Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Wylerson Guimaraes Nogueira, Bruna Veronica Azevedo Gois, Kenny da Costa Pinheiro, Andressa de Oliveira Aragao, Ana Lidia Cavalcante Queiroz, Artur Luiz da Silva, Adriana Carneiro Folador, Rommel Thiago Juca Ramos
Summary: This study provides the first description of the virome composition and diversity in Lake Bolonha in Belem, Brazil, using a metagenomic approach. The research focuses on bacteriophages and cyanophages, and the results indicate the presence of a widely diverse viral community and phage-regulated dynamics in the lake's microbial ecosystem.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Floyd Nichols, Alexandra Pontefract, Hannah Dion-Kirschner, Andrew L. Masterson, Magdalena R. Osburn
Summary: By studying lakes similar to Mars, it has been found that hypersaline environments rich in MgSO4 and Na2CO3 harbor abundant organic matter and microbial biomarkers, indicating the potential habitability of these environments.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Xiangyu Fan, Mengzhi Ji, Muyuan Li, Kaili Sun, Zhen Tian, Rongfeng Gao, Yang Liu, Guojian Liao, Changhua Hu
Summary: The study reveals the significant impact of continuous cropping on the prokaryotic and viral communities in soil, especially in the case of Coptis chinensis continuous cropping. Specific bacteria, including plant pathogens, were enriched in the soil due to continuous cropping, while the diversity and abundance of soil viral communities were also influenced. Furthermore, the study provides insights into the virus-host interactions and their effects on soil microbes in continuous cropping systems.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi-Chun Yeh, Jed A. Fuhrman
Summary: This study used ribosomal RNA sequencing and viral metagenomics to quantify the microbial community composition in the San-Pedro Ocean Time-series over several years. The results showed that physicochemical factors, as well as the viral and phytoplankton communities, are important determinants of the temporal dynamics of prokaryotes. Biotic interactions play a significant role in shaping the prokaryotic community, and the importance of specific interactions varies depending on lifestyles. Additionally, warming influences the prokaryotic community, with cyanobacterial populations shifting in response.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Elisabeth Navarro, Chiara Santinelli, Simona Retelletti Brogi, Gael Durrieu, Olivier Radakovitch, Cedric Garnier, Benjamin Misson
Summary: In the marine coastal environment, freshwater and seawater coalescing communities face complex abiotic and biotic influences. This study aimed to evaluate the respective influences of blending and prokaryotic dynamics on community structure. The results showed that salinity was the predominant constraint on community structure, and the distribution of most taxa reflected their blending.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhixiang She, Xin Pan, Jin Wang, Rui Shao, Guangcheng Wang, Shaoping Wang, Zhengbo Yue
Summary: Acid mine drainage (AMD) lakes exhibit tight geochemical gradients in the water column, resulting in significant changes in prokaryotic microbial community structure and increased diversity with depth. Heterogeneous selection is the main assembly process in the surface water, while stochastic processes become more important with depth.
Article
Microbiology
Laura Brenes-Guillen, Daniela Vidaurre-Barahona, Lidia Aviles-Vargas, Victor Castro-Gutierrez, Eddy Gomez-Ramirez, Kaylen Gonzalez-Sanchez, Marielos Mora-Lopez, Gerardo Umana-Villalobos, Lorena Uribe-Lorio, Francis Hassard
Summary: Prokaryotic diversity in lakes has been studied for many years, focusing on community structure and the impact of physicochemical conditions. However, little is known about how lake stratification affects the composition and function of the prokaryotic community. In this study, Lake Cote in Costa Rica was analyzed during stratification and mixing periods to determine prokaryotic diversity, community structure, and physicochemical characteristics. Ammonium, oxygen, and temperature were found to be the main factors driving the variability in the prokaryotic community structure. The bacterial composition in Lake Cote was significantly altered during stratification, with specific taxa dominating in different layers. Anaerobic bacteria likely played a role in nitrogen cycling during stratification. The study highlights the impact of lake hydrodynamics on microbial communities and their functions, providing insights for other lake systems.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Belma Nural Yaman, Mehmet Burcin Mutlu, Pinar Aytar Celik, Ahmet Cabuk
Summary: The study revealed high concentrations of sulfur and iron in acid mine drainage through chemical analysis and gene cloning methods, identifying microbial communities rich in sulfate and iron. Various techniques, such as high-throughput sequencing and qPCR using environmental DNA, were collaboratively employed to provide strong support for understanding the diversity of acidophilic prokaryotes.
GEOMICROBIOLOGY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Kema Malki, Natalie A. Sawaya, Michael J. Tisza, Felipe H. Coutinho, Karyna Rosario, Anna J. Szekely, Mya Breitbart
Summary: High-magnitude springs fed by the Floridan aquifer system contribute significant amounts of water to rivers, creating unique lotic systems. Little is known about the composition and spatiotemporal variability of prokaryotic and viral communities in these spring systems, but the study found that the springs play a minor role in seeding downstream communities.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Wenqi Cai, Ke Yu, Wanting Yang, Rong Mu, Chunang Lian, Luhua Xie, Yan Yan, Shibin Liao, Fan Wang
Summary: This study investigated the prokaryotic community structure, abundances, interactions, and ecological functions in Barkol Lake, a hypersaline lake in Xinjiang. The results show significant differences in prokaryotic communities between water, sediments, and soil. Archaea, including Halobacterota, Nanoarchaeota, Thermoplasmatota, and Crenarchaeota, dominate the archaeal communities, while the bacterial communities are mainly composed of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Desulfobacterota, Chloroflexi, Gemmatimonadetes, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria. The network of prokaryotic communities in soil is more complex and stable compared to water and sediment. Environmental factors such as salinity, pH, total sulfur, and Ca2+ significantly affect soil prokaryotic communities. Archaeal communities may play a role in nitrogen cycling, while bacterial communities may be involved in sulfur cycling. This study expands the knowledge of prokaryotic communities in hypersaline environments and provides insights into microbial interactions and biogeochemical cycles on Mars.
Article
Biology
Pierre Cadeau, Pierre Cartigny, Christophe Thomazo, Didier Jezequel, Christophe Leboulanger, Gerard Sarazin, Magali Ader
Summary: The study observed a rare strong positive sulfur isotope signature in modern seawater and proposed that the superheavy pyrite feature is the result of a two-stage evolution of the sulfur biogeochemical cycle, which can form similar sulfur isotope signatures in sulfate-poor and highly productive environments.
Article
Virology
Juan Lu, Shixing Yang, Xiaodan Zhang, Xiangming Tang, Ju Zhang, Xiaochun Wang, Hao Wang, Quan Shen, Wen Zhang
Summary: This study provides insights into the diversity and stability of viral communities in the Yangtze River Delta area, with no significant differences among sampling sites and a dominance of the Caudovirales order. A unique pattern of viral community composition with a relatively high abundance of the Parvoviridae family was observed in the Nanjing region.
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Patrick Jung, Lukas W. Lehnert, Joerg Bendix, Guillaume Lentendu, Martin Grube, Fernando D. Alfaro, Camilo del Rio, Jose Luis Gutierrez Alvarado, Liesbeth van den Brink, Michael Lakatos
Summary: The grit crust is a unique biocrust found in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert, Chile, composed of various microorganisms that are well-adapted to extreme conditions. It has the potential to serve as a model for astrobiology and biotechnological applications that support human colonization of other planets.
FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
V. S. Cheptsov, E. A. Vorobyova, N. A. Manucharova, M. Gorlenko, A. K. Pavlov, M. S. Rozanova, V. N. Lomasov, A. A. Belov, A. E. Chumikov
Summary: The study found that under extreme physical conditions, microbial communities showed high resistance and strong metabolic activity, while maintaining potential functional diversity under radiation. Furthermore, it also indicated that the radiation resistance of microorganisms in natural habitats is underestimated, with an important role played by the mineral heterophase environment and irradiation conditions.
EURASIAN SOIL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Marie Harpke, Sebastian Pietschmann, Flavio Silva Costa, Clara Gansert, Falko Langenhorst, Erika Kothe
Summary: Microbial communities in a former uranium mining site in Germany were screened for strains that can survive high salt and metal concentrations. These strains mainly rely on the formation of strontium- or cesium-struvite minerals to resist the toxic effects of metals and salt.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Isabelle Raymond-Bouchard, Catherine Maggiori, Laura Brennan, Ianina Altshuler, Juan Manuel Manchado, Victor Parro, Lyle G. Whyte
Summary: Nanopore technologies have potential for detecting organic biogenic compounds, with Oxford Nanopore Technologies' MinION instrument being a notable example. The study tested various extraction systems' efficacy in extracting DNA from Arctic environments and found bead beating-based systems to perform the best overall. Additionally, the MinION was able to sequence unpurified DNA, suggesting potential for automated life detection applications.
Article
Geology
Adel Mady Afify, Maria-Esther Sanz-Montero, Laura Gonzalez-Acebron
Summary: This study sheds new light on the formation conditions of dolomite and magnesite in an early-middle Miocene succession in a half-graben rift-sag basin on the western margin of the Red Sea. Multistage dolomitization and magnesite authigenesis were found to be enhanced by tectonic uplifting and faulting related to the Red Sea rifting, with different dolomite types and chemistries identified throughout the succession. The presence of polymetallic ore deposits further supports the formation of dolomite and magnesite under specific evaporative and hydrothermal conditions, indicating a complex interplay of geological processes in the region.
JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annalisa Vigorito, Camilla Calabrese, Assimo Maris, Donatella Loru, Isabel Pena, M. Eugenia Sanz, Sonia Melandri
Summary: This study investigated the conformation of benzenesulfonamides and its derivatives using rotational spectroscopy, and analyzed the influence of different substituents on their structures. The results showed that the bioactive conformations within the receptor are different from those found in isolated conditions.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Maria Lujan Scalise, Nicolas Garimano, Marcelo Sanz, Nora Lia Padola, Patricia Leonino, Adriana Pereyra, Roberto Casale, Maria Marta Amaral, Flavia Sacerdoti, Cristina Ibarra
Summary: The presence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and other virulence factor-positive E. coli in pregnant women suggests a potential negative impact on pregnancy outcomes. Analysis of endocervical swab samples from prenatal examinations revealed that approximately 11.7% of the samples tested positive for E. coli, with some samples showing the presence of STEC-specific genes and virulence factor genes. Furthermore, supernatants from the E. coli isolates exhibited cytotoxic activity in various cells, highlighting the potential harmful effects of STEC during pregnancy.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Waleska Saitz, David A. Montero, Mirka Pardo, Daniela Araya, Marjorie De la Fuente, Marcela A. Hermoso, Mauricio J. Farfan, Daniel Ginard, Ramon Rossello-Mora, Dave A. Rasko, Felipe Del Canto, Roberto M. Vidal
Summary: The study aimed to identify molecular markers for screening AIEC strains. By analyzing outer membrane proteins and genes in AIEC strains, the study found that chuA, eefC, and fitA genes are significantly correlated with AIEC strains and can serve as markers for AIEC strains.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Valerie W. Y. Tsoi, Ecaterina Burevschi, Shefali Saxena, M. Eugenia Sanz
Summary: The conformational landscape of the medium-size cyclic ketone cycloundecanone has been investigated, and nine conformations were identified. The most abundant conformation dominates the spectrum and is significantly more abundant than the least abundant conformation. Conformational preferences are determined by H···H and HCCH interactions.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Geology
Pablo del Buey, M. Esther Sanz-Montero
Summary: This study provides evidence that the green alga Spirogyra can biomineralize dolomite, which aids in the understanding of the biotic formation of orderly dolomite and the reconstruction of past lacustrine environments.
Article
Microbiology
Brian P. Hedlund, Maria Chuvochina, Philip Hugenholtz, Konstantinos T. Konstantinidis, Alison E. Murray, Marike Palmer, Donovan H. Parks, Alexander J. Probst, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Luis M. Rodriguez-R, Ramon Rossello-Mora, Iain C. Sutcliffe, Stephanus N. Venter, William B. Whitman
Summary: The SeqCode is a new nomenclature system for prokaryotes that allows naming of organisms based on their genome sequences. It operates similarly to the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) but uses the SeqCode Registry for registration, validation, and linking of names and metadata. This system provides a reproducible and objective framework for naming prokaryotes regardless of cultivability.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Ricardo Amils, Cristina Escudero, Monike Oggerin, Fernando Puente Sanchez, Alejandro Arce Rodriguez, David Fernandez Remolar, Nuria Rodriguez, Miriam Garcia Villadangos, Jose Luis Sanz, Carlos Briones, Monica Sanchez-Roman, Felipe Gomez, Tania Leandro, Mercedes Moreno-Paz, Olga Prieto-Ballesteros, Antonio Molina, Fernando Tornos, Irene Sanchez-Andrea, Kenneth Timmis, Dietmar H. Pieper, Victor Parro
Summary: Microbial activity plays a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles of planet Earth. A study on the deep subsurface microbiome of the Iberian Pyrite Belt revealed unexpected diversity and novel activities such as anaerobic ammonium oxidation and anaerobic methane oxidation. Various complementary metabolic activities were found, and genomic analysis identified genes involved in key biogeochemical cycles.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
J. A. Rodriguez-Manfredi, M. de la Torre Juarez, A. Sanchez-Lavega, R. Hueso, G. Martinez, M. T. Lemmon, C. E. Newman, A. Munguira, M. Hieta, L. K. Tamppari, J. Polkko, D. Toledo, E. Sebastian, M. D. Smith, I. Jaakonaho, M. Genzer, A. De Vicente-Retortillo, D. Viudez-Moreiras, M. Ramos, A. Saiz-Lopez, A. Lepinette, M. Wolff, R. J. Sullivan, J. Gomez-Elvira, V. Apestigue, P. G. Conrad, T. Del Rio-Gaztelurrutia, N. Murdoch, I. Arruego, D. Banfield, J. Boland, A. J. Brown, J. Ceballos, M. Dominguez-Pumar, S. Espejo, A. G. Fairen, R. Ferrandiz, E. Fischer, M. Garcia-Villadangos, S. Gimenez, F. Gomez-Gomez, S. D. Guzewich, A. -m. Harri, J. J. Jimenez, V. Jimenez, T. Makinen, M. Marin, C. Martin, J. Martin-Soler, A. Molina, L. Mora-Sotomayor, S. Navarro, V. Peinado, I. Perez-Grande, J. Pla-Garcia, M. Postigo, O. Prieto-Ballesteros, S. C. R. Rafkin, M. I. Richardson, J. Romeral, C. Romero, H. Savijarvi, J. T. Schofield, J. Torres, R. Urqui, S. Zurita
Summary: NASA's Perseverance rover's Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer is collecting data at Jezero crater, revealing the spatial and temporal variability of meteorology. Measurements of temperature, aerosol concentrations, wind patterns, and relative humidity indicate diurnal variations, complex hydrologic cycles, and local topography-driven wind patterns.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
P. del Buey, M. E. Sanz-Montero, M. Sanchez-Roman
Summary: Microbial activity plays an important role in the precipitation of clay minerals and carbonates on photosynthetic microbial mats. In liquid cultures, diatoms develop saponite and dolomite crystals that are closely attached to phytoplanktonic communities. Moreover, the presence of clay minerals in alkaline lakes suggests that phytoplanktonic diatoms have contributed to their precipitation since the Jurassic.
APPLIED CLAY SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Pablo L. Finkel, Daniel Carrizo, Victor Parro, Laura Sanchez-Garcia
Summary: Lipids, as organic compounds forming cell membranes, are widely present in terrestrial environments and considered useful biomarkers for life detection on Earth. They have membrane-forming properties under hostile conditions, making them potential biomarkers for life beyond Earth. Unlike nucleic acids or proteins, lipids can retain diagnostic information about their biological source for millions of years, which is crucial in the study of astrobiology. This work explores the potential of lipid biomarkers, along with stable carbon isotope analysis, as a powerful tool for investigating the existence of life on Mars.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Mazhar Ali Jarwar, Pablo Del Buey, M. Esther Sanz-Montero, Stefano Dumontet, Elena Chianese, Vincenzo Pasquale
Summary: Heavy metal contamination is a severe threat to the environment and human health, causing various detrimental effects. Microbial precipitation of heavy metals has received relatively less attention but shows promise in environmental remediation. In this study, the marine bacteria Vibrio harveyi was found to effectively co-precipitate CaCO3 minerals with Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn from solution, reducing their concentrations by 97.2% on average within 2 days. This bioremediation technology has the potential to be an environmentally friendly approach for decontaminating suitable environmental matrices.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Maria E. Sanz-Montero, Pablo del Buey, Oscar Cabestrero, Monica Sanchez-Roman
Summary: The study focuses on the stable isotope behavior of a variety of carbonates in an alkaline and ephemeral lake, revealing insights into their seasonal precipitation and potential preservation in the rock record. The results demonstrate that the isotopic compositions of these carbonates can provide information about the environmental conditions of formation.
Article
Microbiology
Marina Vila-Nistal, Lucia Maestre-Carballa, Francisco Martinez-Hernandez, Manuel Martinez-Garcia
Summary: Marine viruses play a crucial role in energy and nutrient cycles and impact the evolution of their hosts. However, our understanding of RNA viruses is still limited. In this study, the researchers explored the Atlantic Ocean and uncovered the genomics, biogeography, and contribution of RNA viruses to the viroplankton community. They identified numerous novel RNA viruses that were highly endemic and locally abundant. The study provides valuable insights into the diversity, abundance, and distribution of RNA viruses in the oceans.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)