Applied and Environmental Science
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceMinimalistic Cellulosome of the Butanologenic Bacterium Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicumCellulosome-producing bacteria are considered among the most important bacteria in both mesophilic and thermophilic environments, owing to their capacity to deconstruct recalcitrant plant-derived polysaccharides (and notably cellulose) into soluble saccharides for subsequent processing. In many ecosystems, the cellulosome-producing bacteria are particularly effective “first responders.” The massive amounts of sugars produced are...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceDimethylsulfoniopropionate Sulfur and Methyl Carbon Assimilation in Ruegeria SpeciesDimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is abundant in marine environments and an important source of reduced carbon and sulfur for marine bacteria. DMSP is the precursor for the majority of atmospheric dimethylsulfide (DMS), a climatically active gas that connects the marine and terrestrial sulfur cycles. Although research into the assimilation of DMSP has been conducted for over 20 years, the fate of DMSP in microbial biomass is not well...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceActivity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment SystemsThe discovery of comammox in the genus Nitrospira changes our perception of nitrification. However, genomes of comammox organisms have not been acquired from full-scale WWTPs, and very little is known about their survival strategies and potential metabolisms in complex wastewater treatment systems. Here, four comammox metagenome-assembled genomes and metatranscriptomic data sets were retrieved from two full-scale WWTPs. Their...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceCO2/HCO3− Accelerates Iron Reduction through Phenolic CompoundsIn an oxygenic environment, poorly soluble Fe3+ must be reduced to meet the cellular Fe2+ demand. This study demonstrates that elevated CO2/HCO3− levels accelerate chemical Fe3+ reduction through phenolic compounds, thus increasing intracellular Fe2+ availability. A number of biological environments are characterized by the presence of phenolic compounds and...
Observation | Applied and Environmental ScienceDirect Observation of the Dynamics of Single-Cell Metabolic Activity during Microbial Diauxic GrowthUnderstanding how genetic information is realized as the behavior of individual cells is a long-term goal of biology but represents a significant technological challenge. In clonal microbial populations, variation in gene regulation is often interpreted as metabolic heterogeneity. This follows the central dogma of biology, in which information flows from DNA to RNA to protein and ultimately manifests as activity. At present, DNA and RNA...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceSynechococcus sp. Strain PCC7002 Uses Sulfide:Quinone Oxidoreductase To Detoxify Exogenous Sulfide and To Convert Endogenous Sulfide to Cellular Sulfane SulfurCyanobacteria are a major force for primary production via oxygenic photosynthesis in the ocean. A marine cyanobacterium, PCC7002, is actively involved in sulfide metabolism. It uses SQR to detoxify exogenous sulfide, enabling it to survive better than its Δsqr mutant in sulfide-rich environments. PCC7002 also uses SQR to oxidize endogenously generated sulfide to S0, which is required for the proper expression of key...
Perspective | Applied and Environmental ScienceNew View on Dietary Fiber Selection for Predictable Shifts in Gut MicrobiotaDietary fibers can be utilized to shape the human gut microbiota. However, the outcomes from most dietary fibers currently used as prebiotics are a result of competition between microbes with overlapping abilities to utilize these fibers. Thus, divergent fiber responses are observed across individuals harboring distinct microbial communities. Here, we propose that dietary fibers can be classified hierarchically according to their...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceContributions of Spore Secondary Metabolites to UV-C Protection and Virulence Vary in Different Aspergillus fumigatus StrainsFungal spores contain secondary metabolites that can protect them from a multitude of abiotic and biotic stresses. Conidia (asexual spores) of the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus synthesize several metabolites, including melanin, which has been reported to be important for virulence in this species and to be protective against UV radiation in other fungi. Here,...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceComputational and Experimental Investigation of Biofilm Disruption Dynamics Induced by High-Velocity Gas Jet ImpingementKnowledge of mechanisms promoting disruption though mechanical forces is essential in optimizing biofilm control strategies which rely on fluid shear. Our results provide insight into how biofilm disruption dynamics is governed by applied forces and fluid properties, revealing a mechanism for ripple formation and fluid-biofilm mixing. These findings have important implications for the rational design of new biofilm cleaning strategies...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceBottom-Up Fabrication of Protein Nanowires via Controlled Self-Assembly of Recombinant Geobacter PilinsThe discovery in 2005 of conductive protein appendages (pili) in the metal-reducing bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens challenged our understanding of biological electron transfer and pioneered studies in electromicrobiology that revealed the electronic basis of many microbial metabolisms and interactions. The protein nature of the pili afforded opportunities for...