bioRxiv ScienceSearch

bioRxiv · 10.1101/176453

Metagenomic Insights into The Diversity and Functions of Microbial Assemblages in Tasik Kenyir Ecosystem

Abstract

Tropical freshwater lake such as Tasik Kenyir are underrepresented among the growing number of environmental metagenomic data sets. In Tasik Kenyir, water from two different sites, pristine and disturbed areas were sampled. After the filtration process, genomic DNA from both sites were extracted using Meta-G-nome DNA isolation kit and shotgun metagenomic sequencing was carried out on Illumina HiSeq2500 Desktop Sequencer (Illumina, Inc.). Raw data were then trimmed and assembled using Metagenomic Assembler program, MetaVelvet. Data analysis was carried out using software Blast2GO (BioBam Bioinformatic S.L). The total number of sequence reads was 189,158 from TKS1.5m (disturbed area) and 246,577 from TKS2.5m (pristine area).The results indicate that sequence reads of microbial species were presence at disturbed area near the aquaculture zone was lower than the sequence reads of microbial species were presence at pristine area. When compared to archaea, both samples were dominated by bacteria (more than 90%) suggesting that bacteria are absolutely dominant in the prokaryotic communities in the freshwater samples. The lake appears to contain a mixture of autotrophs and heterotrophs capable of performing main biogeochemical cycles like nitrogen fixation by Klebsiella sp for TKS1.5m and Pontibacter sp. for TKS2.5m. and carbon fixation by heterotrophic Alcaligenes sp. and Shewanella decolorationi in TKS1.5m, and by Pantoea sp. in TKS2.5m. Present study will advance our understanding of the importance of freshwater microbial communities for ecosystem and human health.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

BibTeXRIS

Mohd Noor, M. E., Syed Jamil Fadaak, S. N. E., Mat Isa, M. N., Abu Bakar, M. F., Abdullah, M. D.-D.. 2017-08-15. Metagenomic Insights into The Diversity and Functions of Microbial Assemblages in Tasik Kenyir Ecosystem. https://doi.org/10.1101/176453

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

A conserved cysteine-histidine-glutamate metal site identifies DUF501 (Rv1025), an essential uncharacterised protein family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a candidate metalloenzyme and drug target

A substantial fraction of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome remains functionally uncharacterised. Rv1025, a 155-residue protein carrying the domain of unknown function DUF501 (Pfam PF04417), is essential by transposon mutagenesis and vulnerable by CRISPR interference, an attractive but neglected drug target, yet has never been functionally described. The family (4,370 proteins, no Gene Ontology term, no solved structure) is uncharacterised across all organisms and essential in three Actinobacterial genera. A Foldseek search of the AlphaFold model against complete structural databases finds no significant homolog, indicating a novel fold. The operon eno-divIC-Rv1025-ppx2 is conserved across the Actinobacteria phylum, yet AlphaFold-Multimer finds no direct complex between Rv1025 and its neighbour DivIC. Instead, conservation across 8,700 homologous sequences reveals a near-invariant Cys113-His115-Glu59 cluster forming a pocket. Holo AlphaFold3 predictions with Zn, Fe and Mn confidently place a divalent metal on this triad at 2.25-2.47 A; mutating the triad relocates the metal, and an independent backbone-geometry predictor recovers the same site, confirming specificity. The triad is universal across the family: present in all 1,472 near-complete bacterial sequences of the Pfam alignment, with no non-conservative substitution among the 2,228 sequences examined, a defining feature of bacterial DUF501 rather than a mycobacterial peculiarity. We propose that DUF501 is a metal-binding protein and candidate metalloenzyme, the first functional hypothesis for this family, whose conserved, essential metal pocket is a promising drug target. As the predictions build on a conservation-defined site within a fully computational study, they are supportive rather than proof of metal occupancy and warrant experimental validation.

microbiology

Mycoplasmal endosymbionts of Trichomonas vaginalis are associated with reduced risk for Chlamydia trachomatis endometrial infection in asymptomatic, coinfected, women.

Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan parasite that causes trichomoniasis, the most common curable non-viral sexually transmitted infection, and Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen that can ascend to the upper genital tract and cause pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. T. vaginalis harbors bacterial endosymbionts, including Candidatus Malacoplasma girerdii, an obligate symbiont, and Metamycoplasma hominis, which can live freely or symbiotically. In a 16S rRNA sequencing study of the cervicovaginal microbiome of women at high risk for chlamydial infection, Ca. M. girerdii abundance was one of 13 features predicting lack of chlamydial spread to the endometrium, despite no direct association between T. vaginalis infection and reduced chlamydial ascension. Investigating the relationship between these microorganisms further, we found that T. vaginalis vaginal abundance correlated positively with chlamydial burden in women whose infection was confined to the cervix, while a nonsignificant inverse relationship was seen in women with endometrial spread. Among participants with high chlamydial burden, Ca. M. girerdii was detected exclusively in women without endometrial infection. Both endosymbionts trended toward more frequent detection, and higher abundance, in coinfected women without endometrial spread, while M. hominis abundance correlated strongly with T. vaginalis burden in this group. These findings suggest that mycoplasmal endosymbionts of T. vaginalis, rather than T. vaginalis itself, are microbial factors limiting chlamydial ascension, and point to a three-way interaction between parasite, endosymbiont, and bacterial pathogen that shapes upper genital tract C. trachomatis infection risk.

microbiology

Understanding the physiological alterations of Vibrio cholerae upon exposure to L-ascorbic acid

The scourge of cholera remains a major global public health threat. It affects up to 4 million people worldwide and causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. The disease is experiencing a concerning resurgence in many parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. To effectively tackle cholera and circumvent rising antimicrobial resistance, targeted biological and preventive approaches, complementing traditional rehydration, are urgently needed. In this regard, our group has demonstrated the efficacy of L-ascorbic acid in controlling the growth and pathogenesis of Vibrio cholerae in vitro. The present work further provides a mechanistic elucidation of the L-ascorbic acid-mediated physiological changes in V. cholerae and also bolsters such a non-antibiotic approach to control cholera.

microbiology