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Title: Indirect Interspecies Regulation: Transcriptional and Physiological Responses of a Cyanobacterium to Heterotrophic Partnership

Abstract

This study elucidates how a cyanobacterial primary producer acclimates to heterotrophic partnership by modulating the expression levels of key metabolic genes. Heterotrophic bacteria can indirectly regulate the physiology of the photoautotrophic primary producers, resulting in physiological changes identified here, such as increased intracellular ROS. Some of the interactions inferred from this model system represent putative principles of metabolic coupling in phototrophic-heterotrophic partnerships. The mechanisms by which microbes interact in communities remain poorly understood. Here, we interrogated specific interactions between photoautotrophic and heterotrophic members of a model consortium to infer mechanisms that mediate metabolic coupling and acclimation to partnership. This binary consortium was composed of a cyanobacterium,Thermosynechococcus elongatusBP-1, which supported growth of an obligate aerobic heterotroph,Meiothermus ruberstrain A, by providing organic carbon, O2, and reduced nitrogen. Species-resolved transcriptomic analyses were used in combination with growth and photosynthesis kinetics to infer interactions and the environmental context under which they occur. We found that the efficiency of biomass production and resistance to stress induced by high levels of dissolved O2 increased, beyond axenic performance, as a result of heterotrophic partnership. Coordinated transcriptional responses transcending both species were observed and used to infer specific interactions resulting from the synthesis and exchange of resources. Themore » cyanobacterium responded to heterotrophic partnership by altering expression of core genes involved with photosynthesis, carbon uptake/fixation, vitamin synthesis, and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS). IMPORTANCEThis study elucidates how a cyanobacterial primary producer acclimates to heterotrophic partnership by modulating the expression levels of key metabolic genes. Heterotrophic bacteria can indirectly regulate the physiology of the photoautotrophic primary producers, resulting in physiological changes identified here, such as increased intracellular ROS. Some of the interactions inferred from this model system represent putative principles of metabolic coupling in phototrophic-heterotrophic partnerships.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [4];  [2]; ORCiD logo [5];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
  3. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
  4. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab.
  5. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1626177
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC06-76RL01830; 49356
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
mSystems
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 2; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2379-5077
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Microbiology; consortia; cyanobacteria; heterotroph; microbial interactions; transcriptome

Citation Formats

Bernstein, Hans C., McClure, Ryan S., Thiel, Vera, Sadler, Natalie C., Kim, Young-Mo, Chrisler, William B., Hill, Eric A., Bryant, Donald A., Romine, Margaret F., Jansson, Janet K., Fredrickson, Jim K., and Beliaev, Alexander S. Indirect Interspecies Regulation: Transcriptional and Physiological Responses of a Cyanobacterium to Heterotrophic Partnership. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1128/msystems.00181-16.
Bernstein, Hans C., McClure, Ryan S., Thiel, Vera, Sadler, Natalie C., Kim, Young-Mo, Chrisler, William B., Hill, Eric A., Bryant, Donald A., Romine, Margaret F., Jansson, Janet K., Fredrickson, Jim K., & Beliaev, Alexander S. Indirect Interspecies Regulation: Transcriptional and Physiological Responses of a Cyanobacterium to Heterotrophic Partnership. United States. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00181-16
Bernstein, Hans C., McClure, Ryan S., Thiel, Vera, Sadler, Natalie C., Kim, Young-Mo, Chrisler, William B., Hill, Eric A., Bryant, Donald A., Romine, Margaret F., Jansson, Janet K., Fredrickson, Jim K., and Beliaev, Alexander S. Tue . "Indirect Interspecies Regulation: Transcriptional and Physiological Responses of a Cyanobacterium to Heterotrophic Partnership". United States. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00181-16. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1626177.
@article{osti_1626177,
title = {Indirect Interspecies Regulation: Transcriptional and Physiological Responses of a Cyanobacterium to Heterotrophic Partnership},
author = {Bernstein, Hans C. and McClure, Ryan S. and Thiel, Vera and Sadler, Natalie C. and Kim, Young-Mo and Chrisler, William B. and Hill, Eric A. and Bryant, Donald A. and Romine, Margaret F. and Jansson, Janet K. and Fredrickson, Jim K. and Beliaev, Alexander S.},
abstractNote = {This study elucidates how a cyanobacterial primary producer acclimates to heterotrophic partnership by modulating the expression levels of key metabolic genes. Heterotrophic bacteria can indirectly regulate the physiology of the photoautotrophic primary producers, resulting in physiological changes identified here, such as increased intracellular ROS. Some of the interactions inferred from this model system represent putative principles of metabolic coupling in phototrophic-heterotrophic partnerships. The mechanisms by which microbes interact in communities remain poorly understood. Here, we interrogated specific interactions between photoautotrophic and heterotrophic members of a model consortium to infer mechanisms that mediate metabolic coupling and acclimation to partnership. This binary consortium was composed of a cyanobacterium,Thermosynechococcus elongatusBP-1, which supported growth of an obligate aerobic heterotroph,Meiothermus ruberstrain A, by providing organic carbon, O2, and reduced nitrogen. Species-resolved transcriptomic analyses were used in combination with growth and photosynthesis kinetics to infer interactions and the environmental context under which they occur. We found that the efficiency of biomass production and resistance to stress induced by high levels of dissolved O2 increased, beyond axenic performance, as a result of heterotrophic partnership. Coordinated transcriptional responses transcending both species were observed and used to infer specific interactions resulting from the synthesis and exchange of resources. The cyanobacterium responded to heterotrophic partnership by altering expression of core genes involved with photosynthesis, carbon uptake/fixation, vitamin synthesis, and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS). IMPORTANCEThis study elucidates how a cyanobacterial primary producer acclimates to heterotrophic partnership by modulating the expression levels of key metabolic genes. Heterotrophic bacteria can indirectly regulate the physiology of the photoautotrophic primary producers, resulting in physiological changes identified here, such as increased intracellular ROS. Some of the interactions inferred from this model system represent putative principles of metabolic coupling in phototrophic-heterotrophic partnerships.},
doi = {10.1128/msystems.00181-16},
journal = {mSystems},
number = 2,
volume = 2,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Tue Mar 07 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}

Journal Article:
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Cited by: 17 works
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Figures / Tables:

FIG 1 FIG 1: Growth and photosynthesis kinetics of the T. elongatus axenic (blue) and binary (red) cultures held under variable irradiance-controlled turbidostat steady states. (A) Specific growth rates on a Cmol basis. (B) Specific rate of net O2 production (net photosynthesis). (C) Growth rate plotted against net photosynthesis. The slope ofmore » these curves represents the photosynthetic quotients or yields of carbon uptake into biomass per net photosynthetic output. Each data point represents the average of measurements taken every minute over a minimum of three reactor residence times held under each respective steady state. Error bars represent ±1 standard deviation. *, significant differences with > 99% certainty as determined by t test of unequal sample sizes, assuming equal variance; CDW, cell dry weight.« less

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Synthetic Escherichia coli consortia engineered for syntrophy demonstrate enhanced biomass productivity
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Functional and Structural Characterization of the 2/2 Hemoglobin from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002,
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Inference of interactions in cyanobacterial–heterotrophic co-cultures via transcriptome sequencing
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journal, September 2014

  • Bernstein, Hans C.; Konopka, Allan; Melnicki, Matthew R.
  • Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 5
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Microbial Consortia Engineering for Cellular Factories: in Vitro to in Silico Systems
journal, October 2012

  • Bernstein, Hans C.; Carlson, Ross P.
  • Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 4
  • DOI: 10.5936/csbj.201210017

Works referencing / citing this record:

Species-specific transcriptomic network inference of interspecies interactions
journal, May 2018


Phenotypic responses to interspecies competition and commensalism in a naturally-derived microbial co-culture
journal, January 2018


Heterotroph Interactions Alter Prochlorococcus Transcriptome Dynamics during Extended Periods of Darkness
journal, May 2018


Effect of light wavelength on hot spring microbial mat biodiversity
journal, January 2018


The Ecology of Subaerial Biofilms in Dry and Inhospitable Terrestrial Environments
journal, September 2019


Phenotypic responses to interspecies competition and commensalism in a naturally-derived microbial co-culture
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Reconciling Ecological and Engineering Design Principles for Building Microbiomes
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Effect of light wavelength on hot spring microbial mat biodiversity
journal, January 2018


Model Microbial Consortia as Tools for Understanding Complex Microbial Communities
journal, October 2018


Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.