Seeking active RubisCOs from the currently uncultured microbial majority colonizing deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments

ISME J. 2019 Oct;13(10):2475-2488. doi: 10.1038/s41396-019-0439-3. Epub 2019 Jun 10.

Abstract

Almost all the inorganic carbon on Earth is converted into biomass via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. Here, the central carboxylation reaction is catalyzed by ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO), which can be found in numerous primary producers including plants, algae, cyanobacteria, and many autotrophic bacteria. Although RubisCO possesses a crucial role in global biomass production, it is not a perfect catalyst. Therefore, research interest persists on accessing the full potential of yet unexplored RubisCOs. We recently developed an activity-based screen suited to seek active recombinant RubisCOs from the environment-independent of the native host's culturability. Here, we applied this screen to twenty pre-selected genomic fosmid clones from six cultured proteobacteria to demonstrate that a broad range of phylogenetically distinct RubisCOs can be targeted. We then screened 12,500 metagenomic fosmid clones from six distinct hydrothermal vents and identified forty active RubisCOs. Additional sequence-based screening uncovered eight further RubisCOs, which could then also be detected by a modified version of the screen. Seven were active form III RubisCOs from yet uncultured Archaea. This indicates the potential of the activity-based screen to detect RubisCO enzymes even from organisms that would not be expected to be targeted.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Archaea / classification
  • Archaea / enzymology*
  • Archaea / genetics
  • Archaea / isolation & purification
  • Archaeal Proteins / genetics
  • Archaeal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Autotrophic Processes
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Carbon / metabolism
  • Hydrothermal Vents / microbiology*
  • Metagenome
  • Photosynthesis
  • Phylogeny
  • Proteobacteria / classification
  • Proteobacteria / enzymology*
  • Proteobacteria / genetics
  • Proteobacteria / growth & development
  • Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / genetics
  • Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase / metabolism*

Substances

  • Archaeal Proteins
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Carbon
  • Ribulose-Bisphosphate Carboxylase