Department of Marine Science, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, 364001, India.
Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), Department of Science & Technology, Government of Gujarat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, 382011, India.
Microb Ecol. 2021 Feb;81(2):540-548. doi: 10.1007/s00248-020-01587-6. Epub 2020 Sep 9.
Plasmidomes have become the research area of interest for ecologists exploring bacteria rich ecosystems. Marine environments are among such niche that host a huge number of microbes and have a complex environment which pose the need to study these bacterial indicators of horizontal gene transfer events for survival and stability. The plasmid content of the metagenomics data from 8 sediment samples of the Gulfs of Kathiawar and an open Arabian Sea sample was screened. The reads corresponding to hits against the plasmid database were assembled and studied for diversity using Kraken and functional content using MG-RAST. The sequences were also checked for resistome and virulence factors. The replicon hosts were overall dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria while red algae specific to the Kutch samples. The genes encoded were dominant in the flagella motility and type VI secretion systems. Overall, results from the study confirmed that the plasmids encoded traits for metal, antibiotic, and phage resistance along with virulence systems, and these would be conferring benefit to the hosts. The study throws insights into the environmental role of the plasmidome in adaptation of the microbes in the studied sites to the environmental stresses.
质粒组已成为探索富含细菌生态系统的生态学家关注的研究领域。海洋环境就是其中的一个生态位，它拥有大量的微生物，并且环境复杂，这就需要研究这些细菌作为水平基因转移事件的指标，以了解它们对生存和稳定的影响。本研究对来自 Kathiawar 湾和阿拉伯海开阔海域的 8 个沉积物样本的宏基因组数据中的质粒含量进行了筛选。针对质粒数据库的命中进行组装，并使用 Kraken 对多样性进行研究，使用 MG-RAST 对功能内容进行研究。还检查了序列中的抗药性和毒力因子。复制子宿主主要由变形菌门、厚壁菌门和放线菌门组成，而古菌则是库奇样本所特有的。编码的基因在鞭毛运动和 VI 型分泌系统中占主导地位。总的来说，研究结果证实，质粒编码的特性包括对金属、抗生素和噬菌体的抗性以及毒力系统，这些特性将使宿主受益。该研究深入了解了质粒组在研究地点的微生物对环境压力的适应中的环境作用。
