1. Soil eukaryotic functional diversity, a metatranscriptomic approach
- Author
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Marc Lemaire, Roland Marmeisse, Julie Bailly, Micheline Wésolowski-Louvel, Jean-Claude Debaud, Laurence Fraissinet-Tachet, Marie-Christine Verner, Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne - UMR 5557 (LEM), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon (ENVL), Microbiologie, adaptation et pathogénie (MAP), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon, Ecologie microbienne ( EM ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ) -Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon ( ENVL ) -Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 ( UCBL ), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique ( INRA ) -VetAgro Sup ( VAS ), Microbiologie, adaptation et pathogénie ( MAP ), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 ( UCBL ), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon ( INSA Lyon ), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées ( INSA ) -Institut National des Sciences Appliquées ( INSA ) -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ( CNRS ), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon (ENVL)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), and Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
Saccharomyces cerevisiae ,Mutant ,Molecular Sequence Data ,[SDV.BID.SPT]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics, Phylogenetics and taxonomy ,Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Ascomycota ,Complementary DNA ,RNA, Ribosomal, 18S ,Gene ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Phylogeny ,Soil Microbiology ,030304 developmental biology ,Gene Library ,2. Zero hunger ,Genetics ,[ SDE.BE ] Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,0303 health sciences ,biology ,030306 microbiology ,cDNA library ,Basidiomycota ,Gene Expression Profiling ,RNA ,Electrophoresis, Capillary ,Genetic Variation ,Biodiversity ,15. Life on land ,biology.organism_classification ,Yeast ,Complementation ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,[ SDV.BID.SPT ] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Systematics, Phylogenetics and taxonomy - Abstract
To appreciate the functional diversity of communities of soil eukaryotic micro-organisms we evaluated an experimental approach based on the construction and screening of a cDNA library using polyadenylated mRNA extracted from a forest soil. Such a library contains genes that are expressed by each of the different organisms forming the community and represents its metatranscriptome. The diversity of the organisms that contributed to this library was evaluated by sequencing a portion of the 18S rDNA gene amplified from either soil DNA or reverse-transcribed RNA. More than 70% of the sequences were from fungi and unicellular eukaryotes (protists) while the other most represented group was the metazoa. Calculation of richness estimators suggested that more than 180 species could be present in the soil samples studied. Sequencing of 119 cDNA identified genes with no homologues in databases (32%) and genes coding proteins involved in different biochemical and cellular processes. Surprisingly, the taxonomic distribution of the cDNA and of the 18S rDNA genes did not coincide, with a marked under-representation of the protists among the cDNA. Specific genes from such an environmental cDNA library could be isolated by expression in a heterologous microbial host, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This is illustrated by the functional complementation of a histidine auxotrophic yeast mutant by two cDNA originating possibly from an ascomycete and a basidiomycete fungal species. Study of the metatranscriptome has the potential to uncover adaptations of whole microbial communities to local environmental conditions. It also gives access to an abundant source of genes of biotechnological interest.
- Published
- 2007