Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology


Publications (230)

An In Vitro Pipeline for Screening and Selection of Citrus-Associated Microbiota with Potential Anti-“ Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” Properties

Citation
Blacutt et al. (2020). Applied and Environmental Microbiology 86 (8)
Names (1)
Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus
Subjects
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Biotechnology Ecology Food Science
Abstract
Globally, citrus is threatened by huanglongbing (HLB), and the lack of effective control measures is a major concern of farmers, markets, and consumers. There is compelling evidence that plant health is a function of the activities of the plant's associated microbiome. Using Liberibacter crescens , a culturable surrogate for the unculturable HLB-associated bacterium “ Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,” we tested the hypothesis that members of the citrus microbiome produce potential anti-“ Ca . Liberibacter asiaticus” natural products with potential anti-“ Ca . Liberibacter asiaticus” activity. A subset of isolates obtained from the microbiome inhibited L. crescens growth in an agar diffusion inhibition assay. Further fractionation experiments linked the inhibitory activity of the fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides to the fungus-produced natural products cladosporols A, C, and D, demonstrating dose-dependent antagonism to L. crescens .

“ Candidatus Desulfobulbus rimicarensis,” an Uncultivated Deltaproteobacterial Epibiont from the Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Shrimp Rimicaris exoculata

Citation
Jiang et al. (2020). Applied and Environmental Microbiology 86 (8)
Names (1)
Ca. Desulfobulbus rimicarensis
Subjects
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Biotechnology Ecology Food Science
Abstract
The shrimp Rimicaris exoculata represents the dominant faunal biomass at many deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This organism harbors dense bacterial epibiont communities in its enlarged cephalothoracic chamber that play an important nutritional role. Deltaproteobacteria are ubiquitous in epibiotic communities of R. exoculata , and their functional roles as epibionts are based solely on the presence of functional genes. Here, we describe “ Candidatus Desulfobulbus rimicarensis,” an uncultivated deltaproteobacterial epibiont. Compared to campylobacterial and gammaproteobacterial epibionts of R. exoculata , this bacterium possessed unique metabolic pathways, such as the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, as well as sulfur disproportionation and nitrogen fixation pathways. Furthermore, this epibiont can be distinguished from closely related free-living Desulfobulbus strains by its reduced genetic content and potential loss of functions, suggesting unique adaptations to the shrimp host. This study is a genomic and transcriptomic analysis of a deltaproteobacterial epibiont and largely expands the understanding of its metabolism and adaptation to the R. exoculata host.

Medium-Chain Fatty Acid Synthesis by “ Candidatus Weimeria bifida” gen. nov., sp. nov., and “ Candidatus Pseudoramibacter fermentans” sp. nov

Citation
Scarborough et al. (2020). Applied and Environmental Microbiology 86 (3)
Names (2)
Ca. Weimeria bifida Ca. Pseudoramibacter fermentans
Subjects
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Biotechnology Ecology Food Science
Abstract
Chain elongation by medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA)-producing microbiomes offers an opportunity to produce valuable chemicals from organic streams that would otherwise be considered waste. However, the physiology and energetics of chain elongation are only beginning to be studied, and many of these organisms remain uncultured. We analyzed MCFA production by two uncultured organisms that were identified as the main MCFA producers in a microbial community enriched from an anaerobic digester; this characterization, which is based on meta-multi-omic analysis, complements the knowledge that has been acquired from pure-culture studies. The analysis revealed previously unreported features of the metabolism of MCFA-producing organisms.