Proyecto de Investigación: CTM2016-80095-C2-1-R
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CTM2016-80095-C2-1-R
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Impacts of Saharan Dust Intrusions on Bacterial Communities of the Low Troposphere
(Spring Nature Research Journals, 2020-04-22) González Toril, Elena; Osuna Esteban, Susana; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Navarro Cid, Ivan; Del Toro, Silvia Díaz; Sor, Suthyvann; Bardera, Rafael; Puente Sánchez, Fernando; De Diego Castilla, Graciela; Aguilera, Á.; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); 0000-0002-5750-0765; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
We have analyzed the bacterial community of a large Saharan dust event in the Iberian Peninsula and, for the first time, we offer new insights regarding the bacterial distribution at different altitudes of the lower troposphere and the replacement of the microbial airborne structure as the dust event receeds. Samples from different open-air altitudes (surface, 100 m and 3 km), were obtained onboard the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) C-212 aircrafts. Samples were collected during dust and dust-free air masses as well two weeks after the dust event. Samples related in height or time scale seems to show more similar community composition patterns compared with unrelated samples. The most abundant bacterial species during the dust event, grouped in three different phyla: (a) Proteobacteria: Rhizobiales, Sphingomonadales, Rhodobacterales, (b) Actinobacteria: Geodermatophilaceae; (c) Firmicutes: Bacillaceae. Most of these taxa are well known for being extremely stress-resistant. After the dust intrusion, Rhizobium was the most abundant genus, (40–90% total sequences). Samples taken during the flights carried out 15 days after the dust event were much more similar to the dust event samples compared with the remaining samples. In this case, Brevundimonas, and Methylobacterium as well as Cupriavidus and Mesorizobium were the most abundant genera.
Environmental parameters, and not phylogeny, determine the composition of extracellular polymeric substances in microbial mats from extreme environments
(Elsevier, 2019-02-10) Blanco, Yolanda; Rivas, Luis Alfonso; González Toril, Elena; Ruiz-Bermejo, Marta; Moreno Paz, Mercedes; Parro, Víctor; Palacín, Arantxa; Aguilera, Á.; Puente Sánchez, Fernando; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)
The ability to establish biofilms is a key trait for microorganisms growing in extreme environments. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) present in biofilms provide not only surface attachment, but also protection against all kinds of environmental stressors, including desiccation, salinity, temperature or heavy metal pollution. The acquisition of suitable biofilm characteristics might thus be an important process mediating the adaptation of microorganisms to novel environmental conditions. In this work we have characterized the EPS of 20 phylogenetically diverse biofilms collected in situ from five contrasting extreme environments, including two geothermal areas (Copahue, Argentina; Seltun, Iceland), two cold areas (Pastoruri glacier, Peru; Byers Peninsula, Antarctica) and one extremely acidic river (Río Tinto, Spain). Biofilms were subjected to biochemical characterization, glycan profiling and immunoprofiling with an antibody microarray. Our results showed that environmental conditions strongly influence biofilm characteristics, with microorganisms from the same environment achieving similar EPS compositions regardless of the phylogeny of their main species. The concentration of some monosaccharides in the EPS could be related to environmental conditions such as temperature or heavy metal toxicity, suggesting that in some cases stress resistance can be mediated by specific sugars. Overall, our results highlight the existence of conserved EPS compositional patterns for each extreme environment, which could in turn be exploited to engineer ecological adaptations in genetically modified microorganisms.
Impacts of Saharan Dust Intrusions on Bacterial Communities of the Low Troposphere
(Springer Nature Research Journals, 2020-04-22) González Toril, Elena; Osuna Esteban, Susana; Viúdez Moreiras, Daniel; Navarro Cid, Ivan; Díaz del Toro, Silvia; Sor, Suthyvann; Bardera, Rafael; Sánchez, F. P.; De Diego Castilla, Graciela; Aguilera, Á.; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Sor, S. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6972-8601
We have analyzed the bacterial community of a large Saharan dust event in the Iberian Peninsula and, for the first time, we offer new insights regarding the bacterial distribution at different altitudes of the lower troposphere and the replacement of the microbial airborne structure as the dust event receeds. Samples from different open-air altitudes (surface, 100 m and 3 km), were obtained onboard the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) C-212 aircrafts. Samples were collected during dust and dust-free air masses as well two weeks after the dust event. Samples related in height or time scale seems to show more similar community composition patterns compared with unrelated samples. The most abundant bacterial species during the dust event, grouped in three different phyla: (a) Proteobacteria: Rhizobiales, Sphingomonadales, Rhodobacterales, (b) Actinobacteria: Geodermatophilaceae; (c) Firmicutes: Bacillaceae. Most of these taxa are well known for being extremely stress-resistant. After the dust intrusion, Rhizobium was the most abundant genus, (40–90% total sequences). Samples taken during the flights carried out 15 days after the dust event were much more similar to the dust event samples compared with the remaining samples. In this case, Brevundimonas, and Methylobacterium as well as Cupriavidus and Mesorizobium were the most abundant genera.
Viable cyanobacteria in the deep continental subsurface
(National Academy of Sciences (U.S.), 2018-10-01) Puente Sánchez, Fernando; Arce Rodríguez, Alejandro; Oggerin, Monike; García Villadangos, M.; Moreno Paz, Mercedes; Blanco, Yolanda; Rodríguez, Nuria; Bird, Laurence; Lincoln, Sara A.; Tornos, Fernando; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; Freeman, Katherine H.; Pieper, Dietmar H.; Timmis, Kenneth N.; Amils Pibernat, R.; Parro, Víctor; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); European Research Council (ERC)
Cyanobacteria are ecologically versatile microorganisms inhabiting most environments, ranging from marine systems to arid deserts. Although they possess several pathways for light-independent energy generation, until now their ecological range appeared to be restricted to environments with at least occasional exposure to sunlight. Here we present molecular, microscopic, and metagenomic evidence that cyanobacteria predominate in deep subsurface rock samples from the Iberian Pyrite Belt Mars analog (southwestern Spain). Metagenomics showed the potential for a hydrogen-based lithoautotrophic cyanobacterial metabolism. Collectively, our results suggest that they may play an important role as primary producers within the deep-Earth biosphere. Our description of this previously unknown ecological niche for cyanobacteria paves the way for models on their origin and evolution, as well as on their potential presence in current or primitive biospheres in other planetary bodies, and on the extant, primitive, and putative extraterrestrial biospheres.
