Publications by authors named "Chandni Sidhu"

The oxygenases are essential in the bioremediation of xenobiotic pollutants. To overcome cultivability constraints, this study aims to identify new potential extradiol dioxygenases using the functional metagenomics approach. RW1-4CC, a novel catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, was isolated using functional metagenomics approach, expressed in a heterologous system, and characterized thoroughly using state-of-the-art techniques.

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Phytoplankton blooms provoke bacterioplankton blooms, from which bacterial biomass (necromass) is released via increased zooplankton grazing and viral lysis. While bacterial consumption of algal biomass during blooms is well-studied, little is known about the concurrent recycling of these substantial amounts of bacterial necromass. We demonstrate that bacterial biomass, such as bacterial alpha-glucan storage polysaccharides, generated from the consumption of algal organic matter, is reused and thus itself a major bacterial carbon source in vitro and during a diatom-dominated bloom.

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Phages play an essential role in controlling bacterial populations. Those infecting Pelagibacterales (SAR11), the dominant bacteria in surface oceans, have been studied in silico and by cultivation attempts. However, little is known about the quantity of phage-infected cells in the environment.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Marine microalgae, or phytoplankton, are crucial in global carbon cycling as they fix nearly half of the world's carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, especially during significant blooms where their biomass is composed mainly of polysaccharides.
  • - A study analyzed polysaccharide-degrading bacteria during a phytoplankton bloom, revealing distinct groups of bacteria based on size: smaller free-living bacteria and larger particle-attached ones, with the latter showing greater diversity and adaptive changes over time.
  • - The research produced 305 species-level genomes, including 152 from particle-attached bacteria, many of which were novel to the area; these genomes indicated a greater capacity for utilizing a wider range of polysaccharides, showcasing their
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Net growth of microbial populations, that is, changes in abundances over time, can be studied using 16S rRNA fluorescence hybridization (FISH). However, this approach does not differentiate between mortality and cell division rates. We used FISH-based image cytometry in combination with dilution culture experiments to study net growth, cell division, and mortality rates of four bacterial taxa over two distinct phytoplankton blooms: the oligotrophs SAR11 and SAR86, and the copiotrophic phylum , and its genus .

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Background: Over the past years, sequencing technologies have expanded our ability to examine novel microbial metabolisms and diversity previously obscured by isolation approaches. Long-read sequencing promises to revolutionize the metagenomic field and recover less fragmented genomes from environmental samples. Nonetheless, how to best benefit from long-read sequencing and whether long-read sequencing can provide recovered genomes of similar characteristics as short-read approaches remains unclear.

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Article Synopsis
  • Marine microalgae blooms are crucial for global carbon cycling, significantly affecting how carbon is processed in the ocean.
  • A study conducted in the German Bight analyzed 90 days of planktonic bacterial samples, revealing key bacterial metabolisms involved in breaking down algal polysaccharides, notably β-glucans and α-glucans.
  • The findings suggest that both the presence and the breakdown of these polysaccharides shape the community structure of bacterioplankton during blooms, influenced by both algal and bacterial processes.
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Some marine thermophilic methanogens are able to perform energy-consuming nitrogen fixation despite deriving only little energy from hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. We studied this process in Methanothermococcus thermolithotrophicus DSM 2095, a methanogenic archaeon of the order that contributes to the nitrogen pool in some marine environments. We successfully grew this archaeon under diazotrophic conditions in both batch and fermenter cultures, reaching the highest cell density reported so far.

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The oxygenases have attracted considerable attention in enzyme-mediated bioremediation of xenobiotic compounds due to their high specificity, cost-effectiveness, and targeted field applications. Here, we performed a functional metagenomics approach to cope with culturability limitations to isolate a novel extradiol dioxygenase. Fosmid clone harboring dioxygenase gene was sequenced and analyzed by bioinformatics tools.

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Article Synopsis
  • Haloarchaea are microorganisms found in highly saline environments, which may contain valuable biomolecules like carotenoids and proteins, yet their diversity in Indian saline areas is under-researched.
  • A study identified 12 novel haloarchaeal strains from a solar saltern in Kottakuppam, Tamil Nadu, revealing that most produce carotenoids, primarily bacterioruberin and lycopene, and classifying them into yellow and orange based on color differences.
  • Whole-genome sequencing of select strains led to the identification of unique genes related to biological functions, and successful cloning of functional bacteriorhodopsin, which plays a role in ATP production by using light energy.
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Haloarchaea are salt-loving archaea and potential source of industrially relevant halotolerant enzymes. In the present study, three reddish-pink, extremely halophilic archaeal strains, namely wsp1 (wsp-water sample Pondicherry), wsp3, and wsp4, were isolated from the Indian Solar saltern. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences suggests that both wsp3 and wsp4 strains belong to while wsp1 is closely related to species.

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The release of synthetic chemical pollutants in the environment is posing serious health risks. Enzymes, including oxygenases, play a crucial role in xenobiotic degradation. In the present study, we employed a functional metagenomics approach to overcome the limitation of cultivability of microbes under standard laboratory conditions in order to isolate novel dioxygenases capable of degrading recalcitrant pollutants.

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There is a significant increase in the discovery of new antimicrobial compounds in recent past to combat drug resistant pathogens. Members of the genus Bacillus and related genera have been screened extensively due to their ability to produce wide range of antimicrobial compounds. In this study, we have isolated and characterized a new antimicrobial peptide from a marine bacterium identified as Virgibacillus species.

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A novel Gram-staining-negative, spiral-shaped, pale-yellow, non-sporulating, motile, aerobic bacterium, designated strain AK56T, was isolated from a sediment sample collected at the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Colonies on marine agar were circular, pale yellow, shiny, translucent, 1-2 mm in diameter, convex and had an entire margin. The major fatty acids included C16 : 1, C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c and C18 : 1ω7c.

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Sewage waste represents an ecosystem of complex and interactive microbial consortia which proliferate with different kinetics according to their individual genetic as well as metabolic potential. We performed metagenomic shotgun sequencing on Ion-Torrent platform, to explore the microbial community structure, their biological interactions and associated functional capacity of pre-treated/raw sludge (RS) and post-treated/dried sludge (DS) of wastewater treatment plant. Bacterial phylotypes belonging to (∼45.

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The present study demonstrates exopolysaccharide production by an osmotolerant marine isolate and also describes further application of the purified polysaccharide for production of colloidal suspension of silver nanoparticles with narrow size distribution. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S r RNA gene sequencing revealed close affinity of the isolate to Alteromonas macleodii. Unlike earlier reports, where glucose was used as the carbon source, lactose was found to be the most suitable substrate for polysaccharide production.

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