ca. Syntrophonatronum acetioxidans’, is suggested for the novel haloalkaliphilic clostridium. Two phylotypes of extremely haloalkaliphilic sulfate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfonatronospira were identified as sulfate-reducing partners in the acetate-oxidizing cultures under extreme salinity. The dominant phylotype differed from the two species of Desulfonatronospira described so far, whilst a minor component belonged to Desulfonatronum thiodismutans. The results proved that, contrary to previous beliefs, sulfate-dependent acetate oxidation is possible, albeit very slowly, in nearly saturated soda brines

Draft Genome Sequence of the Anoxygenic Filamentous Phototrophic Bacterium Oscillochloris trichoides subsp. DG-6 ▿

Oscillochloris trichoides is a mesophilic, filamentous, photoautotrophic, nonsulfur, diazotrophic bacterium which is capable of carbon dioxide fixation via the reductive pentose phosphate cycle and possesses no assimilative sulfate reduction. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of Oscillochloris trichoides subsp. DG-6, the type strain of the species, which has permitted the prediction of genes for carbon and nitrogen metabolism and for the light-harvesting apparatus

Genome sequence and analysis of the tuber crop potato.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the world's most important non-grain food crop and is central to global food security. It is clonally propagated, highly heterozygous, autotetraploid, and suffers acute inbreeding depression. Here we use a homozygous doubled-monoploid potato clone to sequence and assemble 86% of the 844-megabase genome. We predict 39,031 protein-coding genes and present evidence for at least two genome duplication events indicative of a palaeopolyploid origin. As the first genome sequence of an asterid, the potato genome reveals 2,642 genes specific to this large angiosperm clade. We also sequenced a heterozygous diploid clone and show that gene presence/absence variants and other potentially deleterious mutations occur frequently and are a likely cause of inbreeding depression. Gene family expansion, tissue-specific expression and recruitment of genes to new pathways contributed to the evolution of tuber development. The potato genome sequence provides a platform for genetic improvement of this vital crop