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Alfred M. Spormann - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Metabolic strategies of marine subseafloor Chloroflexi inferred from genome reconstructions
Environmental microbiology, 2020Co-Authors: Maeva Fincker, Julie A. Huber, Victoria J. Orphan, Michael S. Rappé, Andreas Teske, Alfred M. SpormannAbstract:Uncultured members of the Chloroflexi phylum are highly enriched in numerous subseafloor environments. Their metabolic potential was evaluated by reconstructing 31 Chloroflexi genomes from six different subseafloor habitats. The near ubiquitous presence of enzymes of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, electron bifurcation, and ferredoxin-dependent transport-coupled phosphorylation indicated anaerobic acetogenesis was central to their catabolism. Most of the genomes simultaneously contained multiple degradation pathways for complex carbohydrates, detrital protein, aromatic compounds, and hydrogen, indicating the coupling of oxidation of chemically diverse organic substrates to ubiquitous CO2 reduction. Such pathway combinations may confer a fitness advantage in subseafloor environments by enabling these Chloroflexi to act as primary fermenters and acetogens in one microorganism without the need for syntrophic H2 consumption. While evidence for catabolic oxygen respiration was limited to two phylogenetic clusters, the presence of genes encoding putative reductive dehalogenases throughout the phylum expanded the phylogenetic boundary for potential organohalide respiration past the Dehalococcoidia class.
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Homoacetogenesis in Deep-Sea Chloroflexi, as Inferred by Single-Cell Genomics, Provides a Link to Reductive Dehalogenation in Terrestrial Dehalococcoidetes.
mBio, 2017Co-Authors: Holly L. Sewell, Anne-kristin Kaster, Alfred M. SpormannAbstract:The deep marine subsurface is one of the largest unexplored biospheres on Earth and is widely inhabited by members of the phylum Chloroflexi In this report, we investigated genomes of single cells obtained from deep-sea sediments of the Peruvian Margin, which are enriched in such Chloroflexi 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed two of these single-cell-derived genomes (DscP3 and Dsc4) in a clade of subphylum I Chloroflexi which were previously recovered from deep-sea sediment in the Okinawa Trough and a third (DscP2-2) as a member of the previously reported DscP2 population from Peruvian Margin site 1230. The presence of genes encoding enzymes of a complete Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, a Rhodobacter nitrogen fixation (Rnf) complex, glyosyltransferases, and formate dehydrogenases in the single-cell genomes of DscP3 and Dsc4 and the presence of an NADH-dependent reduced ferredoxin:NADP oxidoreductase (Nfn) and Rnf in the genome of DscP2-2 imply a homoacetogenic lifestyle of these abundant marine Chloroflexi We also report here the first complete pathway for anaerobic benzoate oxidation to acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) in the phylum Chloroflexi (DscP3 and Dsc4), including a class I benzoyl-CoA reductase. Of remarkable evolutionary significance, we discovered a gene encoding a formate dehydrogenase (FdnI) with reciprocal closest identity to the formate dehydrogenase-like protein (complex iron-sulfur molybdoenzyme [CISM], DET0187) of terrestrial Dehalococcoides/Dehalogenimonas spp. This formate dehydrogenase-like protein has been shown to lack formate dehydrogenase activity in Dehalococcoides/Dehalogenimonas spp. and is instead hypothesized to couple HupL hydrogenase to a reductive dehalogenase in the catabolic reductive dehalogenation pathway. This finding of a close functional homologue provides an important missing link for understanding the origin and the metabolic core of terrestrial Dehalococcoides/Dehalogenimonas spp. and of reductive dehalogenation, as well as the biology of abundant deep-sea ChloroflexiIMPORTANCE The deep marine subsurface is one of the largest unexplored biospheres on Earth and is widely inhabited by members of the phylum Chloroflexi In this report, we investigated genomes of single cells obtained from deep-sea sediments and provide evidence for a homacetogenic lifestyle of these abundant marine Chloroflexi Moreover, genome signature and key metabolic genes indicate an evolutionary relationship between these deep-sea sediment microbes and terrestrial, reductively dehalogenating Dehalococcoides.
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Homoacetogenesis in Deep-Sea Chloroflexi, as Inferred by Single-Cell Genomics, Provides a Link to Reductive Dehalogenation in Terrestrial Dehalococcoidetes
American Society for Microbiology, 2017Co-Authors: Holly L. Sewell, Anne-kristin Kaster, Alfred M. Spormann, Colleen M. CavanaughAbstract:The deep marine subsurface is one of the largest unexplored biospheres on Earth and is widely inhabited by members of the phylum Chloroflexi. In this report, we investigated genomes of single cells obtained from deep-sea sediments of the Peruvian Margin, which are enriched in such Chloroflexi. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed two of these single-cell-derived genomes (DscP3 and Dsc4) in a clade of subphylum I Chloroflexi which were previously recovered from deep-sea sediment in the Okinawa Trough and a third (DscP2-2) as a member of the previously reported DscP2 population from Peruvian Margin site 1230. The presence of genes encoding enzymes of a complete Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, a Rhodobacter nitrogen fixation (Rnf) complex, glyosyltransferases, and formate dehydrogenases in the single-cell genomes of DscP3 and Dsc4 and the presence of an NADH-dependent reduced ferredoxin:NADP oxidoreductase (Nfn) and Rnf in the genome of DscP2-2 imply a homoacetogenic lifestyle of these abundant marine Chloroflexi. We also report here the first complete pathway for anaerobic benzoate oxidation to acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) in the phylum Chloroflexi (DscP3 and Dsc4), including a class I benzoyl-CoA reductase. Of remarkable evolutionary significance, we discovered a gene encoding a formate dehydrogenase (FdnI) with reciprocal closest identity to the formate dehydrogenase-like protein (complex iron-sulfur molybdoenzyme [CISM], DET0187) of terrestrial Dehalococcoides/Dehalogenimonas spp. This formate dehydrogenase-like protein has been shown to lack formate dehydrogenase activity in Dehalococcoides/Dehalogenimonas spp. and is instead hypothesized to couple HupL hydrogenase to a reductive dehalogenase in the catabolic reductive dehalogenation pathway. This finding of a close functional homologue provides an important missing link for understanding the origin and the metabolic core of terrestrial Dehalococcoides/Dehalogenimonas spp. and of reductive dehalogenation, as well as the biology of abundant deep-sea Chloroflexi
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Single cell genomic study of Dehalococcoidetes species from deep-sea sediments of the Peruvian Margin
The ISME Journal, 2014Co-Authors: Anne-kristin Kaster, Koshlan Mayer-blackwell, Ben Pasarelli, Alfred M. SpormannAbstract:The phylum Chloroflexi is one of the most frequently detected phyla in the subseafloor of the Pacific Ocean margins. Dehalogenating Chloroflexi ( Dehalococcoidetes ) was originally discovered as the key microorganisms mediating reductive dehalogenation via their key enzymes reductive dehalogenases (Rdh) as sole mode of energy conservation in terrestrial environments. The frequent detection of Dehalococcoidetes -related 16S rRNA and rdh genes in the marine subsurface implies a role for dissimilatory dehalorespiration in this environment; however, the two genes have never been linked to each other. To provide fundamental insights into the metabolism, genomic population structure and evolution of marine subsurface Dehalococcoidetes sp ., we analyzed a non-contaminated deep-sea sediment core sample from the Peruvian Margin Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) site 1230, collected 7.3 m below the seafloor by a single cell genomic approach. We present for the first time single cell genomic data on three d eep- s ea Chloroflexi (Dsc) single cells from a marine subsurface environment. Two of the single cells were considered to be part of a local Dehalococcoidetes population and assembled together into a 1.38-Mb genome, which appears to be at least 85% complete. Despite a high degree of sequence-level similarity between the shared proteins in the Dsc and terrestrial Dehalococcoidetes , no evidence for catabolic reductive dehalogenation was found in Dsc. The genome content is however consistent with a strictly anaerobic organotrophic or lithotrophic lifestyle.
Woodward W. Fischer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Phototrophic Methane Oxidation in a Member of the Chloroflexi Phylum
2019Co-Authors: Lewis M. Ward, Patrick M Shih, Woodward W. Fischer, James Hemp, Takeshi Kakegawa, Shawn E. McglynnAbstract:Biological methane cycling plays an important role in Earth's climate and the global carbon cycle, with biological methane oxidation (methanotrophy) modulating methane release from numerous environments including soils, sediments, and water columns. Methanotrophy is typically coupled to aerobic respiration or anaerobically via the reduction of sulfate, nitrate, or metal oxides, and while the possibility of coupling methane oxidation to phototrophy (photomethanotrophy) has been proposed, no organism has ever been described that is capable of this metabolism. Here we described a new bacterial genome from a member of the Chloroflexi phylum--termed here Candidatus Chlorolinea photomethanotrophicum--with cooccurring methanotrophy and phototrophy pathways, suggesting a novel link between these two metabolisms. Recovered as a metagenome-assembled genome from microbial mats in an iron-rich hot spring in Japan, Ca. "C. photomethanotrophicum" forms a new lineage within the Chloroflexi phylum and expands the known metabolic diversity of this already diverse clade. Ca. "C. photomethanotrophicum" appears to be metabolically versatile, capable of phototrophy (via a Type 2 reaction center), aerobic respiration, nitrite reduction, oxidation of methane and carbon monoxide, and potentially carbon fixation via a novel pathway composed of hybridized components of the serine cycle and the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle. The biochemical network of this organism is constructed from components from multiple organisms and pathways, further demonstrating the modular nature of metabolic machinery and the ecological and evolutionary importance of horizontal gene transfer in the establishment of novel pathways.
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Draft Genome Sequence of a Divergent Anaerobic Member of the Chloroflexi Class Ardenticatenia from a Sulfidic Hot Spring.
Genome announcements, 2018Co-Authors: Lewis M. Ward, Shawn E. Mcglynn, Woodward W. FischerAbstract:Here, we present a draft genome sequence of Nak82, the second genome sequence available for the Chloroflexi class Ardenticatenia and the first from a sulfidic terrestrial hot spring. Nak82 is genetically and metabolically distinct from Ardenticatena maritima and likely represents a new genus- or family-level lineage lacking high-potential respiratory pathways.
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Evolution of Phototrophy in the Chloroflexi Phylum Driven by Horizontal Gene Transfer.
Frontiers in microbiology, 2018Co-Authors: Lewis M. Ward, Patrick M Shih, James Hemp, Shawn E. Mcglynn, Woodward W. FischerAbstract:The evolutionary mechanisms behind the extant distribution of photosynthesis is a point of substantial contention. Hypotheses range from the presence of phototrophy in the last universal common ancestor and massive gene loss in most lineages, to a later origin in Cyanobacteria followed by extensive horizontal gene transfer into the extant phototrophic clades, with intermediate scenarios that incorporate aspects of both end-members. Here, we report draft genomes of 11 Chloroflexi: the phototrophic Chloroflexia isolate Kouleothrix aurantiaca as well as 10 genome bins recovered from metagenomic sequencing of microbial mats found in Japanese hot springs. Two of these metagenome bins encode photrophic reaction centers and several of these bins form a metabolically diverse, monophyletic clade sister to the Anaerolineae class that we term Candidatus Thermofonsia. Comparisons of organismal (based on conserved ribosomal) and phototrophy (reaction center and bacteriochlorophyll synthesis) protein phylogenies throughout the Chloroflexi demonstrate that two new lineages acquired phototrophy independently via horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from different ancestral donors within the classically phototrophic Chloroflexia class. These results illustrate a complex history of phototrophy within this group, with metabolic innovation tied to HGT. These observations do not support simple hypotheses for the evolution of photosynthesis that require massive character loss from many clades; rather, HGT appears to be the defining mechanic for the distribution of phototrophy in many of the extant clades in which it appears.
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Evolution of the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle and recent transfer of anoxygenic photosynthesis into the Chloroflexi.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2017Co-Authors: Patrick M Shih, Lewis M. Ward, Woodward W. FischerAbstract:Various lines of evidence from both comparative biology and the geologic record make it clear that the biochemical machinery for anoxygenic photosynthesis was present on early Earth and provided the evolutionary stock from which oxygenic photosynthesis evolved ca. 2.3 billion years ago. However, the taxonomic identity of these early anoxygenic phototrophs is uncertain, including whether or not they remain extant. Several phototrophic bacterial clades are thought to have evolved before oxygenic photosynthesis emerged, including the Chloroflexi, a phylum common across a wide range of modern environments. Although Chloroflexi have traditionally been thought to be an ancient phototrophic lineage, genomics has revealed a much greater metabolic diversity than previously appreciated. Here, using a combination of comparative genomics and molecular clock analyses, we show that phototrophic members of the Chloroflexi phylum are not particularly ancient, having evolved well after the rise of oxygen (ca. 867 million years ago), and thus cannot be progenitors of oxygenic photosynthesis. Similarly, results show that the carbon fixation pathway that defines this clade—the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle—evolved late in Earth history as a result of a series of horizontal gene transfer events, explaining the lack of geological evidence for this pathway based on the carbon isotope record. These results demonstrate the role of horizontal gene transfer in the recent metabolic innovations expressed within this phylum, including its importance in the development of a novel carbon fixation pathway.
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Draft Genome Sequence of Herpetosiphon geysericola GC-42, a Nonphototrophic Member of the Chloroflexi Class Chloroflexia
Genome announcements, 2015Co-Authors: Lewis M. Ward, James Hemp, Laura A. Pace, Woodward W. FischerAbstract:We report here the draft genome sequence of Herpetosiphon geysericola GC-42, a predatory nonphototrophic member of the class Chloroflexia in the phylum Chloroflexi. This genome provides insight into the evolution of phototrophy and aerobic respiration within the Chloroflexi.
C. Etchebehere - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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preliminary analysis of Chloroflexi populations in full scale uasb methanogenic reactors
Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2019Co-Authors: P. Bovio, A. Cabezas, C. EtchebehereAbstract:AIMS The phylum Chloroflexi is frequently found in high abundance in methanogenic reactors, but their role is still unclear as most of them remain uncultured and understudied. Hence, a detailed analysis was performed in samples from five up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) full-scale reactors fed different industrial wastewaters. METHODS AND RESULTS Quantitative PCR show that the phylum Chloroflexi was abundant in all UASB methanogenic reactors, with higher abundance in the reactors operated for a long period of time, which presented granular biomass. Both terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed diverse Chloroflexi populations apparently determined by the different inocula. According to the phylogenetic analysis, the sequences from the dominant Chloroflexi were positioned in branches where no sequences of the cultured representative strains were placed. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis performed in two of the reactors showed filamentous morphology of the hybridizing cells. CONCLUSIONS While members of the Anaerolineae class within phylum Chloroflexi were predominant, their diversity is still poorly described in anaerobic reactors. Due to their filamentous morphology, Chloroflexi may have a key role in the granulation in methanogenic UASB reactors. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY Our results bring new insights about the diversity, stability, dynamics and abundance of this phylum in full-scale UASB reactors which aid in understanding their function within the reactor biomass. However, new methodological approaches and analysis of bulking biomass are needed to completely unravel their role in these reactors. Combining all this knowledge with reactor operational parameters will allow to understand their participation in granulation and bulking episodes and design strategies to prevent Chloroflexi overgrowth.
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Preliminary analysis of Chloroflexi populations in full‐scale UASB methanogenic reactors
Journal of applied microbiology, 2018Co-Authors: P. Bovio, A. Cabezas, C. EtchebehereAbstract:AIMS The phylum Chloroflexi is frequently found in high abundance in methanogenic reactors, but their role is still unclear as most of them remain uncultured and understudied. Hence, a detailed analysis was performed in samples from five up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) full-scale reactors fed different industrial wastewaters. METHODS AND RESULTS Quantitative PCR show that the phylum Chloroflexi was abundant in all UASB methanogenic reactors, with higher abundance in the reactors operated for a long period of time, which presented granular biomass. Both terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed diverse Chloroflexi populations apparently determined by the different inocula. According to the phylogenetic analysis, the sequences from the dominant Chloroflexi were positioned in branches where no sequences of the cultured representative strains were placed. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis performed in two of the reactors showed filamentous morphology of the hybridizing cells. CONCLUSIONS While members of the Anaerolineae class within phylum Chloroflexi were predominant, their diversity is still poorly described in anaerobic reactors. Due to their filamentous morphology, Chloroflexi may have a key role in the granulation in methanogenic UASB reactors. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY Our results bring new insights about the diversity, stability, dynamics and abundance of this phylum in full-scale UASB reactors which aid in understanding their function within the reactor biomass. However, new methodological approaches and analysis of bulking biomass are needed to completely unravel their role in these reactors. Combining all this knowledge with reactor operational parameters will allow to understand their participation in granulation and bulking episodes and design strategies to prevent Chloroflexi overgrowth.
Yuji Sekiguchi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Draft Genome Sequences of Anaerolinea thermolimosa IMO-1, Bellilinea caldifistulae GOMI-1, Leptolinea tardivitalis YMTK-2, Levilinea saccharolytica KIBI-1, Longilinea arvoryzae KOME-1, Previously Described as Members of the Class Anaerolineae (Chloro
Genome announcements, 2015Co-Authors: Norihisa Matsuura, Philip Hugenholtz, Dieter M. Tourlousse, Akiko Ohashi, Yuji SekiguchiAbstract:Members of the class Anaerolineae in the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi are widespread in a range of ecosystems but remain poorly understood. We present here the draft genome sequences of the type strains of five Anaerolineae species, Anaerolinea thermolimosa IMO-1, Bellilinea caldifistulae GOMI-1, Leptolinea tardivitalis YMTK-2, Levilinea saccharolytica KIBI-1, and Longilinea arvoryzae KOME-1.
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cultivation of uncultured Chloroflexi subphyla significance and ecophysiology of formerly uncultured Chloroflexi subphylum i with natural and biotechnological relevance
Microbes and Environments, 2009Co-Authors: Takeshi Yamada, Yuji SekiguchiAbstract:Cultivation-independent molecular surveys have shown members of the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi to be ubiquitous in various natural and artificial ecosystems. Among the subphylum-level taxa of the Chloroflexi known to date, the formerly uncultured 'subphylum I' had well been recognized as a typical group that contains a number of environmental gene clones with no culture representatives. In order to reveal their ecophysiology, attempts were made over the past decade to domesticate them into laboratory cultures, and significant advances have been made in cultivating strains belonging to the group. The microorganisms characterized so far include seven species in six genera, i.e., Anaerolinea, Levilinea, Leptolinea, Bellilinea, Longilinea, and Caldilinea, and were proposed to represent two classes, Anaerolineae and Caldilineae, providing solid insights into the phenotypic and genetic properties common to the group. Another subphylum-level uncultured group of the Chloroflexi, i.e., the class Ktedonobacteria, has also been represented recently by a cultured strain. In addition to the results from these tangible cultures, data obtained from functional analyses of uncultured Chloroflexi populations by assessing substrate uptake patterns are accumulating at an encouraging rate. In this review, recent findings on the ecological significance and possible ecophysiological roles of 'Chloroflexi subphylum I' are discussed based on findings from both the characteristics of the cultured Chloroflexi and molecular-based analyses.
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Diversity, Localization, and Physiological Properties of Filamentous Microbes Belonging to Chloroflexi Subphylum I in Mesophilic and Thermophilic Methanogenic Sludge Granules
Applied and environmental microbiology, 2005Co-Authors: Takeshi Yamada, Akiyoshi Ohashi, Yuji Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki Imachi, Yoichi Kamagata, Hideki HaradaAbstract:We previously reported that the thermophilic filamentous anaerobe Anaerolinea thermophila, which is the first cultured representative of subphylum I of the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi, not only was one of the predominant constituents of thermophilic sludge granules but also was a causative agent of filamentous sludge bulking in a thermophilic (55°C) upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor in which high-strength organic wastewater was treated (Y. Sekiguchi, H. Takahashi, Y. Kamagata, A. Ohashi, and H. Harada, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:5740-5749, 2001). To further elucidate the ecology and function of Anaerolinea-type filamentous microbes in UASB sludge granules, we surveyed the diversity, distribution, and physiological properties of Chloroflexi subphylum I microbes residing in UASB granules. Five different types of mesophilic and thermophilic UASB sludge were used to analyze the Chloroflexi subphylum I populations. 16S rRNA gene cloning-based analyses using a 16S rRNA gene-targeted Chloroflexi-specific PCR primer set revealed that all clonal sequences were affiliated with the Chloroflexi subphylum I group and that a number of different phylotypes were present in each clone library, suggesting the ubiquity and vast genetic diversity of these populations in UASB sludge granules. Subsequent fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of the three different types of mesophilic sludge granules using a Chloroflexi-specific probe suggested that all probe-reactive cells had a filamentous morphology and were widely distributed within the sludge granules. The FISH observations also indicated that the Chloroflexi subphylum I bacteria were not always the predominant populations within mesophilic sludge granules, in contrast to thermophilic sludge granules. We isolated two mesophilic strains and one thermophilic strain belonging to the Chloroflexi subphylum I group. The physiological properties of these isolates suggested that these populations may contribute to the degradation of carbohydrates and other cellular components, such as amino acids, in the bioreactors.
Takeshi Yamada - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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cultivation of uncultured Chloroflexi subphyla significance and ecophysiology of formerly uncultured Chloroflexi subphylum i with natural and biotechnological relevance
Microbes and Environments, 2009Co-Authors: Takeshi Yamada, Yuji SekiguchiAbstract:Cultivation-independent molecular surveys have shown members of the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi to be ubiquitous in various natural and artificial ecosystems. Among the subphylum-level taxa of the Chloroflexi known to date, the formerly uncultured 'subphylum I' had well been recognized as a typical group that contains a number of environmental gene clones with no culture representatives. In order to reveal their ecophysiology, attempts were made over the past decade to domesticate them into laboratory cultures, and significant advances have been made in cultivating strains belonging to the group. The microorganisms characterized so far include seven species in six genera, i.e., Anaerolinea, Levilinea, Leptolinea, Bellilinea, Longilinea, and Caldilinea, and were proposed to represent two classes, Anaerolineae and Caldilineae, providing solid insights into the phenotypic and genetic properties common to the group. Another subphylum-level uncultured group of the Chloroflexi, i.e., the class Ktedonobacteria, has also been represented recently by a cultured strain. In addition to the results from these tangible cultures, data obtained from functional analyses of uncultured Chloroflexi populations by assessing substrate uptake patterns are accumulating at an encouraging rate. In this review, recent findings on the ecological significance and possible ecophysiological roles of 'Chloroflexi subphylum I' are discussed based on findings from both the characteristics of the cultured Chloroflexi and molecular-based analyses.
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Diversity, Localization, and Physiological Properties of Filamentous Microbes Belonging to Chloroflexi Subphylum I in Mesophilic and Thermophilic Methanogenic Sludge Granules
Applied and environmental microbiology, 2005Co-Authors: Takeshi Yamada, Akiyoshi Ohashi, Yuji Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki Imachi, Yoichi Kamagata, Hideki HaradaAbstract:We previously reported that the thermophilic filamentous anaerobe Anaerolinea thermophila, which is the first cultured representative of subphylum I of the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi, not only was one of the predominant constituents of thermophilic sludge granules but also was a causative agent of filamentous sludge bulking in a thermophilic (55°C) upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor in which high-strength organic wastewater was treated (Y. Sekiguchi, H. Takahashi, Y. Kamagata, A. Ohashi, and H. Harada, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:5740-5749, 2001). To further elucidate the ecology and function of Anaerolinea-type filamentous microbes in UASB sludge granules, we surveyed the diversity, distribution, and physiological properties of Chloroflexi subphylum I microbes residing in UASB granules. Five different types of mesophilic and thermophilic UASB sludge were used to analyze the Chloroflexi subphylum I populations. 16S rRNA gene cloning-based analyses using a 16S rRNA gene-targeted Chloroflexi-specific PCR primer set revealed that all clonal sequences were affiliated with the Chloroflexi subphylum I group and that a number of different phylotypes were present in each clone library, suggesting the ubiquity and vast genetic diversity of these populations in UASB sludge granules. Subsequent fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of the three different types of mesophilic sludge granules using a Chloroflexi-specific probe suggested that all probe-reactive cells had a filamentous morphology and were widely distributed within the sludge granules. The FISH observations also indicated that the Chloroflexi subphylum I bacteria were not always the predominant populations within mesophilic sludge granules, in contrast to thermophilic sludge granules. We isolated two mesophilic strains and one thermophilic strain belonging to the Chloroflexi subphylum I group. The physiological properties of these isolates suggested that these populations may contribute to the degradation of carbohydrates and other cellular components, such as amino acids, in the bioreactors.