Biomedical subjects

Wietse de Boer

Publications and source records attributed to Wietse de Boer.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

In vitro suppression of fungi caused by combinations of apparently non-antagonistic soil bacteria.

We hypothesized that apparently non-antagonistic soil bacteria may contribute to suppression of fungi during competitive interactions with other bacteria. Four soil bacteria (Brevundimonas sp., Luteibacter sp., Pedobacter sp. and Pseudomonas sp.) that exhibited little or no visible antifungal activity on different agar media were prescribed. Single and mixed strains of these species were tested for antagonism on a nutrient-poor agar medium against the plant pathogenic fungi Fusarium culmorum and Rhizoctonia solani and the saprotrophic fungus Trichoderma harzianum. Single bacterial strains caused little to moderate growth reduction of fungi (quantified as ergosterol), most probably due to nutrient withdrawal from the media. Growth reduction of fungi by the bacterial mixture was much stronger than that by the single strains. This appeared to be mostly due to competitive interactions between the Pseudomonas and Pedobacter strains. We argue that cohabitation of these strains triggered antibiotic production via interspecific interactions and that the growth reduction of fungi was a side-effect caused by the sensitivity of the fungi to bacterial secondary metabolites. Induction of gliding behavior in the Pedobacter strain by other strains was also observed. Our results indicate that apparently non-antagonistic soil bacteria may be important contributors to soil suppressiveness and fungistasis when in a community context.

Antibiosis↗

PubMed2005

A molecular biological protocol to distinguish potentially human pathogenic Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from plant-associated Stenotrophomonas rhizophila.

In recent years, the importance of the Gram-negative bacterium Stenotrophomonas as an opportunistic pathogen as well as in biotechnology has increased. The aim of the present study was to develop new methods for distinguishing between strains closely related to the potentially human pathogenic Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and those closely related to the plant-associated Stenotrophomonas rhizophila. To accomplish this, 58 strains were characterized by 16S rDNA sequencing and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), and the occurrence of specific functional genes. Based on 16S rDNA sequences, an ARDRA protocol was developed which allowed differentiation between strains of the S. maltophilia and the S. rhizophila group. As it was known that only salt-treated cells of S. rhizophila were able to synthesize the compatible solute glucosylglycerol (GG), the ggpS gene responsible for GG synthesis was used for differentiation between both species and it was confirmed that it only occurred in S. rhizophila strains. As a further genetic marker the smeD gene, which is part of the genes coding for the multidrug efflux pump SmeDEF from S. maltophilia, was used. Based on the results we propose a combination of fingerprinting techniques using the 16S rDNA and the functional genes ggpS and smeD to distinguish both Stenotrophomonas species.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2004

Living in a fungal world: impact of fungi on soil bacterial niche development.

The colonization of land by plants appears to have coincided with the appearance of mycorrhiza-like fungi. Over evolutionary time, fungi have maintained their prominent role in the formation of mycorrhizal associations. In addition, however, they have been able to occupy other terrestrial niches of which the decomposition of recalcitrant organic matter is perhaps the most remarkable. This implies that, in contrast to that of aquatic organic matter decomposition, bacteria have not been able to monopolize decomposition processes in terrestrial ecosystems. The emergence of fungi in terrestrial ecosystems must have had a strong impact on the evolution of terrestrial bacteria. On the one hand, potential decomposition niches, e.g. lignin degradation, have been lost for bacteria, whereas on the other hand the presence of fungi has itself created new bacterial niches. Confrontation between bacteria and fungi is ongoing, and from studying contemporary interactions, we can learn about the impact that fungi presently have, and have had in the past, on the ecology and evolution of terrestrial bacteria. In the first part of this review, the focus is on niche differentiation between soil bacteria and fungi involved in the decomposition of plant-derived organic matter. Bacteria and fungi are seen to compete for simple plant-derived substrates and have developed antagonistic strategies. For more recalcitrant organic substrates, e.g. cellulose and lignin, both competitive and mutualistic strategies appear to have evolved. In the second part of the review, bacterial niches with respect to the utilization of fungal-derived substrates are considered. Here, several lines of development can be recognized, ranging from mutualistic exudate-consuming bacteria that are associated with fungal surfaces to endosymbiotic and mycophagous bacteria. In some cases, there are indications of fungal specific selection in fungus-associated bacteria, and possible mechanisms for such selection are discussed.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2004

Collimonas fungivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., a chitinolytic soil bacterium with the ability to grow on living fungal hyphae.

A polyphasic approach was used to describe the phylogenetic position of 22 chitinolytic bacterial isolates that were able to grow at the expense of intact, living hyphae of several soil fungi. These isolates, which were found in slightly acidic dune soils in the Netherlands, were strictly aerobic, Gram-negative rods. Cells grown in liquid cultures were flagellated and possessed pili. A wide range of sugars, alcohols, organic acids and amino acids could be metabolized, whereas several di- and trisaccharides could not be used as substrates. The major cellular fatty acids were C(16 : 0), C(16 : 1)omega7c and C(18 : 1)omega7c. DNA G+C contents were 57-62 mol%. Analysis of nearly full-length 16S rDNA sequences showed that the isolates were related closely to each other (>98.6 % sequence similarity) and could be assigned to the beta-Proteobacteria, family 'Oxalobacteraceae', order 'Burkholderiales'. The most closely related species belonged to the genera Herbaspirillum and Janthinobacterium, exhibiting 95.9-96.7 % (Herbaspirillum species) and 94.3-95.6 % (Janthinobacterium species) 16S rDNA sequence similarity to the isolates. Several physiological and biochemical properties indicated that the isolates could be distinguished clearly from both of these genera. Therefore, it is proposed that the isolates described in this study are representatives of a novel genus, Collimonas gen. nov. Genomic fingerprinting (BOX-PCR), detailed analysis of 16S rDNA patterns and physiological characterization (Biolog) of the isolates revealed the existence of four subclusters. The name Collimonas fungivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. has been given to one subcluster (four isolates) that appears to be in the centre of the novel genus; isolates in the other subclusters have been tentatively named Collimonas sp. The type strain of Collimonas fungivorans gen. nov., sp. nov. is Ter6(T) (=NCCB 100033(T)=LMG 21973(T)).

Base Composition↗

PubMed2004

Phylogeny-function analysis of (meta)genomic libraries: screening for expression of ribosomal RNA genes by large-insert library fluorescent in situ hybridization (LIL-FISH).

We assessed the utility of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in the screening of clone libraries of (meta)genomic or environmental DNA for the presence and expression of bacterial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. To establish proof-of-principle, we constructed a fosmid-based library in Escherichia coli of large-sized genomic DNA fragments of the mycophagous soil bacterium Collimonas fungivorans, and hybridized 768 library clones with the Collimonas-specific fluorescent probe CTE998-1015. Critical to the success of this approach (which we refer to as large-insert library FISH or LIL-FISH) was the ability to induce fosmid copy number, the exponential growth status of library clones in the FISH assay and the use of a simple pooling strategy to reduce the number of hybridizations. Twelve out of 768 E. coli clones were suspected to harbour and express Collimonas 16S rRNA genes based on their hybridization to CTE998-1015. This was confirmed by the finding that all 12 clones were also identified in an independent polymerase chain reaction-based screening of the same 768 clones using a primer set for the specific detection of Collimonas 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA). Fosmids isolated from these clones were grouped by restriction analysis into two distinct contigs, confirming that C. fungivorans harbours at least two 16S rRNA genes. For one contig, representing 1-2% of the genome, the nucleotide sequence was determined, providing us with a narrow but informative view of Collimonas genome structure and content.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Microbial community composition affects soil fungistasis.

Most soils inhibit fungal germination and growth to a certain extent, a phenomenon known as soil fungistasis. Previous observations have implicated microorganisms as the causal agents of fungistasis, with their action mediated either by available carbon limitation (nutrient deprivation hypothesis) or production of antifungal compounds (antibiosis hypothesis). To obtain evidence for either of these hypotheses, we measured soil respiration and microbial numbers (as indicators of nutrient stress) and bacterial community composition (as an indicator of potential differences in the composition of antifungal components) during the development of fungistasis. This was done for two fungistatic dune soils in which fungistasis was initially fully or partly relieved by partial sterilization treatment or nutrient addition. Fungistasis development was measured as restriction of the ability of the fungi Chaetomium globosum, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium oxysporum, and Trichoderma harzianum to colonize soils. Fungistasis did not always reappear after soil treatments despite intense competition for carbon, suggesting that microbial community composition is important in the development of fungistasis. Both microbial community analysis and in vitro antagonism tests indicated that the presence of pseudomonads might be essential for the development of fungistasis. Overall, the results lend support to the antibiosis hypothesis.

Antibiosis↗

PubMed2002

Effects of above-ground plant species composition and diversity on the diversity of soil-borne microorganisms.

A coupling of above-ground plant diversity and below-ground microbial diversity has been implied in studies dedicated to assessing the role of macrophyte diversity on the stability, resilience, and functioning of ecosystems. Indeed, above-ground plant communities have long been assumed to drive below-ground microbial diversity, but to date very little is known as to how plant species composition and diversity influence the community composition of micro-organisms in the soil. We examined this relationship in fields subjected to different above-ground biodiversity treatments and in field experiments designed to examine the influence of plant species on soil-borne microbial communities. Culture-independent strategies were applied to examine the role of wild or native plant species composition on bacterial diversity and community structure in bulk soil and in the rhizosphere. In comparing the influence of Cynoglossum officinale (hound's tongue) and Cirsium vulgare (spear thistle) on soil-borne bacterial communities, detectable differences in microbial community structure were confined to the rhizosphere. The colonisation of the rhizosphere of both plants was highly reproducible, and maintained throughout the growing season. In a separate experiment, effects of plant diversity on bacterial community profiles were also only observed for the rhizosphere. Rhizosphere soil from experimental plots with lower macrophyte diversity showed lower diversity, and bacterial diversity was generally lower in the rhizosphere than in bulk soil. These results demonstrate that the level of coupling between above-ground macrophyte communities and below-ground microbial communities is related to the tightness of the interactions involved. Although plant species composition and community structure appear to have little discernible effect on microbial communities inhabiting bulk soil, clear and reproducible changes in microbial community structure and diversity are observed in the rhizosphere.

Bacteria↗