How hyperthermophiles adapt to change their lives: DNA exchange in extreme conditions

Wolferen, Marleen van; Ajon, Małgorzata; Driessen, Arnold J. M.; Albers, Sonja‐Verena

doi:10.1007/s00792-013-0552-6

Cited by 56 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 218 publications

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“…This seemed, to some extent, inconsistent with previous reports that (hyper)thermophilic organisms generally exhibited lower mutation rates compared with mesophiles39. Indeed, evidences implied a relatively low evolutionary rate of (hyper)thermophiles possibly due to their unusual evolutionary pattern such as distinct mutational spectra4041 and repair strategies42. In this study, only microbes dwelling in hot spring were thermophiles with an average optimal growth temperature (OGT) > 50°C, while the others in diverse habitats including AMD, saline lake, surface ocean, freshwater and soil were mesophiles (The community average OGT was estimated based on previous methods7).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

Microbial communities evolve faster in extreme environments

Hua

Huang

et al. 2014

Sci Rep

117

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Evolutionary analysis of microbes at the community level represents a new research avenue linking ecological patterns to evolutionary processes, but remains insufficiently studied. Here we report a relative evolutionary rates (rERs) analysis of microbial communities from six diverse natural environments based on 40 metagenomic samples. We show that the rERs of microbial communities are mainly shaped by environmental conditions, and the microbes inhabiting extreme habitats (acid mine drainage, saline lake and hot spring) evolve faster than those populating benign environments (surface ocean, fresh water and soil). These findings were supported by the observation of more relaxed purifying selection and potentially frequent horizontal gene transfers in communities from extreme habitats. The mechanism of high rERs was proposed as high mutation rates imposed by stressful conditions during the evolutionary processes. This study brings us one stage closer to an understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the adaptation of microbes to extreme environments.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

Microbial communities evolve faster in extreme environments

Hua

Huang

et al. 2014

Sci Rep

117

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“…Indeed, HGTs have been described between each domain including archaea and bacteria (Nelson et al, 1999; van Wolferen et al, 2013), bacteria and eukaryote (Andersson, 2005; Bordenstein, 2007; Gladyshev et al, 2008; Danchin et al, 2010), and archaea and eukaryote (Andersson et al, 2003; Schonknecht et al, 2013). Despite these cases and others (Brown, 2003; Zhaxybayeva and Doolittle, 2011), HGTs are not without limits and often succumb to the selective costs of genomic rearrangements, cytotoxic effects, disruptive insertions, and functional inefficiencies upon integration (Baltrus, 2013).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, recurrent transfer of the same gene family may be limited by incompatible mechanics of gene transfer (e.g., transduction, transfection, plasmid exchange, isolation of eukaryotic genome in nucleus, separation of somatic and germline tissues in multicellular eukaryotes) between domains compared to within domains. However, the individual success of gene transfers between any two domains of life, for example archaea and bacteria (Nelson et al, 1999; van Wolferen et al, 2013), bacteria and eukaryote (Andersson, 2005; Bordenstein, 2007; Gladyshev et al, 2008; Danchin et al, 2010), and archaea and eukaryote (Andersson et al, 2003; Schonknecht et al, 2013), suggests that these barriers may be minimal. Second, the selective barriers against HGT of the same gene to multiple taxa and preservation of the gene through evolutionary time are multifaceted given the potential costs associated with HGT (Baltrus, 2013), and that each recipient may not benefit from the trait conferred.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antibacterial gene transfer across the tree of life

Metcalf

Funkhouser-Jones

Brileya

et al. 2014

eLife

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Though horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is widespread, genes and taxa experience biased rates of transferability. Curiously, independent transmission of homologous DNA to archaea, bacteria, eukaryotes, and viruses is extremely rare and often defies ecological and functional explanations. Here, we demonstrate that a bacterial lysozyme family integrated independently in all domains of life across diverse environments, generating the only glycosyl hydrolase 25 muramidases in plants and archaea. During coculture of a hydrothermal vent archaeon with a bacterial competitor, muramidase transcription is upregulated. Moreover, recombinant lysozyme exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial action in a dose-dependent manner. Similar to bacterial transfer of antibiotic resistance genes, transfer of a potent antibacterial gene across the universal tree seemingly bestows a niche-transcending adaptation that trumps the barriers against parallel HGT to all domains. The discoveries also comprise the first characterization of an antibacterial gene in archaea and support the pursuit of antibiotics in this underexplored group.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04266.001

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“…Purposes of DNA transfer include DNA repair and horizontal gene transfer (23). Among bacteria and archaea, DNA transfer via natural transformation as well as conjugation has been described for several species, although bacterial DNA transfer mechanisms have been studied in far greater detail.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The archaeal Ced system imports DNA

Wolferen

Wagner

Does

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The intercellular transfer of DNA is a phenomenon that occurs in all domains of life and is a major driving force of evolution. Upon UV-light treatment, cells of the crenarchaeal genus Sulfolobus express Ups pili, which initiate cell aggregate formation. Within these aggregates, chromosomal DNA, which is used for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks, is exchanged. Because so far no clear homologs of bacterial DNA transporters have been identified among the genomes of Archaea, the mechanisms of archaeal DNA transport have remained a puzzling and underinvestigated topic. Here we identify saci_0568 and saci_0748, two genes from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius that are highly induced upon UV treatment, encoding a transmembrane protein and a membrane-bound VirB4/HerA homolog, respectively. DNA transfer assays showed that both proteins are essential for DNA transfer between Sulfolobus cells and act downstream of the Ups pili system. Our results moreover revealed that the system is involved in the import of DNA rather than the export. We therefore propose that both Saci_0568 and Saci_0748 are part of a previously unidentified DNA importer. Given the fact that we found this transporter system to be widely spread among the Crenarchaeota, we propose to name it the Crenarchaeal system for exchange of DNA (Ced). In this study we have for the first time to our knowledge described an archaeal DNA transporter.Archaea | DNA transport | conjugation | type IV pili | VirB4

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How hyperthermophiles adapt to change their lives: DNA exchange in extreme conditions

Cited by 56 publications

References 218 publications

Microbial communities evolve faster in extreme environments

Microbial communities evolve faster in extreme environments

Antibacterial gene transfer across the tree of life

The archaeal Ced system imports DNA

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