Comparison of Bacterial Diversity in Azorean and Hawai'ian Lava Cave Microbial Mats

Hathaway, Jennifer J.M.; Garcia, Matthew G.; Balasch, M.; Spilde, M.; Stone, Fred; Dapkevicius, Maria de Lurdes Enes; Amorim, Isabel R.; Gabriel, Rosalina; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Northup, Diana E.

doi:10.1080/01490451.2013.777491

Cited by 67 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 59 publications

(77 reference statements)

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“…It is possible that the high abundance of actinobacteria recovered from bat skin is a result of inoculation from cave walls in which they are abundant (16,18,42). For example, Winter et al reported that cave-caught bats possess a different external microbiome with respect to bats caught outside the caves (11), showing the potential influence of collection site on bat microbiota.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Western Bats as a Reservoir of Novel Streptomyces Species with Antifungal Activity

Hamm

Caimi

Northup

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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At least two-thirds of commercial antibiotics today are derived from Actinobacteria, more specifically from the genus Streptomyces. Antibiotic resistance and new emerging diseases pose great challenges in the field of microbiology. Cave systems, in which actinobacteria are ubiquitous and abundant, represent new opportunities for the discovery of novel bacterial species and the study of their interactions with emergent pathogens. White-nose syndrome is an invasive bat disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which has killed more than six million bats in the last 7 years. In this study, we isolated naturally occurring actinobacteria from white-nose syndrome (WNS)-free bats from five cave systems and surface locations in the vicinity in New Mexico and Arizona, USA. We sequenced the 16S rRNA region and tested 632 isolates from 12 different bat species using a bilayer plate method to evaluate antifungal activity. Thirty-six actinobacteria inhibited or stopped the growth of P. destructans, with 32 (88.9%) actinobacteria belonging to the genus Streptomyces. Isolates in the genera Rhodococcus, Streptosporangium, Luteipulveratus, and Nocardiopsis also showed inhibition. Twenty-five of the isolates with antifungal activity against P. destructans represent 15 novel Streptomyces spp. based on multilocus sequence analysis. Our results suggest that bats in western North America caves possess novel bacterial microbiota with the potential to inhibit P. destructans. IMPORTANCE This study reports the largest collection of actinobacteria from bats with activity against Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungal causative agent of white-nose syndrome. Using multigene analysis, we discovered 15 potential novel species. This research demonstrates that bats and caves may serve as a rich reservoir for novel Streptomyces species with antimicrobial bioactive compounds.KEYWORDS Actinobacteria, bats, caves, Pseudogymnoascus, Streptomyces, white-nose syndrome P resently, 90% of antibiotics are derived from microorganisms within the phylum Actinobacteria (1-3). The family Streptomycetaceae is particularly known for the production of chitinases capable of hydrolyzing the cell wall (4) and targeting ergosterol in the cell membrane of fungi (5). The rapid development of antibiotic resistance and the emergence of infectious diseases in humans and other animals, including bats and amphibians, have prompted the study of the bacterial microbiome and use for probiotic treatment in vertebrates (6, 7).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In cave ecosystems, actinobacteria represent some of the most abundant microorganisms on cave walls and in guano (14)(15)(16)(17)(18), providing a rich reservoir for the discovery of novel bacterial species (19)(20)(21). Despite the high abundance of actinobacteria in caves, cultured-based studies are rare.…”

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confidence: 99%

Western Bats as a Reservoir of Novel Streptomyces Species with Antifungal Activity

Hamm

Caimi

Northup

et al. 2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…Previous studies suggest that caves support a considerable diversity of microbes (Bindschedler, Cailleau, & Verrecchia, 2016;Carmichael et al, 2015;Dhami, Quirin, & Mukherjee, 2017;Hathaway et al, 2014;Jiang et al, 2017;Ortiz et al, 2013;Vanderwolf, Malloch, McAlpine, & Forbes, 2013;Zhang et al, 2017). Ortiz et al (2013) investigated the bacterial diversity in Kartchner Caverns using 454pyrosequencing, and 1,994 OTUs were obtained from ten sample sites.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, culture-based approaches have been known to reveal as little as 0.6% (Hibbett, Ohman, & Kirk, 2009) to less than 8% of the total fungal species (Hawksworth & Lücking, 2017) in a particular environment. Insufficient information on the fungal community in caves hinders our understanding of their ecological functions (Carmichael et al, 2015;Gabriel & Northup, 2013;Hathaway et al, 2014;Ortiz et al, 2013Ortiz et al, , 2014Vanderwolf et al, 2013). In addition, because of their unique biochemistry, cave microbial communities may conserve a number of specific genes or metabolic pathways and have been targets for the identification of new drugs, including antibiotics (Cheeptham, 2012;Rawat, Rautela, & Johri, 2017).…”

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confidence: 99%

Substrate and spatial variables are major determinants of fungal community in karst caves in Southwest China

Zhang

Cai

2019

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Previous studies primarily based on the culture method have revealed that caves host a high fungal diversity and that exogenous carbon sources influence fungal communities. Here, we assess the fungal diversity and distribution patterns in karst caves in Southwest China and reveal the major factors that shape the fungal communities. Location Southwest China. Methods Samples of air, rock, sediment and water were collected from eight caves in Southwest China. Using high‐throughput sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 region of fungal rDNA, we examined the cave fungal communities in Southwest China and studied their correlations with potentially influential factors, such as substrate, cave, location and environmental variables. Results Approximately 10,000 fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) spanning 15 phyla were obtained. The highest diversity genus was Penicillium, while Mortierella had the highest relative abundance. Compared with air and rock samples, sediment and water samples harboured higher diversity and distinct communities. Substrate and cave were revealed to be the key determinants of the fungal communities in caves. Sample location and sampling distance from the entrance had more significant impacts on rock and sediment communities than on air and water assemblages. The fungal assemblages in air and water samples from the cave and outside cave environments were similar, while those of rock and sediment samples were significantly different. Main conclusions Our results indicate that sediment and water harboured higher fungal diversity than air and rock, and substrate and spatial variables are key determinants of fungal communities in caves.

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“…Currently, the literature reports many cases of the visible presence of bacteria in caves, e.g., yellow subaerial biofilms on a stalactite and rock surfaces (Jurado et al 2010, Mulec et al 2015) or yellow and white microbial mats on rock surfaces (Northup et al 2011), and many others (Barton and Northup 2007; Ivanova et al 2013; Marshall Hathaway et al 2014). However, similar reports with regard to the active growth of filamentous fungi on rock surfaces in caves are very few and mostly relate to the Lascaux Cave in France (Martin-Sanchez et al 2011, 2012a, b; Saiz-Jimenez et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dark stains on rock surfaces in Driny Cave (Little Carpathian Mountains, Slovakia)

2016

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Mycobiota are important in underground ecology. In 2014, we discovered dark stains on clayey sediments on the walls of Driny Cave, Slovakia. Our description is based on the morphology of the fungus and the phylogenetic relationships of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. In addition, data on its capacity for the production of extracellular enzymes, growth, and survival in vitro at different temperatures are reported. Our analyses revealed that this dark stains on the wall was produced by Penicillium glandicola. The fungus was able to synthesize amylases, proteases and cellulases, but not pectinases and keratinases. The vegetative structures of mycelium of this fungus are viable in vitro after storage at cool temperatures (from −72 to 5 °C), and show active growth at temperatures from 5 to 25 °C, but without spore germination, and without active growth at 30 and 37 °C. Penicillium glandicola is a psychrotolerant species and belong to var. glandicola.

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Comparison of Bacterial Diversity in Azorean and Hawai'ian Lava Cave Microbial Mats

Cited by 67 publications

References 59 publications

Western Bats as a Reservoir of Novel Streptomyces Species with Antifungal Activity

Western Bats as a Reservoir of Novel Streptomyces Species with Antifungal Activity

Substrate and spatial variables are major determinants of fungal community in karst caves in Southwest China

Dark stains on rock surfaces in Driny Cave (Little Carpathian Mountains, Slovakia)

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