The discovery of the marine "deep biosphere"-microorganisms living deep below the seafloor-is one of the most significant and exciting discoveries since the ocean drilling program began more than 40 years ag...The discovery of the marine "deep biosphere"-microorganisms living deep below the seafloor-is one of the most significant and exciting discoveries since the ocean drilling program began more than 40 years ago. Study of the deep biosphere has become a research frontier and a hot spot both for geological and biological sciences. Here, we introduce the history of the discovery of the deep biosphere, and then we describe the types of environments for life below the seafloor, the energy sources for the living creatures, the diversity of organisms within the deep biosphere, and the new tools and technologies used in this research field. We will highlight several recently completed Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions, which targeted the subseafloor deep biosphere within the crust and sediments. Finally, future research directions and challenges of deep biosphere investigation towards uncovering the roles of subsurface microorganisms will be briefly addressed.展开更多
Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAPB) are characterized by the following physiological and ecological features. A mother AAPB cell can unusually divide into 3 daughter cells and looks like a 揧?during the di...Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAPB) are characterized by the following physiological and ecological features. A mother AAPB cell can unusually divide into 3 daughter cells and looks like a 揧?during the division. AAPB cells sometimes adhere together forming a free-floating population. Most of the known AAPB species are obligately aerobic. Bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a) is the only photosynthetic pigment in AAPB, and the number of BChl a molecules in an AAPB cell is much less than that in an anaerobic phototrophic bacterial cell, while the accessorial pigments carotenoids in AAPB are abundant in concentration and diverse in species. In addition to the common magnesium containing BChl a, a zinc-containing BChla was also seen in AAPB. AAPB have light harvesting complexⅠbut usually lack light harvesting complexⅡ. Although AAPB featur in photosynthesis, their growth is not necessarily light- dependent. There is a mechanism controlling the photosynthesis approach. AAPB are widely distributed in marine environments especially in oligotrophic oceans accounting for a substantial portion of the total biomass and playing a unique role in the cycle of carbon and other biogenic elements. Besides the contribution to primary production, AAPB also have great potentials in bioremediation of polluted environments. Studies on AAPB would be of great value in understanding the evolution of photosynthesis and the structure and function of marine ecosystems.展开更多
Macroalgae are multicellular,aquatic autotrophs that play vital roles in global climate maintenance and have diverse applications in biotechnology and eco-engineering,which are directly linked to their multicellularit...Macroalgae are multicellular,aquatic autotrophs that play vital roles in global climate maintenance and have diverse applications in biotechnology and eco-engineering,which are directly linked to their multicellularity phenotypes.However,their genomic diversity and the evolutionary mechanisms underlying multicellularity in these organisms remain uncharacterized.In this study,we sequenced 110 macroalgal genomes from diverse climates and phyla,and identified key genomic features that distinguish them from their microalgal relatives.Genes for cell adhesion,extracellular matrix formation,cell polarity,transport,and cell differentiation distinguish macroalgae from microalgae across all three major phyla,constituting conserved and unique gene sets supporting multicellular processes.Adhesome genes show phylum-and climate-specific expansions that may facilitate niche adaptation.Collectively,our study reveals genetic determinants of convergent and divergent evolutionary trajectories that have shaped morphological diversity in macroalgae and provides genome-wide frameworks to understand photosynthetic multicellular evolution in aquatic environments.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2011CB808800)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(40830213), IODP-China+2 种基金grants from the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering in China (GKZD010053-1, GKZD010056-5)BNOac knowledges financial support by the Danish National Research Foundation and the Max Planck SocietyBNO and KJE are parttially supported by the National Science Foundation Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI, funded by OCE-0939564)
文摘The discovery of the marine "deep biosphere"-microorganisms living deep below the seafloor-is one of the most significant and exciting discoveries since the ocean drilling program began more than 40 years ago. Study of the deep biosphere has become a research frontier and a hot spot both for geological and biological sciences. Here, we introduce the history of the discovery of the deep biosphere, and then we describe the types of environments for life below the seafloor, the energy sources for the living creatures, the diversity of organisms within the deep biosphere, and the new tools and technologies used in this research field. We will highlight several recently completed Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions, which targeted the subseafloor deep biosphere within the crust and sediments. Finally, future research directions and challenges of deep biosphere investigation towards uncovering the roles of subsurface microorganisms will be briefly addressed.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.40232021,40176039 and 30170189)the National Key Basic Research and Development Program(Grant Nos.2001CB409700 and G2000078500).
文摘Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAPB) are characterized by the following physiological and ecological features. A mother AAPB cell can unusually divide into 3 daughter cells and looks like a 揧?during the division. AAPB cells sometimes adhere together forming a free-floating population. Most of the known AAPB species are obligately aerobic. Bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a) is the only photosynthetic pigment in AAPB, and the number of BChl a molecules in an AAPB cell is much less than that in an anaerobic phototrophic bacterial cell, while the accessorial pigments carotenoids in AAPB are abundant in concentration and diverse in species. In addition to the common magnesium containing BChl a, a zinc-containing BChla was also seen in AAPB. AAPB have light harvesting complexⅠbut usually lack light harvesting complexⅡ. Although AAPB featur in photosynthesis, their growth is not necessarily light- dependent. There is a mechanism controlling the photosynthesis approach. AAPB are widely distributed in marine environments especially in oligotrophic oceans accounting for a substantial portion of the total biomass and playing a unique role in the cycle of carbon and other biogenic elements. Besides the contribution to primary production, AAPB also have great potentials in bioremediation of polluted environments. Studies on AAPB would be of great value in understanding the evolution of photosynthesis and the structure and function of marine ecosystems.
基金supported by NYUAD Faculty Research Funds(AD060)Tamkeen under the NYU Abu Dhabi Research Institute Award to the NYUAD Center for Genomics and Systems Biology(7371210 CGSB9)。
文摘Macroalgae are multicellular,aquatic autotrophs that play vital roles in global climate maintenance and have diverse applications in biotechnology and eco-engineering,which are directly linked to their multicellularity phenotypes.However,their genomic diversity and the evolutionary mechanisms underlying multicellularity in these organisms remain uncharacterized.In this study,we sequenced 110 macroalgal genomes from diverse climates and phyla,and identified key genomic features that distinguish them from their microalgal relatives.Genes for cell adhesion,extracellular matrix formation,cell polarity,transport,and cell differentiation distinguish macroalgae from microalgae across all three major phyla,constituting conserved and unique gene sets supporting multicellular processes.Adhesome genes show phylum-and climate-specific expansions that may facilitate niche adaptation.Collectively,our study reveals genetic determinants of convergent and divergent evolutionary trajectories that have shaped morphological diversity in macroalgae and provides genome-wide frameworks to understand photosynthetic multicellular evolution in aquatic environments.
