Metagenomics unveils the attributes of the alginolytic guilds of sediments from four distant cold coastal environments: Alginolytic guilds from cold sediments

Journal Article · Mon Jul 18 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Environmental Microbiology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13433· OSTI ID:1353348

Matos, Marina N. ^[1]; Lozada, Mariana ^[1]; Anselmino, Luciano E. ^[1]; Musumeci, Matías A. ^[1]; Henrissat, Bernard ^[2]; Jansson, Janet K. ^[3]; Mac Cormack, Walter P. ^[4]; Carroll, JoLynn ^[5]; Sjöling, Sara ^[6]; Lundgren, Leif ^[7]; Dionisi, Hebe M. ^[1]

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1. Laboratorio de Microbiología Ambiental, Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR, CONICET), Puerto Madryn U9120ACD Argentina
2. Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13288 France; INRA, USC 1408 AFMB, Marseille F-13288 France; Department of Biological Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 Saudi Arabia
3. Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland WA 99352 USA
4. Instituto Antártico Argentino, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1064ABR, Argentina; Instituto Nanobiotec, CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, C1113AAC, Argentina
5. Akvaplan-niva, Fram - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, Tromsø NO-9296 Norway; CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø N-9037 Norway
6. School of Natural Sciences and Environmental Studies, Södertörn University, Huddinge 141 89 Sweden
7. Stockholm University, Stockholm SE-106 91 Sweden

Alginates are abundant polysaccharides in brown algae that constitute an important energy source for marine heterotrophic bacteria. Despite the key role of alginate assimilation processes in the marine carbon cycle, little information is available on the bacterial populations involved in these processes. The goal of this work was to gain insight into the structure and functional traits of the alginolytic communities from sediments of cold coastal environments. Sediment metagenomes from high-latitude regions of both Hemispheres were interrogated for alginate lyase gene homolog sequences and their genomic context. Sediments contained highly abundant and diverse bacterial assemblages with alginolytic potential, including members of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, as well as several poorly characterized taxa. Temperature and salinity were correlated to the variation in community structure. The microbial communities in Arctic and Antarctic sediments exhibited the most similar alginolytic profiles, whereas brackish sediments had a higher proportion of novel members. Examination of the gene context of the alginate lyase homologs revealed distinct patterns according to the phylogenetic origin of the scaffolds, with evidence of evolutionary relationships among lineages. This information is relevant for understanding carbon fluxes in cold coastal environments and provides valuable information for the development of biotechnological applications from brown algae biomass.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1353348
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-118948
• Journal Information: Environmental Microbiology, Journal Name: Environmental Microbiology Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 18; ISSN 1462-2912
• Publisher: Wiley
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English