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Abstract Vast amounts of pathogen genomic, demographic and spatial data are transforming our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 emergence and spread. We examined the drivers of molecular evolution and spread of 291,791 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Denmark in 2021. With a sequencing rate consistently exceeding 60%, and up to 80% of PCR-positive samples between March and November, the viral genome set is broadly whole-epidemic representative. We identify a consistent rise in viral diversity over time, with notable spikes upon the importation of novel variants (e.g., Delta and Omicron). By linking genomic data with rich individual-level demographic data from national registers, we find that individuals aged 75 years had a lower contribution to molecular change (i.e., branch lengths) compared to other age groups, but similar molecular evolutionary rates, suggesting a lower likelihood of introducing novel variants. Similarly, we find greater molecular change among vaccinated individuals, suggestive of immune evasion. We also observe evidence of transmission in rural areas to follow predictable diffusion processes. Conversely, urban areas are expectedly more complex due to their high mobility, emphasising the role of population structure in driving virus spread. Our analyses highlight the added value of integrating genomic data with detailed demographic and spatial information, particularly in the absence of structured infection surveys.

Abstract Serpentinization, a geochemical process found on modern and ancient Earth, provides an ultra-reducing environment that can support microbial methanogenesis and acetogenesis. Several groups of archaea, such as the order Methanocellales, are characterized by their ability to produce methane. Here, we generate metagenomic sequences from serpentinized springs in The Cedars, California, and construct a circularized metagenome-assembled genome of a Methanocellales archaeon, termed Met12, that lacks essential methanogenesis genes. The genome includes genes for an acetyl-CoA pathway, but lacks genes encoding methanogenesis enzymes such as methyl-coenzyme M reductase, heterodisulfide reductases and hydrogenases. In situ transcriptomic analyses reveal high expression of a multi-heme c-type cytochrome, and heterologous expression of this protein in a model bacterium demonstrates that it is capable of accepting electrons. Our results suggest that Met12, within the order Methanocellales, is not a methanogen but a CO2-reducing, electron-fueled acetogen without electron bifurcation.

Reductions in sequencing costs have enabled widespread use of shotgun metagenomics and amplicon sequencing, which have drastically improved our understanding of the microbial world. However, large sequencing projects are now hampered by the cost of library preparation and low sample throughput, comparatively to the actual sequencing costs. Here, we benchmarked three high-throughput DNA extraction methods: ZymoBIOMICS™ 96 MagBead DNA Kit, MP BiomedicalsTM FastDNATM-96 Soil Microbe DNA Kit, and DNeasy® 96 PowerSoil® Pro QIAcube® HT Kit. The DNA extractions were evaluated based on length, quality, quantity, and the observed microbial community across five diverse soil types. DNA extraction of all soil types was successful for all kits, however DNeasy® 96 PowerSoil® Pro QIAcube® HT Kit excelled across all performance parameters. We further used the nanoliter dispensing system I.DOT One to miniaturize Illumina amplicon and metagenomic library preparation volumes by a factor of 5 and 10, respectively, with no significant impact on the observed microbial communities. With these protocols, DNA extraction, metagenomic, or amplicon library preparation for one 96-well plate are approx. 3, 5, and 6 hours, respectively. Furthermore, the miniaturization of amplicon and metagenome library preparation reduces the chemical and plastic costs from 5.0 to 3.6 and 59 to 7.3 USD pr. sample. This enhanced efficiency and cost-effectiveness will enable researchers to undertake studies with greater sample sizes and diversity, thereby providing a richer, more detailed view of microbial communities and their dynamics.

Abstract Background In early 2021, the SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 (Alpha variant) became dominant across large parts of the world. In Denmark, comprehensive and real-time test, contact-tracing, and sequencing efforts were applied to sustain epidemic control. Here, we use these data to investigate the transmissibility, introduction, and onward transmission of B.1.1.7 in Denmark. Methods We analyzed a comprehensive set of 60,178 SARS-CoV-2 genomes generated from high-throughput sequencing by the Danish COVID-19 Genome Consortium, representing 34% of all positive cases in the period 14 November 2020 to 7 February 2021. We calculated the transmissibility of B.1.1.7 relative to other lineages using Poisson regression. Including all 1976 high-quality B.1.1.7 genomes collected in the study period, we constructed a time-scaled phylogeny, which was coupled with detailed travel history and register data to outline the introduction and onward transmission of B.1.1.7 in Denmark. Results In a period with unchanged restrictions, we estimated an increased B.1.1.7 transmissibility of 58% (95% CI: [56%, 60%]) relative to other lineages. Epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses revealed that 37% of B.1.1.7 cases were related to the initial introduction in November 2020. The relative number of cases directly linked to introductions varied between 10 and 50% throughout the study period. Conclusions Our findings corroborate early estimates of increased transmissibility of B.1.1.7. Both substantial early expansion when B.1.1.7 was still unmonitored and continuous foreign introductions contributed considerably to case numbers. Finally, our study highlights the benefit of balanced travel restrictions and self-isolation procedures coupled with comprehensive surveillance efforts, to sustain epidemic control in the face of emerging variants.

Microbial communities are responsible for biological wastewater treatment. Here, Dueholm et al. generate more than 5 million high-quality, full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences from wastewater treatment plants across the world to construct a database with a comprehensive taxonomy, providing insights into diversity and function of these microbial communities.

Establishing the relative transmissibility of emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 is key for pandemic management. Here, the authors use full-population administrative data from Denmark linked to PCR test results and estimate that the Alpha variant was ~60% higher than other strains circulating in early 2021.

ABSTRACT Microorganisms produce a wide variety of secondary/specialized metabolites (SMs), the majority of which are yet to be discovered. These natural products play multiple roles in microbiomes and are important for microbial competition, communication, and success in the environment. SMs have been our major source of antibiotics and are used in a range of biotechnological applications. In silico mining for biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) encoding the production of SMs is commonly used to assess the genetic potential of organisms. However, as BGCs span tens to over 200 kb, identifying complete BGCs requires genome data that has minimal assembly gaps within the BGCs, a prerequisite that was previously only met by individually sequenced genomes. Here, we assess the performance of the currently available genome mining platform antiSMASH on 1,080 high-quality metagenome-assembled bacterial genomes (HQ MAGs) previously produced from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using a combination of long-read (Oxford Nanopore) and short-read (Illumina) sequencing technologies. More than 4,200 different BGCs were identified, with 88% of these being complete. Sequence similarity clustering of the BGCs implies that the majority of this biosynthetic potential likely encodes novel compounds, and few BGCs are shared between genera. We identify BGCs in abundant and functionally relevant genera in WWTPs, suggesting a role of secondary metabolism in this ecosystem. We find that the assembly of HQ MAGs using long-read sequencing is vital to explore the genetic potential for SM production among the uncultured members of microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Cataloguing secondary metabolite (SM) potential using genome mining of metagenomic data has become the method of choice in bioprospecting for novel compounds. However, accurate biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) detection requires unfragmented genomic assemblies, which have been technically difficult to obtain from metagenomes until very recently with new long-read technologies. Here, we determined the biosynthetic potential of activated sludge (AS), the microbial community used in resource recovery and wastewater treatment, by mining high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes generated from long-read data. We found over 4,000 BGCs, including BGCs in abundant process-critical bacteria, with no similarity to the BGCs of characterized products. We show how long-read MAGs are required to confidently assemble complete BGCs, and we determined that the AS BGCs from different studies have very little overlap, suggesting that AS is a rich source of biosynthetic potential and new bioactive compounds.

Microbes play key roles in wastewater treatment. Here, Singleton et al. use long-read and short-read sequencing to recover 1083 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes from 23 wastewater treatment plants, and combine this information with amplicon data, Raman microspectroscopy and FISH to reveal functionally important lineages.

ABSTRACT High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing is an essential method for studying the diversity and dynamics of microbial communities. However, this method is presently hampered by the lack of high-identity reference sequences for many environmental microbes in the public 16S rRNA gene reference databases and by the absence of a systematic and comprehensive taxonomy for the uncultured majority. Here, we demonstrate how high-throughput synthetic long-read sequencing can be applied to create ecosystem-specific full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence variant (FL-ASV) resolved reference databases that include high-identity references (>98.7% identity) for nearly all abundant bacteria (>0.01% relative abundance) using Danish wastewater treatment systems and anaerobic digesters as an example. In addition, we introduce a novel sequence identity-based approach for automated taxonomy assignment (AutoTax) that provides a complete seven-rank taxonomy for all reference sequences, using the SILVA taxonomy as a backbone, with stable placeholder names for unclassified taxa. The FL-ASVs are perfectly suited for the evaluation of taxonomic resolution and bias associated with primers commonly used for amplicon sequencing, allowing researchers to choose those that are ideal for their ecosystem. Reference databases processed with AutoTax greatly improves the classification of short-read 16S rRNA ASVs at the genus- and species-level, compared with the commonly used universal reference databases. Importantly, the placeholder names provide a way to explore the unclassified environmental taxa at different taxonomic ranks, which in combination with in situ analyses can be used to uncover their ecological roles.

There is a lack of understanding of the interaction between anammox bacteria and the flanking microbial communities in both freshwater (non-saline) and marine (saline) ecosystems. Here, we present a comparative genome-based exploration of two different anammox bioreactors, through the analysis of 23 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), 12 from freshwater anammox reactor (FWR), and 11 from marine anammox reactor (MWR). To understand the contribution of individual members to community functions, we applied the index of replication (iRep) to determine bacteria that are actively replicating. Using genomic content and iRep information, we provided a potential ecological role for the dominant members of the community based on the reactor operating conditions. In the non-saline system, anammox (Candidatus Brocadia sinica) and auxotrophic neighboring bacteria belonging to the phyla Ignavibacteriae and Chloroflexi might interact to reduce nitrate to nitrite for direct use by anammox bacteria. Whereas, in the saline reactor, anammox bacterium (Ca. Scalindua erythraensis) and flanking community belonging to phyla Planctomycetes (different than anammox bacteria)—which persistently growing in the system—may catabolize detritus and extracellular material and recycle nitrate to nitrite for direct use by anammox bacteria. Despite different microbial communities, there was functional redundancy in both ecosystems. These results signify the potential application of marine anammox bacteria for treating saline N-rich wastewaters.

ABSTRACT High-throughput sequencing has allowed unprecedented insight into the composition and function of complex microbial communities. With metatranscriptomics, it is possible to interrogate the transcriptomes of multiple organisms simultaneously to get an overview of the gene expression of the entire community. Studies have successfully used metatranscriptomics to identify and describe relationships between gene expression levels and community characteristics. However, metatranscriptomic data sets contain a rich suite of additional information that is just beginning to be explored. Here, we focus on antisense expression in metatranscriptomics, discuss the different computational strategies for handling it, and highlight the strengths but also potentially detrimental effects on downstream analysis and interpretation. We also analyzed the antisense transcriptomes of multiple genomes and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from five different data sets and found high variability in the levels of antisense transcription for individual species, which were consistent across samples. Importantly, we challenged the conceptual framework that antisense transcription is primarily the product of transcriptional noise and found mixed support, suggesting that the total observed antisense RNA in complex communities arises from the combined effect of unknown biological and technical factors. Antisense transcription can be highly informative, including technical details about data quality and novel insight into the biology of complex microbial communities. IMPORTANCE This study systematically evaluated the global patterns of microbial antisense expression across various environments and provides a bird’s-eye view of general patterns observed across data sets, which can provide guidelines in our understanding of antisense expression as well as interpretation of metatranscriptomic data in general. This analysis highlights that in some environments, antisense expression from microbial communities can dominate over regular gene expression. We explored some potential drivers of antisense transcription, but more importantly, this study serves as a starting point, highlighting topics for future research and providing guidelines to include antisense expression in generic bioinformatic pipelines for metatranscriptomic data.

Abstract: Gene expression profiling (GEP) by microarrays of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has enabled the categorization of DLBCL into activated B-cell–like and germinal center B-cell–like subclasses. However, as this does not fully embrace the great diversity of B-cell subtypes, we recently developed a gene expression assay for B-cell–associated gene signature (BAGS) classification. To facilitate quick and easy-to-use BAGS profiling, we developed in this study the NanoString-based BAGS2Clinic assay. Microarray data from 4 different cohorts (n = 970) were used to select genes and train the assay. The locked assay was validated in an independent cohort of 88 sample biopsies. The assay showed good correspondence with the original BAGS classifier, with an overall accuracy of 84% (95% confidence interval, 72% to 93%) and a subtype-specific accuracy ranging between 80% and 99%. BAGS classification has the potential to provide valuable insight into tumor biology as well as differences in resistance to immuno- and chemotherapy that can lead to novel treatment strategies for DLBCL patients. BAGS2Clinic can facilitate this and the implementation of BAGS classification as a routine clinical tool to improve prognosis and treatment guidance for DLBCL patients.

The objective was to determine the bacterial composition in inflamed and non-inflamed pouches for comparison to the microbiota of healthy individuals. Pouch patients and healthy individuals were included between November 2017 and June 2019 at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark. A faecal sample was collected from all participants for microbiota analysis using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Overall, 38 participants were included in the study. Eleven patients with a normally functioning pouch, 9 patients with chronic pouchitis, 6 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, and 12 healthy individuals. Patients with chronic pouchitis had overall lower microbial diversity and richness compared to patients with a normal pouch function (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009) and healthy individuals (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and chronic pouchitis (microbial diversity p = 0.39 and richness p = 0.78). Several taxa from the family Enterobacteriaceae, especially genus Escherichia, were associated primarily with patients with chronic pouchitis, while taxa from the genus Bacteroides primarily were associated with healthy individuals and patients with a normally functioning pouch. Finally, a microbial composition gradient could be established from healthy individuals through patients with normal pouch function and familial adenomatous polyposis to patients with chronic pouchitis.

ABSTRACT Nitrification is a key process of the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle and of biological wastewater treatment. The second step, nitrite oxidation to nitrate, is catalyzed by phylogenetically diverse, chemolithoautotrophic nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Uncultured NOB from the genus “Candidatus Nitrotoga” are widespread in natural and engineered ecosystems. Knowledge about their biology is sparse, because no genomic information and no pure “Ca. Nitrotoga” culture was available. Here we obtained the first “Ca. Nitrotoga” isolate from activated sludge. This organism, “Candidatus Nitrotoga fabula,” prefers higher temperatures (>20°C; optimum, 24 to 28°C) than previous “Ca. Nitrotoga” enrichments, which were described as cold-adapted NOB. “Ca. Nitrotoga fabula” also showed an unusually high tolerance to nitrite (activity at 30 mM NO2−) and nitrate (up to 25 mM NO3−). Nitrite oxidation followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with an apparent Km (Km(app)) of ~89 µM nitrite and a Vmax of ~28 µmol of nitrite per mg of protein per h. Key metabolic pathways of “Ca. Nitrotoga fabula” were reconstructed from the closed genome. “Ca. Nitrotoga fabula” possesses a new type of periplasmic nitrite oxidoreductase belonging to a lineage of mostly uncharacterized proteins. This novel enzyme indicates (i) separate evolution of nitrite oxidation in “Ca. Nitrotoga” and other NOB, (ii) the possible existence of phylogenetically diverse, unrecognized NOB, and (iii) together with new metagenomic data, the potential existence of nitrite-oxidizing archaea. For carbon fixation, “Ca. Nitrotoga fabula” uses the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. It also carries genes encoding complete pathways for hydrogen and sulfite oxidation, suggesting that alternative energy metabolisms enable “Ca. Nitrotoga fabula” to survive nitrite depletion and colonize new niches. IMPORTANCE Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) are major players in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle and critical for wastewater treatment. However, most NOB remain uncultured, and their biology is poorly understood. Here, we obtained the first isolate from the environmentally widespread NOB genus “Candidatus Nitrotoga” and performed a detailed physiological and genomic characterization of this organism (“Candidatus Nitrotoga fabula”). Differences between key phenotypic properties of “Ca. Nitrotoga fabula” and those of previously enriched “Ca. Nitrotoga” members reveal an unexpectedly broad range of physiological adaptations in this genus. Moreover, genes encoding components of energy metabolisms outside nitrification suggest that “Ca. Nitrotoga” are ecologically more flexible than previously anticipated. The identification of a novel nitrite-oxidizing enzyme in “Ca. Nitrotoga fabula” expands our picture of the evolutionary history of nitrification and might lead to discoveries of novel nitrite oxidizers. Altogether, this study provides urgently needed insights into the biology of understudied but environmentally and biotechnologically important microorganisms.

In recent years, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing has been widely adopted for analyzing the microbial communities in drinking water (DW). However, no comprehensive attempts have been made to illuminate the inherent method biases specifically relating to DW communities. In this study, we investigated the impact of DNA extraction and primer choice on the observed microbial community, and furthermore estimated the detection limit of the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in these experimental settings. Of the two DNA extraction kits investigated, the PowerWater DNA Isolation Kit resulted in higher yield, better reproducibility and more OTUs identified compared to the FastDNA SPIN Kit for Soil, which is also commonly used within DW microbiome research. The use of three separate primer-sets targeting the V1-3, V3-4, and V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene revealed large differences in OTU abundances, with some of the primers unable to detect entire phyla. Estimations of the detection limit were based on bacteria-free water samples (1 L) spiked with Escherichia coli cells in different concentrations [101–106 cells/ml]. E.coli could be detected in all samples, however, samples with ∼101 cells/ml had several contaminating OTUs constituting approximately 8% of the read abundances. Based on our findings, we recommend using the PowerWater DNA Isolation Kit for DNA extraction in combination with PCR amplification of the V3-4 or V4 region for DW samples if a broad overview of the microbial community is to be obtained.

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaeota are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaeota in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one§ enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50°C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a newly discovered thaumarchaeon from the deep-branching Nitrosocaldaceae family of which we have obtained a high (∼85%) enrichment from biofilm of an Icelandic hot spring (73°C). This AOA, which we provisionally refer to as “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” is an obligately thermophilic, aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer, which stoichiometrically converts ammonia to nitrite at temperatures between 50 and 70°C. “Ca. N. islandicus” encodes the expected repertoire of enzymes proposed to be required for archaeal ammonia oxidation, but unexpectedly lacks a nirK gene and also possesses no identifiable other enzyme for nitric oxide (NO) generation§. Nevertheless, ammonia oxidation by this AOA appears to be NO-dependent as “Ca. N. islandicus” is, like all other tested AOA, inhibited by the addition of an NO scavenger. Furthermore, comparative genomics revealed that “Ca. N. islandicus” has the potential for aromatic amino acid fermentation as its genome encodes an indolepyruvate oxidoreductase (iorAB) as well as a type 3b hydrogenase, which are not present in any other sequenced AOA. A further surprising genomic feature of this thermophilic ammonia oxidizer is the absence of DNA polymerase D genes§ – one of the predominant replicative DNA polymerases in all other ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Collectively, our findings suggest that metabolic versatility and DNA replication might differ substantially between obligately thermophilic and other AOA.

Anaerobic digestion for biogas production is reliant on the tightly coupled synergistic activities of complex microbial consortia. Members of the uncultured A6 phylotype, within the phylum Chloroflexi, are among the most abundant genus-level-taxa of mesophilic anaerobic digester systems treating primary and surplus sludge from wastewater treatment plants, yet are known only by their 16S rRNA gene sequence. This study applied metagenomics to obtain a complete circular genome (2.57 Mbp) from a representative of the A6 taxon. Preliminary annotation of the genome indicates these organisms to be anaerobic chemoorganoheterotrophs with a fermentative metabolism. Given their observed abundance, they are likely important primary fermenters in digester systems. Application of fluorescence in situ hybridisation probes designed in this study revealed their morphology to be short filaments present within the flocs. The A6 were sometimes co-located with the filamentous Archaea Methanosaeta spp. suggesting potential undetermined synergistic relationships. Based on its genome sequence and morphology we propose the species name Brevefilum fermentans gen. nov. sp. nov.

Understanding the microbiology of phosphorus (P) removal is considered essential to knowledge-based optimization of enhanced biological P removal (EBPR) systems. Biological P removal is achieved in these systems by promoting the growth of organisms collectively known as the polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs). Also considered important to EBPR are the glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs), which are theorized to compete with the PAOs for resources at the expense of P removal efficiency. Numerous studies have sought to identify the PAOs and their GAOs competitors, with several candidates proposed for each over the last few decades. The current study collectively assessed the abundance and diversity of all proposed PAOs and GAOs in 18 Danish full-scale wastewater treatment plants with well-working biological nutrient removal over a period of 9 years using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The microbial community structure in all plants was relatively stable over time. Evidence for the role of the proposed PAOs and GAOs in EBPR varies and is critically assessed, in light of their calculated amplicon abundances, to indicate which of these are important in full-scale systems. Bacteria from the genus Tetrasphaera were the most abundant of the PAOs. The “Candidatus Accumulibacter” PAOs were in much lower abundance and appear to be biased by the amplicon-based method applied. The genera Dechloromonas, Microlunatus, and Tessaracoccus were identified as abundant putative PAO that require further research attention. Interestingly, the actinobacterial Micropruina and sbr-gs28 phylotypes were among the most abundant of the putative GAOs. Members of the genera Defluviicoccus, Propionivibrio, the family Competibacteraceae, and the spb280 group were also relatively abundant in some plants. Despite observed high abundances of GAOs (periodically exceeding 20% of the amplicon reads), P removal performance was maintained, indicating that these organisms were not outcompeting the PAOs in these EBPR systems. Phylogenetic diversity within each of the PAOs and GAOs genera was observed, which is consistent with reported metabolic diversity for these. Whether or not key traits can be assigned to sub-genus level clades requires further investigation.

Membrane fouling presents the greatest challenge to the application of membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. Formation of biofilms on the membrane surface is the suggested cause, yet little is known of the composition or dynamics of the microbial community responsible. To gain an insight into this important question, we applied 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with a curated taxonomy and fluorescent in situ hybridization to monitor the community of a pilot-scale MBR carrying out enhanced biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal with municipal wastewater. In order to track the dynamics of the fouling process, we concurrently investigated the communities of the biofilm, MBR bulk sludge, and the conventional activated sludge system used to seed the MBR system over several weeks from start-up. As the biofilm matured the initially abundant betaproteobacterial genera Limnohabitans, Hydrogenophaga and Malikia were succeeded by filamentous Chloroflexi and Gordonia as the abundant species. This study indicates that, although putative pioneer species appear, the biofilm became increasingly similar to the bulk community with time. This suggests that the microbial population in bulk water will largely determine the community structure of the mature biofilm.

DNA extraction and primer choice have a large effect on the observed community structure in all microbial amplicon sequencing analyses. Although the biases are well known, no comprehensive analysis has been conducted in activated sludge communities. In this study we systematically explored the impact of a number of parameters on the observed microbial community: bead beating intensity, primer choice, extracellular DNA removal, and various PCR settings. In total, 176 samples were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, and selected samples were investigated through metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. Quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization was used as a DNA extraction-independent method for qualitative comparison. In general, an effect on the observed community was found on all parameters tested, although bead beating and primer choice had the largest effect. The effect of bead beating intensity correlated with cell-wall strength as seen by a large increase in DNA from Gram-positive bacteria (up to 400%). However, significant differences were present at lower phylogenetic levels within the same phylum, suggesting that additional factors are at play. The best primer set based on in silico analysis was found to underestimate a number of important bacterial groups. For 16S rRNA gene analysis in activated sludge we recommend using the FastDNA SPIN Kit for Soil with four times the normal bead beating and V1-3 primers.

An in depth understanding of the ecology of activated sludge nutrient removal wastewater treatment systems requires detailed knowledge of the community composition and metabolic activities of individual members. Recent 16S rRNA gene amplicon surveys of activated sludge wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal indicate the presence of a core set of bacterial genera. These organisms are likely responsible for the bulk of nutrient transformations underpinning the functions of these plants. While the basic activities of some of these genera in situ are known, there is little to no information for the majority. This study applied microautoradiography coupled with fluorescence in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH) for the in situ characterization of selected genus-level-phylotypes for which limited physiological information is available. These included Sulfuritalea and A21b, both within the class Betaproteobacteria, as well as Kaga01, within sub-group 10 of the phylum Acidobacteria. While the Sulfuritalea spp. were observed to be metabolically versatile, the A21b and Kaga01 phylotypes appeared to be highly specialized.

Escherichia coli and a few other members of the Enterobacteriales can produce functional amyloids known as curli. These extracellular fibrils are involved in biofilm formation and studies have shown that they may act as virulence factors during infections. It is not known whether curli fibrils are restricted to the Enterobacteriales or if they are phylogenetically widespread. The growing number of genome-sequenced bacteria spanning many phylogenetic groups allows a reliable bioinformatic investigation of the phylogenetic diversity of the curli system. Here we show that the curli system is phylogenetically much more widespread than initially assumed, spanning at least four phyla. Curli fibrils may consequently be encountered frequently in environmental as well as pathogenic biofilms, which was supported by identification of curli genes in public metagenomes from a diverse range of habitats. Identification and comparison of curli subunit (CsgA/B) homologs show that these proteins allow a high degree of freedom in their primary protein structure, although a modular structure of tightly spaced repeat regions containing conserved glutamine, asparagine and glycine residues has to be preserved. In addition, a high degree of variability within the operon structure of curli subunits between bacterial taxa suggests that the curli fibrils might have evolved to fulfill specific functions. Variations in the genetic organization of curli genes are also seen among different bacterial genera. This suggests that some genera may utilize alternative regulatory pathways for curli expression. Comparison of phylogenetic trees of Csg proteins and the 16S rRNA genes of the corresponding bacteria showed remarkably similar overall topography, suggesting that horizontal gene transfer is a minor player in the spreading of the curli system.