Genetic innovations in animal-microbe symbioses.

Animal hosts have initiated myriad symbiotic associations with microorganisms and often have maintained these symbioses for millions of years, spanning drastic changes in ecological conditions and lifestyles. The establishment and persistence of these relationships require genetic innovations on the parts of both symbionts and hosts. The nature of symbiont innovations depends on their genetic population structure, categorized here as open, closed or mixed. These categories reflect modes of inter-host transmission that result in distinct genomic features, or genomic syndromes, in symbionts. Although less studied, hosts also innovate in order to preserve and control symbiotic partnerships. New capabilities to sequence host-associated microbial communities and to experimentally manipulate both hosts and symbionts are providing unprecedented insights into how genetic innovations arise under different symbiont population structures and how these innovations function to support symbiotic relationships.

Seasonal changes in luminescent intestinal microflora of the fish inhabiting the Bering and Okhotsk seas.

Here, we present a study of luminescent intestinal microflora of the fish inhabiting Bering and Okhotsk seas in summer and winter seasons. Sampling of intestinal luminescent microflora was carried for several years, with all recovered species belonging to psychrophilic bacteria of either Aliivibrio logei or Photobacterium phosphoreum species. A seasonal change in fish intestinal luminescent microflora detected include an increase in prevalence of P. phosphoreum bacteria in summer and an increase in prevalence of A. logei bacteria in winter seasons. In fact, 90% of all luminescent bacteria isolated in winter period (January-March) were A. logei, while 88% of luminescent isolates recovered in summer period (July-September) were that of P. phosphoreum species. Seasonal changes were similar across all six sampling expeditions, three in winter and three in summer seasons, evenly spread through 2010-2018 period.

[Mechanisms and Origin of Bacterial Biolumenescence].

The origin of bioluminescence in living organisms was first mentioned by Charles Darwin (1859) and remains obscure despite significant success achieved over the past decades. Here we discuss the mechanisms of bacterial bioluminescence. We have the main results from structural and functional analysis of the genes of lux operons, enzymes (luciferase), and mechanisms of bioluminescence in several species of marine bacteria, which belong to three genera, Vibrio, Aliivibrio, and Photobacterium (A. fischeri, V. harveyi, P. leiognathi, and P. phosphoreum), and in terrestrial bacteria of the genus Photorhabdus (Ph. luminescens). The structure and mechanisms for the regulation of the expression of the lux operons are discussed. The fundamental characteristics of luciferase and luciferase-catalyzed reactions (stages of FMNH2 and tetradecanal oxidation, dimensional structure, as well as folding and refolding of the macromolecule) are described. We also discuss the main concepts of the origin of bacterial bioluminescence and its role in the ecology of modern marine fauna, including its involvement in the processes of detoxification of the reactive oxygen species and DNA repair, as well as the bait hypothesis.

Co-infection of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), by Moritella viscosa and Aliivibrio wodanis, development of disease and host colonization.

Two species of bacteria are repeatedly isolated from farmed fish with winter-ulcer disease. Moritella viscosa is the aetiological agent of the disease; the significance of Aliivibrio wodanis is uncertain but has not been related to the primary pathogenesis. A cell culture infection model showed that A. wodanis adhered to, but did not invade the fish cells. Exposure to culture supernatant of A. wodanis caused the fish cells to vacoulate, retract, round up and detach from the surface, and rearrange the actin filaments of the cytoskeleton. These observations suggest that the bacterium secretes toxins into the extracellular environment. Any pathologic effect of A. wodanis and the effect of co-culturing with M. viscosa was studied in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) bath challenged with; only M. viscosa or only A. wodanis or both bacteria together. Both M. viscosa and A. wodanis were re-isolated from external surfaces and internal organs from live and deceased co-infected fish. It is further hypothesized that A. wodanis colonization might influence the progression of a M. viscosa infection. This is to our knowledge the first study that reproduces field observations where both bacteria infect Atlantic salmon.