Wiacek Claudia, Müller Susann, Benndorf Dirk
Department of Environmental Microbiology, UFZ-Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany.
Proteomics. 2006 Nov;6(22):5983-94. doi: 10.1002/pmic.200600244.
The understanding of functions of cells within microbial populations or communities is certainly needed for existing and novel cytomic approaches which grip the individual scale. Population behaviour results from single cell performances and is caused by the individual genetic pool, history, life cycle states and microenvironmental surroundings. Mimicking natural impaired environments, the paper shows that the Gram-negative Betaproteobacterium Cupriavidus necator dramatically altered its population heterogeneity in response to harmful phenol concentrations. Multiparametric flow cytometry was used to follow variations in structural cellular parameters like chromosome contents and storage materials. The functioning of these different cell types was resolved by ensuing proteomics after the cells' spatial separation by cell sorting, finding 11 proteins changed in their expression profile, among them elongation factor Tu and the trigger factor. At least one third of the individuals clearly underwent starving states; however, simultaneously these cells prepared themselves for entering the life cycle again. Using cytomics to recognise individual structure and function on the microbial scale represents an innovative technical design to describe the complexity of such systems, overcoming the disadvantage of small cell volumes and, thus, to resolve bacterial strategies to survive harmful environments by altering population heterogeneity.
对于现有的以及新出现的关注个体尺度的细胞组学方法而言，理解微生物种群或群落中细胞的功能无疑是必要的。种群行为源于单细胞的表现，由个体遗传库、历史、生命周期状态以及微环境所导致。通过模拟自然受损环境，本文表明革兰氏阴性β-变形菌——食酸丛毛单胞菌（Cupriavidus necator）会因有害酚浓度而显著改变其种群异质性。运用多参数流式细胞术追踪诸如染色体含量和储存物质等细胞结构参数的变化。在通过细胞分选实现细胞空间分离后，借助后续的蛋白质组学解析这些不同细胞类型的功能，发现有11种蛋白质的表达谱发生了变化，其中包括延伸因子Tu和触发因子。至少三分之一的个体明显处于饥饿状态；然而，与此同时这些细胞也在为再次进入生命周期做准备。利用细胞组学在微生物尺度上识别个体结构和功能，是一种创新性的技术设计，用以描述此类系统的复杂性，克服小细胞体积带来的劣势，从而解析细菌通过改变种群异质性在有害环境中生存的策略。
