Distinct influence of trimethylamine N-oxide and high hydrostatic pressure on community structure and culturable deep-sea bacteria

Trimethylamine N-oxide(TMAO) is one of the most important nutrients for bacteria in the deep-sea environment and is capable of improving pressure tolerance of certain bacterial strains.To assess the impact of TMAO on marine microorganisms,especially those dwelling in the deep-sea environment,we analyzed the bacterial community structure of deep-sea sediments after incubated under different conditions.Enrichments at 50 MPa and 0.1 MPa revealed that TMAO imposed a greater influence on bacterial diversity and community composition at atmospheric pressure condition than that under high hydrostatic pressure(HHP).We found that pressure was the primary factor that determines the bacterial community.Meanwhile,in total,238 bacterial strains were isolated from the enrichments,including 112 strains a ffiliated to 16 genera of 4 phyla from the Yap Trench and 126 strains a ffiliated to 11 genera of 2 phyla from the Mariana Trench.Treatment of HHP reduced both abundance and diversity of isolates,while the presence of TMAO mainly af fected the diversity of isolates obtained.In addition,certain genera were isolated only when TMAO was supplemented.Taken together,we demonstrated that pressure primarily defines the bacterial community and culturable bacterial isolates.Furthermore,we showed for the first time that TMAO had distinct influences on bacterial community depending on the pressure condition.The results enriched the understanding of the significance of TMAO in bacterial adaptation to the deep-sea environment.     

Heterotrophic bacterial floras in industrial area and unpolluted marine environments around Qingdao

From Oct. 1999 to Oct. 2000, the heterotrophic bacterial floras in the industrial marine environment around the Qingdao Power Plant (QPP) and in the unpolluted marine environments were investigated. The results showed that the numbers of the heterotrophic bacteria around QPP were much higher than those in unpolluted environments, and the average numbers in QPP Seawater, QPP Sediment, Unpolluted Seawater and Unpolluted Sediment were 5.4×10⁴cfu(mL)⁻¹, 5.0×10⁵cfug⁻¹, 3.0×10²cfu(mL)⁻¹ and 1.3×10⁵cfug⁻¹ respectively. Totally, 118 strains were isolated from QPP and 99 of them were Gram-negative. One hundred and twenty one strains were isolated from the unpolluted environments and 104 of them were Gram-negative. All the Gram-negative bacteria belonged to 13 genera. The distribution of the bacteria was varied in different marine environments. The results showed that the unpolluted marine environments contained much more Vibrio than seawater and sediment around QPP.     

Bacteriological analysis of the digestive tube of the mud snail (Bullacta exarata Philippi) and its rearing shoal

The bacterial flora in the digestive tube of Bullacta exarata Philippi and its rearing shoal were investigated. A total of 157 strains of heterotrophic bacteria, isolated from crop, stomach intestine and other parts of the digestive tube, mainly belong to the genera Photobacterium, Bacillus, Pseudomonas Vibrio and some genera of the family Enterobacteriaceae. There are significantly more varieties of bacteria in crop than in stomach and intestine. A total of 173 strains of bacteria were isolated from the rearing shoal, belonging to 13 genera. The 5 predominant genera, such as Bacillus and Photobacterium, are the same as those in the digestive tube, but greatly differ in percentages. The number of heterotrophic bacteria and Vibrio in rearing shoal change in line with the alteration of the temperature, and are significantly affected by the use of pesticides.     

Analysis of cultivable aerobic bacterial community composition and screening for facultative sulfate-reducing bacteria in marine corrosive steel

Anaerobic, aerobic, and facultative bacteria are all present in corrosive environments. However,as previous studies to address corrosion in the marine environment have largely focused on anaerobic bacteria, limited attention has been paid to the composition and function of aerobic and facultative bacteria in this process. For analysis in this study, ten samples were collected from rust layers on steel plates that had been immersed in seawater for dif ferent periods(i.e., six months and eight years) at Sanya and Xiamen,China. The cultivable aerobic bacterial community structure as well as the number of sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB) were analyzed in both cases, while the proportion of facultative SRB among the isolated aerobic bacteria in each sample was also evaluated using a novel approach. Bacterial abundance results show that the proportions are related to sea location and immersion time; abundances of culturable aerobic bacteria(CAB) and SRB from Sanya were greater in most corrosion samples than those from Xiamen,and abundances of both bacterial groups were greater in samples immersed for six months than for eight years. A total of 213 isolates were obtained from all samples in terms of CAB community composition,and a phylogenetic analysis revealed that the taxa comprised four phyla and 31 genera. Bacterial species composition is related to marine location; the results show that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla, accounting for 98.13% of the total, while Bacillus and Vibrio were the dominant genera,accounting for 53.06% of the total. An additional six facultative SRB strains were also screened from the isolates obtained and were found to encompass the genus Vibrio(four strains), Staphylococcus(one strain),and Photobacterium(one strain). It is noteworthy that mentions of Photobacterium species have so far been absent from the literature, both in terms of its membership of the SRB group and its relationship to corrosion.     

16S rRNA gene phylogenesis of culturable predominant bacteria from diseased Apostichopus japonicus (Holothuroidea, Echinodermata)

Cultured Apostichopus japonicus in China suffers from a kind of skin ulceration disease that has caused severe economic loss in recent years. The disease, pathogens of which are supposed to be bacteria by most researchers, is highly infectious and can often cause all individuals in the same culture pool to die in a very short time. The 16S rRNA gene phylogenesis of the culturable bacteria from the lesions of diseased individuals was conducted to study the biodiversity of the bacterial communities in the lesions and to identify probable pathogen(s) associated with this kind of disease. S. japonica samples were selected from a hatchery located in the eastern part of Qingdao, China. Bacterial universal primers GM5F and DS907R were used to amplify the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria colonies, and touchdown PCR was performed to amplify the target sequences. The results suggest that γ- proteobacteria (Alteromonadales and Vibrionales) of CFB group, many strains of which have been also determined as pathogens in other marine species, are the predominant bacterial genera of the diseased Apostichopus japonicus individuals.     

Phylogenetic diversity and bioactivity of culturable deep-sea-derived fungi from Okinawa Trough

Deep-sea sediments are now recognized as a home for rich and largely microbial community. Recently, it has been believed in an increasing number of studies that bacteria could be abundant in deepsea sediments of many types; however, fungi in deep-sea sediments remain relatively unknown. The phylogenetic diversity and bioactivity of culturable deep-sea-derived fungi from Okinawa Trough sediments were investigated in traditional method combined with fungal identification of molecular biology in this study. A total of 76 isolates belonged to 15 fungal taxa were recovered in a harsh condition of low nutrient and low temperature, indicating that the fungal communities in deep-sea sediments from Okinawa Trough were relatively abundant and diversified. Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium were the dominant fungal genera, while Mycosphaerella, Purpureocillium, and Schizophyllum were relatively rare in the deep-sea sediments from Okinawa Trough. Among the six genera recovered, Mycosphaerella was firstly recovered from deep-sea sediments in this study. Moreover, about 75% of the extracts from the 15 fungal representative isolates displayed distinct bioactivity against at least one indicator bacterium or marine macrofouler, emphasizing the potentials of these deep-sea-derived fungi from Okinawa Trough as producers of bioactive metabolites. Notably, isolates Cladosporium oxysporum SCSIO z001 and Penicillium citrinum SCSIO z049 displayed a wide spectrum of bioactivities, isolates Cladosporium cladosporioides SCSIO z015, Cladosporium sphaerospermum SCSIO z030, and Penicillium verruculosum SCSIO z007 exhibited a strong anti-bacterial-growth activity, and isolate Penicillium chrysogenum SCSIO z062 displayed a strong anti-larval-settlement activity. These results suggest that these isolates deserved further study as potential sources of novel bioactive metabolites.     

Antimicrobial activities of novel cultivable bacteria isolated from marine sponge Tedania anhelans

Marine sponge Tedania anhelans distributes throughout the intertidal zone of Fujian, southeastern China, and is a potential source of natural bioactive products. The sponge harbors a large number of bacterial groups that have been identified using various techniques, including fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Fractionation of dissociated sponge allowed isolation of 25 bacterial species. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, phylogenetic analysis attributed most of these eubacteria to α-Proteobacteria, γ-Proteobacteria, Cytophaga/Flavobacterium/Bacteroidetes (CFB group), and the family Bacillaceae of Gram-positive bacteria. In sequence similarity, five putatively novel species were identified with less than 98% similarity to other strains in the NCBI database. Tests for antimicrobial activities were performed against Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, antitumor indicators Escherichia coli 343/591 (with DNA repair deficiency), regular E. coli 343/636 (with different DNA repair capacity), and 10 bacterial isolates exhibited inhibitory bioactivities. Among these strains, three isolates were detected involving function gene NRPS-A domains, which were most closely related to the amino acid sequences of linear gramicidin synthetase and pyoverdine synthetase. These results contribute to our knowledge of the microbes associated with marine sponges and further reveal novel bacterial resources for the screening of bioactive marine natural products.     

Antifouling activities of marine bacteria associated with sponge (Sigmadocia sp.)

The present study aimed at assessing the antifouling activity of bacteria associated with marine sponges. A total of eight bacterial strains were isolated from the surface of sponge Sigmadocia sp., of them, SS02, SS05 and SS06 showed inhibitory activity against biofilm-forming bacteria. The extracts of these 3 strains considerably affected the extracellular polymeric substance producing ability and adhesion of biofilm-forming bacterial strains. In addition to disc diffusion assay, microalgal settlement assay was carried out with the extracts mixed with polyurethane wood polish and coated onto stainless steel coupons. The extract of strain SS05 showed strong microalgal settlement inhibitory activity. Strain SS05 was identified as Bacillus cereus based on its 16S rRNA gene. Metabolites of the bacterial strains associated with marine invertebrates promise to be developed into environment-friendly antifouling agents.     

Lytic Characteristics and Identification of Two Alga-lysing Bacterial Strains

Lytic Characteristics and Identification of Two Alga-lysing Bacterial StrainsBeaulieu, S. E., M. R. Sengco, and D. M. Anderson, 2005. Using clay to control harmful algal blooms: deposition and resuspension of clay/algal flocs. Harmful Algae . (4): 123-138…     

具有多种胞外酶的对虾肠道黏附菌的分离和鉴定

用对虾饲料培养基从健康凡纳滨对虾肠道分离出500株黏附细菌,以产淀粉酶、脂肪酶和蛋白酶能力为指标,筛选出产该3种消化酶的细菌90株,占总菌株的18%.对其中生长较快的69株进行16S rDNA 基因测序,确定其分类地位.结果显示,69株菌分别属于不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)、葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus)、假交替单胞菌属(Pseudoalteromonas)、气单胞菌属(Aeromonas)、嗜盐单胞菌属(Halomonas)、利斯顿氏菌属(Listonella)、莫拉氏菌属(Moraxella)等,其中数量最多是芽胞杆菌属,占鉴定细菌总数的53.62%,数量最少是气单胞菌属和嗜盐单胞菌属,均占鉴定细菌总数的2.90%.表明对虾肠道黏附菌群中具有较多能分泌多种消化酶的细菌,可进一步开发为促进对虾消化功能的益生菌     

马氏珠母贝肠道及其养殖水体可培养细菌群落结构

【目的】了解马氏珠母贝(Pinctada fucata martensii)肠道及其养殖水体可培养细菌的群落组成。【方法】采用2216E平板涂布法研究海区养殖马氏珠母贝肠道与养殖水体的可培养菌群种类及丰度。【结果与结论】马氏珠母贝肠道及其养殖水体的可培养细菌归属于2门(变形菌门和厚壁菌门)3纲7目10科23属56种。属水平上,肠道中以弧菌属(74.7%)和假交替单胞菌属(18.7%)为主;养殖水体中α-变形菌纲的FJ943236_g属(40.7%)丰度最大,弧菌属(16.7%)相对肠道丰度较低。样品共有菌属为弧菌属、假交替单胞菌属、发光杆菌属和芽孢杆菌属;肠道特有菌属为希瓦氏菌属和盐单胞菌属;养殖水体特有菌属主要为FJ943236_g、鲁杰氏菌属和Nautella。在种水平上,7个种为二者共有;马氏珠母贝肠道和养殖水体特异性菌种分别为18个和31个。虽然门水平上马氏珠母贝肠道中可培养细菌群落与其养殖水体中的细菌群落大致相似,但在属、种水平上二者差异明显。     

Microalgae cultivation in a tubular bioreactor and utilization of their cells

In this study on the possiblities of microalgae technology as an option for CO₂ mitigation, many microalgae were isolated from seawater. Some species of the isolates,Chlamydomonas sp. strain YA-SH-1, which accumulates starch in cells under light and ferment ethanol in dark and anaerobic condition, was grown outdoors by using 50-L tubular bioreactors in batch cultivation and harvested. Using these cells, the performance of ethanol production was examined quantitatively in a 0.5-L scale fermentor. Another species,Tetraselmis sp. strain Tt-1, was cultivated in a semi-batch manner by a similar type of tubular bioreactor indoors and examined for its utilization. Tests showed these cells could be used as partial substitute for wood and kenaf pulp for processing into paper. With the idea of making microalgae produce cellulose by genetic engineering in their minds, the authors studied the structure of bacterial cellulose synthase genes and the low temperature-induced, reversible flocculation in a thermophilic blue green alga (Cyanobacterium),Synechocystis vulcanus in order to examine the feasibility of using these genes as gene source and the cynanobacterium as host.

     

Isolation of novel psychrophilic bacteria from Arctic sea ice

The phylogenetic diversity of cuhurable psychrophilic bacteria associated with sea ice from the high latitude regions of Canadian Basin and Chukchi Sea, Arctic, was investigated. A total of 34 psychropilic strains were isolated using three methods of （ Ⅰ ） dilution plating （ at 4 ℃ ）, （ Ⅱ ） bath culturing （ at - 1 ℃ ） and dilution plating, and （ Ⅲ） cold shock （ -20 ℃ for 24 h）, bath culturing and dilution plating under aerobic conditions. Sea-ice samples were exposed to -20 ℃ for 24 h that might reduce the number of common microorganisms and encourage outgrowth of psyehrophilic strains. This process might be able to be introduced to isolation psychrophilic bacteria from other environmental samples in future study. 16S rDNA nearly full-length sequence analysis revealed that psychrophilic strains felled in two phylo- genetic divisions, γ-proteobacteria （in the genera ColweUia,Marinobaeter、Shewanella,Glaciecola,Marinomortas and Pseudoalteromortas ） and Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Baeteroides （ Flavobacterlum and Psyehroflexus）. Fifteen of bacterial isolates quite likely represented novel species （16S rDNA sequence similarity below 98% ）. One of strains （BSi20002） from Canadian Basin showed 100% sequence similarity to that of Marinobacter sp. ANT8277 isolated from the Antarctic Weddell sea ice, suggesting bacteria may have a bipolar distribution at the species level.     

Phylogenetic diversity of culturable bacteria in surface seawater from the Drake Passage,Antarctica

The Drake Passage is located between the Antarctic Peninsula and Tierra del Fuego in the south of South America. Surface seawater samples were collected at seven sites in the Drake Passage during the austral summer of 2012. The 16S rRNA sequences were analyzed from 187 isolated bacterial strains. Three phyla, 29 genera and 56 species were identified. The three phyla were Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria; the Proteobacteria included α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria and γ-Proteobacteria. γ-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant class or phyla in terms of quantity and species. Gram-positive bacteria (Actinobacteria and Firmicutes) accounted for 57.8% of all types identified. There were nine dominant genera, including Curtobacterium, Staphylococcus, and Halomonas, and 14 dominant species including Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, Curtobacterium pusillum, and Staphylococcus sciuri. Of the strains identified, 87.2% were catalase positive or weakly positive.     

Heterotrophic bacterial flora in aquaculture area around Xuejiadao

From Oct., 1999 to Oct., 2000, the heterotrophic bacterial flora in the aquaculture area around Xuejiadao was investigated. The result shows that the populations of the heterotrophic bacteria are heavier in summer and autumn than those in winter and spring. The average populations in seawater, sediment, the surface of seaweed and the surface of fish are 1.4×10⁴cfu mL⁻¹, 5.4×10⁶cfu g⁻¹, 1.5×10⁶cfu g⁻¹ and 1.8×10³cfu cm⁻², respectively. A total of 301 strains were isolated, among them 259 were Gram-negative. All the Gram-negative bacteria belong to 13 genera and some genera of Enterobacteriaceae. The communities of bacteria are slightly different among the samples. In the body surface of fish, Genus vibrio is dominant. In the remaining samples, dominant genus is Aeromonas.     

Will harmful dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi grow phagotrophically?

We studied the phagotrophic ability of dinoflagellate strain Karenia mikimotoi KM-Lü (isolated from the South China Sea), using fluorescent microspheres, bacteria isolated from the culture of K. mikimotoi and a marine microalgae Isochrysis galbana. We found that K. mikimotoi cultured under conditions of high light intensity could ingest fluorescent microspheres (diameters 0.5 and 2.0 μm) and fluorescence-labeled bacteria and microalgae. Under a low light intensity, however, only fluorescent microspheres (diameter 0.5 μm) and fluorescence-labeled microalgae were ingested. K. mikimotoi showed better growth by ingesting living marine bacteria or microalgae I. galbana than the controls, either in nutrient-depleted or nutrient-replete conditions. In nutrient-depleted conditions, the growth of K. mikimotoi was more significant with I. galbana as the prey item. In conclusion, the harmful dinoflagellate K. mikimotoi from the South China Sea has apparent phagotrophic ability, and some marine bacteria and microalgae may promote the growth of K. mikimotoi.     

近江牡蛎肠道细菌及其产酶能力

从近江牡蛎肠道中分离出21株菌,其中, 9株为革兰阳性菌, 12株革兰阴性菌。为寻找能分泌多种酶的有益微生物,研究了它们蛋白酶、脂肪酶、淀粉酶、纤维素酶的产酶能力。结果表明,有61 .9%的菌株能分泌蛋白酶或淀粉酶(各有13株菌);有52. 4%的菌株能分泌脂肪酶(11株菌);有33. 3%的菌株能产纤维素酶(7株菌)。在这21株菌中,产4种酶的有5株菌,产3种酶的3株菌,产两种酶的5株菌,产1种酶的3株菌,不产酶的仅有5株菌。不产酶的菌株仅占细菌总数的23. 8%,而各种产酶菌则高达76. 2%,由此表明细菌在近江牡蛎对食饵消化过程的重要性。     

Enhancing effect of Fe2+ on the formaldehyde production from trimethylamine N-oxide decomposition catalyzed by the extract of Harpadon nehereus kidney

The effects of Fe2+ on the trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) demethylating activity of the Harpadon nehereus kidney extract were studied in this research.The activity of the kidney extract was presumably inhibited by ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA),which indicates that the kidney extract contains an enzyme or enzyme system with metal cations as activator.Activity of the kidney extract was enhanced significantly when Fe2+ was added into the model system in vitro.As the concentration of Fe2+ increased,the decomposing rate of TMAO increased rapidly until TMAO decomposed completely.The activity of the kidney extract was also enhanced by reductant such as ascorbic acid.Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) was employed to determine the content of total iron in a number of fishery products.Significant positive correlation between the contents of total iron and endogenous formaldehyde (FA) was found,especially in marine products.     

Intraspecific diversity of Aureobasidium pullulans strains from different marine environments

Totally more than 500 yeast strains were isolated from seawater, sea sediments, mud of sea salterns, marine fish guts and marine algae. The results of routine and molecular biology identification methods show that nine strains among these marine yeasts belong to Aureobasidium pullulans, although the morphologies of their colonies are very different. The marine yeasts isolated from different marine environments indicate that A. pullulans is widely distributed in different environmental conditions. These Aureobasidium pullulans strains include A. pullulans 4#2, A. pullulans N13d, A. pullulans HN3-11, A. pullulans HN2-3, A. pullulans JHSc, A. pullulans HN4.7, A. pullulans HN5.3, A. pullulans HN6.2 and A. pullulans W13a. A. pullulans 4#2 could produce cellulase and single cell protein. A. pullulans N13d could produce protease, lipase, amylase and cellulase. Both A. pullulans HN3-11 and A. pullulans HN2-3 were able to produce protease, lipase and cellulase. A. pullulans JHSc could secrete cellulase and killer toxin. Both A. pullulans HN4.7 and A. pullulans HN5.3 could yield lipase and cellulase. A. pullulans W13a was able to secrete extracellular amylase and cellulase while A. pullulans HN4.7 and A. pullulans N13d could produce siderophores. This means that different A. pullulans strains from different marine environments have different physiological characteristics, which may be applied in many different biotechnological industries.     

Methods used to study bacterial diversity in the marine environment around Qingdao

Pollution has a considerable effect on biological communities, in terms of size and diversity of the populations. Yet, the precise consequences of human activity on microbial communities in the marine environment are poorly understood. Therefore, in an ongoing collaborative research programme between Heriot-Watt University and the Ocean University of Qingdao, bacteria were isolated in 1999 and 2000 from marine sediment, seawater, seaweed, fish and shellfish, taken from locations in Shandong Province adjacent to Qingdao. Sampling locations were comprised of industrial and aquacultural sites and a clean, control site. In order to analyse microbial diversity, a polyphasic approach was adopted for characterisation of these isolates, specifically through examination of key phenotypic traits, i.e. using Biolog GN MicroPlate^™ profiles, bacterial whole cell protein profiles and 16S and 23S rRNA gene sequences. These techniques yielded complex taxonomic data, which were subjected to statistical and cluster analyses. The application of these methods to studies of microbial communities is discussed.