Inter-species interconnections in acid mine drainage microbial communities

Autor: Luis Raul Comolli, Jillian F Banfield
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol 5 (2014)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1664-302X
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00367
Popis: Metagenomic studies are revolutionizing our understanding of microbes in the biosphere. They have uncovered numerous proteins of unknown function in tens of essentially unstudied lineages that lack cultivated representatives. Notably, few of these microorganisms have been visualized, and even fewer have been described ultra-structurally in their essentially intact, physiologically relevant states. Here, we present cryogenic transmission electron microscope (cryo-TEM) 2D images and 3D tomographic datasets for archaeal species from natural acid mine drainage (AMD) microbial communities. Ultrastructural findings indicate the importance of microbial interconnectedness via a range of mechanisms, including direct cytoplasmic bridges and pervasive pili. The data also suggest a variety of biological structures associated with cell-cell interfaces that lack explanation. Some may play roles in inter-species interactions. Interdependences amongst the archaea may have confounded prior isolation efforts. Overall, the findings underline knowledge gaps related to archaeal cell components and highlight the likely importance of co-evolution in shaping microbial lineages.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals