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Simultaneous DNA-RNA Extraction from Coastal Sediments and Quantification of 16S rRNA Genes and Transcripts by Real-time PCR
Published on: June 11, 2016
Insights from the Genomes of Microbes Thriving in Uranium-Enriched Sediments
Brodie Sutcliffe1,2, Anthony A Chariton1, Andrew J Harford3
1Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
Abstract:
Elevated uranium dose (4 g kg-1) causes a shift in billabong sediment communities that result in the enrichment of five bacterial species. These taxa include Geobacter, Geothrix and Dyella species, as well as a novel-potentially predatory-Bacteroidetes species, and a new member of class Anaerolineae (Chloroflexi). Additionally, a population of methanogenic Methanocella species was also identified. Genomic reconstruction and metabolic examination of these taxa reveal a host of divergent life strategies and putative niche partitioning. Resistance-nodulation-division heavy metal efflux (RND-HME) transporters are implicated as potential uranium tolerance strategies among the bacterial taxa. Potential interactions, uranium tolerance and ecologically relevant catabolism are presented in a conceptual model of life in this environment.
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