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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2002, p. 933-937, Vol. 68, No. 2
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.2.933-937.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Natural Communities of Novel Archaea and Bacteria with a String-of-Pearls-Like Morphology: Molecular Analysis of the Bacterial Partners
Christine Moissl, Christian Rudolph, and Robert Huber*
Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universität Regensburg, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany
Received 6 August 2001/
Accepted 20 November 2001

ABSTRACT
A recently discovered bacterial/archaeal association, growing
in a string-of-pearls-like structure, thrives in the cold (

10°C)
sulfidic marsh water of the Sippenauer Moor near Regensburg,
Bavaria, Germany. It forms characteristic, macroscopically visible
globules, the pearls, containing microcolonies of novel euryarchaeota,
which are surrounded by mainly filamentous bacteria (C. Rudolph,
G. Wanner, and R. Huber, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:2336-2344,
2001). Single pearls in series are connected by white threads.
Here we report the first detailed molecular investigations of
the taxonomic affiliation of the bacteria contributing to the
strings of pearls. Phylogenetic analysis showed the dominance
of a single phylotype (clone sipK4) within single pearls most
closely related to
Thiothrix unzii. The presence of
Thiothrix sipK4 as a major constituent of single pearls and of the pearl-connecting
white threads was verified by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

INTRODUCTION
Microbial communities growing as biofilms (
7,
13,
25,
33,
37),
microbial mats (
22,
32,
35), and consortia (
1,
26) are a widespread
phenomenon in nature. Such microbial associations are mostly
found in natural aquatic systems, in artificial medical environments,
and as epi- or endoliths (
6,
13). Living in a community provides
many advantages for the constituent microorganisms: environmental
changes are buffered, nutrient uptake is easier, and horizontal
gene transfer is possible (
9,
23,
28). Sulfide-oxidizing, filamentous
bacteria like
Beggiatoa,
Thioploca, and
Thiomargarita species
frequently form an integral part of microbial mats (
11,
20,
29);
Thiothrix is often associated with activated sludge bulking
(
10,
34), but is also found in mats in natural aquatic environments
(
21).
In the last few years, molecular methods have been developed that allow the study of complex microbial associations without cultivation. DNA isolation, PCR, cloning, and sequencing are used to obtain clone libraries of 16S rRNA gene sequences from naturally occurring microbial communities (see references 31 and 35 and references therein). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 16S rRNA probes is another molecular approach to determine the in situ composition of microbial communities (2, 24). Very recently, FISH studies showed the abundance of a marine microbial consortium, comprising archaea of the order Methanosarcinales and sulfate-reducing bacteria of the
-Proteobacteria (4). These microbial assemblages appear to mediate anaerobic oxidation of methane in gas-hydrate-rich sediments. A combination of 16S rRNA clone libraries and FISH studies may, therefore, be the best method to characterize the in situ composition of microbial communities by using adapted genus-specific or species-specific fluorescent probes (35, 36).
Recently, a naturally occurring association of a novel group of archaea and bacteria was discovered in cold (
10°C), sulfide-rich marsh water of the Sippenauer Moor near Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany (27). This macroscopically visible, whitish-colored community grows in a string-of-pearls-like structure (Fig. 1). Tiny, whitish pearls (diameter, 0.5 to 3.0 mm) are connected to each other by thin, white threads. FISH studies showed that, in the inner part of smaller single pearls, archaeal cocci predominate, growing as microcolonies (27). The archaea (estimated at up to 107 cells per pearl) appear to be embedded in a polymer of so far unknown chemical composition. Detailed investigations of periodically collected pearls have shown that these archaea belong to a single euryarchaeal phylotype, representing a deep phylogenetic branch within the 16S rRNA tree. The outer part of the pearls is mainly composed of bacteria with a predominantly filamentous morphotype (27). To get a better insight into the microbial diversity, composition, and architecture of single pearls and the pearl-connecting threads, the bacterial counterparts of the archaea have been studied in more detail by a combination of 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence analysis and FISH.

Collection and preparation of samples.
Samples were collected from the sulfurous water of the main
spring of the Sippenauer Moor near Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany
(
27). Before sampling, the sampling equipment was treated with
5% HClO
4 to get rid of DNA impurities. Pearls for DNA extraction
were kept cold (at 4°C) in a refrigerated box; single pearls
and connecting threads for FISH were immediately fixed by adding
formaldehyde (final concentration, 3% [wt/vol]). All pearls
sampled had a diameter between about 0.5 and 3 mm.

DNA isolation, PCR, cloning, RFLP, sequencing, and phylogenetic analyses.
Cell lysis and bulk DNA extraction were performed as described
previously (
27). Extracted DNA was used as template for the
PCR amplification of bacterial 16S rDNA sequences with the bacterium-specific
forward primer 9f (
5) and the universal reverse primer 1392r
(
14). PCR was performed as described earlier (
27). The PCR product
was purified following electrophoresis on a 1% (wt/vol) low-melting-point
agarose gel for 90 min at 70 V. The ethidium bromide-stained
DNA band was visualized under UV light and excised. DNA in the
agarose slice was recovered with GeneClean II (Bio101, Inc.,
Vista, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Cloning of the PCR products, restriction fragment length polymorphism
(RFLP), and sequencing were carried out as described previously
(
27). Clones with unique RFLP patterns were chosen for sequencing.
The sequences were amplified with the bacterial primer 9f (
5)
and the universal primers 516uF (sequence [5"

3"], TGB CAG CMG
CCG CGG TAA) (K. O. Stetter and S. Burggraf, unpublished data)
and 1392r (
14). Phylogenetic analyses were done as previously
described (
27).

Oligonucleotide probes, FISH, and DAPI stain.
For FISH, the pearls were gently flattened with pipette tips.
Whole-cell hybridization was carried out by the use of the
Archaea-specific
Arch915 probe (rhodamine green labeled) (
30) and the
Thiothrix-specific
TN1 probe (CY3 labeled) (
34) on a single spot. FISH and epifluorescence
microscopy were performed as recently described (
27). The hybridization
solution and the washing buffer for FISH contained 0.01% sodium
dodecyl sulfate. After the FISH procedure, each sample was stained
with 10 µl of 4",6"-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI; 2
mg/liter; prepared in washing buffer).

Classification of the bacterial clone sequences.
RFLP analysis of 134 bacterial clones resulted in 19 different
bacterial 16S rDNA sequences. None of the sequences was judged
to be chimeric. Phylogenetic classification showed that the
sequences were spread over several bacterial phyla. The distribution
of the 134 bacterial clone sequences was as follows: green nonsulfur,
1.5%;
Clostridium and relatives, 2.2%; ß-
Proteobacteria,
3.0%; high-G+C gram positives, 3.0%;

-
Proteobacteria, 4.5%;

-
Proteobacteria, 5.2%;

-
Proteobacteria, 5.2%;
Planctomycetales,
6.0%;
Bacteroides-
Cytophaga-
Flexibacter group/green sulfur bacteria,
8.2%; and

-
Proteobacteria, 61.2%. The phylogenetic position
of all clone sequences was verified by different tree reconstruction
methods. The maximum parsimony bacterial phylogenetic tree is
shown in Fig.
2. One sequence predominated out of all the sequences
derived. About 60% belonged to a single phylotype (clone sipK4)
within the

-
Proteobacteria, with the closest relationship being
to
Thiothrix unzii (Fig.
2) (
12). Phylogenetic analysis of another
pearl studied 1 year earlier showed a similar dominance of the
identical
Thiothrix sequence.

Microscopic studies.
Phase-contrast microscopy of gently squeezed pearls on microscopic
slides showed the dominance of rod-shaped, filament-forming
microorganisms (Fig.
3).
The average diameter of the filaments
was 2 µm. Motility of the filaments was not observed.
Very often, the filaments formed rosettes (Fig.
3). The filaments
contained large amounts of refractile globules. Transmission
electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis
(EDX) studies revealed that the globules consisted of amorphous
sulfur. The same sulfur modification was also identified within
an isolate of
Thiothrix fructosivorans, recently obtained from
the Sippenauer Moor (J. Raabe, Institut für Experimentelle
und Angewandte Physik, Universität Regensburg, personal
communication).

FISH studies.
In accordance with the phylogenetic studies, the majority of
the filamentous bacteria exhibited a positive hybridization
signal with a
Thiothrix-specific hybridization probe (Fig.
4A).
The DAPI stain verified that most of the bacterial cells (estimated
up to approximately 95% in close vicinity to the archaeal microcolonies
of small single pearls) could be attributed to the genus
Thiothrix (Fig.
4B). About 30 single pearls sampled over a period of half
a year showed the same characteristic composition of coccoid
archaea and
Thiothrix sipK4 as the predominant bacterium. FISH
studies of the pearl-connecting whitish threads revealed that
Thiothrix was again very often the predominant bacterium. Further
filamentous and so-far-unidentified bacteria, together with
a eucaryotic alga, were also observed. Almost no archaeal cocci
were found within the threads. Studies of different threads
over a period of several months showed a similar microbial composition.

Conclusions.
Bacterial phylogenetic analysis of a single pearl revealed that
most clone sequences (about 60%) belonged to a single phylotype
most closely related to
Thiothrix unzii. This result indicates
that the identified
Thiothrix clone sipK4 is a major bacterial
constituent of the pearl community. The remaining clone sequences
were spread over different bacterial phyla. At the moment, it
remains unclear if these sequence-predicted organisms were genuine
members of the pearl or were randomly attached. In the future,
this could be investigated by periodic screening of pearls with
terminal RFLP, which allows the observation of population dynamics
within microbial associations (
17,
18).
However, it has been reported that clone libraries of 16S rDNA sequences can deviate from the real composition of communities due to biases at each step of the method (2, 8, 39). FISH was therefore chosen to cross-check the phylogenetic analysis. The presence of Thiothrix as a major constituent of a pearl was verified by the use of a genus-specific hybridization probe and DAPI stain (34). The predominance of Thiothrix in different strings of pearls was confirmed by (i) FISH studies of about 30 single pearls, collected over a period of about 1 year; (ii) a second, independent phylogenetic study of a single pearl; and (iii) microscopical investigations of pearls and threads.
Thiothrix itself is a typical aerobic, sulfide-oxidizing bacterium of freshwater habitats (3, 12, 15, 38) and, therefore, is well adapted to its natural biotope, Sippenauer Moor. Different functions of Thiothrix clone sipK4 within the string-of-pearls-like community can be envisaged. The most obvious role can be seen in the formation and maintenance of the three-dimensional structure of the outer part of the pearls and the pearl-connecting white threads. A characteristic feature of members of Thiothrix is the ability to attach to different solid surfaces by using its gonidial holdfast material (16). Therefore, Thiothrix sipK4 could also play an important role in primary settlement, potentially the first step in the formation of the string-of-pearl community.
The coexistence of the novel archaeal group and Thiothrix sipK4 was observed over a longer period by the study of different pearls. Therefore, a syntrophic or even symbiotic relationship between these two groups can be imagined (28). Members of the genus Thiothrix are known to grow by aerobic sulfide oxidation, forming sulfate as an end product. An anaerobic environment could be created for the archaeal cells, and sulfate could be supplied as a possible electron acceptor for growth. The sulfide produced by the archaea might be used by Thiothrix, creating a sulfur cycle within a pearl. Furthermore, different metabolic products formed during growth by Thiothrix might be suitable carbon and energy sources for the archaeal partner (12). The string-of-pearls-like communities in the Sippenauer Moor therefore appear to represent extraordinary and stable associations of defined groups of microorganisms belonging to different domains of life.

Nucleotide sequence accession numbers.
The 16S rRNA gene sequences of all derived bacterial clones
were deposited in the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database: accession
numbers are given in Fig.
2.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are grateful to K. O. Stetter for stimulating discussions
and helpful advice. We thank N. Raven for critically reading
the manuscript. We are indebted to the Government of Bavaria
(Germany) for a sampling permit.
Financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Hur 711/2) and the Fond der Chemischen Industrie (to K.O.S.) is gratefully acknowledged.

FOOTNOTES
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany. Phone: 49 (941) 943-3182. Fax: 49 (941) 943-2403. E-mail:
robert.huber{at}biologie.uni-regensburg.de.


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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, February 2002, p. 933-937, Vol. 68, No. 2
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.2.933-937.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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