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TRR 51:  Ecology, Physiology and Molecular Biology of the Roseobacter Clade: Towards a Systems Biology Understanding of a Globally Important Clade of Marine Bacteria

Subject Area Medicine
Biology
Chemistry
Term from 2010 to 2021
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 34509606
 
Final Report Year 2023

Final Report Abstract

Before the start of the TRR the Roseobacter clade had emerged as one of the most important groups of marine bacteria as members of this group were shown to be prominent components of microbial communities in coastal and open ocean systems from temperate to polar regions, in the water column and on surface sediments, biofilms and associated to various micro- and macroalgae and invertebrates. This information on the range of habitats, genomic and physiological data, including a diverse array of secondary metabolites, was the basis to address the following research questions by the consortium of 17 subprojects and one service project: What is the taxonomic and phylogenomic structure and diversity of the Roseobacter group? How is the genomic organization of the different sub-lineages of the Roseobacter group, regarding its partitioning into the genome, chromids and plasmids? What are the ecology, biogeography, taxonomic diversity and functional traits of the Roseobacter group in marine communities in the water column of coastal and open ocean regions and in sediments? What are typical features of the energy metabolism, primary metabolism, carbohydrate and amino acids catabolism, secondary metabolism and the role of signaling for various cellular functions and in general metabolomics in selected model organisms of the Roseobacter group? How do typical model organisms of the Roseobacter group interact with other pro- and eukaryotic partners regarding mutual interactions, i.e. chemical cross talk? The consortium succeeded in answering basically all these questions. It was able to establish a genome-based phylogeny, including extrachromosomal elements such as plasmids and phages, and a very detailed analysis of all and newly discovered sub-lineages of the Roseobacter group. Genus population genomics and speciation was established for the model genus Phaeobacter and other genera. Functional, gene expression and exometabolomic features regarding the amino acid, carbohydrate, secondary and energymetabolism and the role of signalling of typical model organism and elected other strains of interest were elucidated. To deepen these investigations systems biology and metabolomics studies on these traits were carried out with two model strains, Phaeobacter inhibens and Dinoroseobacter shibae. As members of the Roseobacter group are known as important producers of vitamins B7 and B12, detailed studies on their biosynthesis, release and sharing with other bacteria and phytoplankton algae, mostly diatoms of the genus Thalassiosira, and the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum, were carried out. For detailed gene expression studies in this and other contexts the genome of this dinoflagellate was sequenced and analyzed in detail. Further, global biogeographic distribution patterns of the members of the pelagic Roseobacter cluster and of the sediment-associated Roseobacter sublineages were established.

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