Publications by authors named "Zheng-Shuang Hua"

Candidate bacterial phylum CSP1-3 has not been cultivated and is poorly understood. Here, we analyzed 112 CSP1-3 metagenome-assembled genomes and showed they are likely facultative anaerobes, with 3 of 5 families encoding autotrophy through the reductive glycine pathway (RGP), Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) or Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB), with hydrogen or sulfide as electron donors. Chemoautotrophic enrichments from hot spring sediments and fluorescence hybridization revealed enrichment of six CSP1-3 genera, and both transcribed genes and DNA-stable isotope probing were consistent with proposed chemoautotrophic metabolisms.

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  • Redox cycling of iron is crucial for nutrient acquisition by organisms and the geochemical cycling of elements in aquatic environments, involving both microbial activity and abiotic processes.
  • A study reveals that a specific phototrophic species, SW2, can reduce Fe(III) during bacterial growth and is connected to an electron transport system through a -type cytochrome.
  • The findings suggest that iron redox transformation by anoxygenic photoferrotrophs occurs globally in both modern and ancient environments, thus highlighting their significant role in iron cycling.
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Cyanobacteriota, the sole prokaryotes capable of oxygenic photosynthesis (OxyP), occupy a unique and pivotal role in Earth's history. While the notion that OxyP may have originated from Cyanobacteriota is widely accepted, its early evolution remains elusive. Here, by using both metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, we explore 36 metagenome-assembled genomes from hot spring ecosystems, belonging to two deep-branching cyanobacterial orders: Thermostichales and Gloeomargaritales.

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Plasmid-mediated conjugative transfer facilitates the dissemination of antibiotic resistance, yet the comprehensive regulatory mechanisms governing this process remain elusive. Herein, we established pure bacteria and activated sludge conjugation system to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of conjugative transfer, leveraging metformin as an exogenous agent. Transcriptomic analysis unveiled that substantial upregulation of genes associated with the two-component system (e.

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  • Terrestrial geothermal springs are important environments that host diverse populations of Archaea, but their diversity and functionalities are not fully understood.
  • A study analyzed 152 metagenomes from 48 geothermal springs in Tengchong, China, uncovering 2949 archaeal genomes and 392 new species, increasing known Archaea diversity by ~48.6%.
  • The research highlights how temperature and pH influence archaeal communities and potential ecological roles in important biogeochemical cycles, revealing both competitive and cooperative interactions among Archaea.
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Sulfur-based denitrification is a promising technology in treatments of nitrate-contaminated wastewaters. However, due to weak bioavailability and electron-donating capability of elemental sulfur, its sulfur-to-nitrate ratio has long been low, limiting the support for dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) process. Using a long-term sulfur-packed reactor, we demonstrate here for the first time that DNRA in sulfur-based system is not negligible, but rather contributes a remarkable 40.

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Ammonia-oxidizing Nitrososphaeria are among the most abundant archaea on Earth and have profound impacts on the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen. In contrast to these well-studied ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), deep-branching non-AOA within this class remain poorly characterized because of a low number of genome representatives. Here, we reconstructed 128 Nitrososphaeria metagenome-assembled genomes from acid mine drainage and hot spring sediment metagenomes.

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Recent discoveries of methyl-coenzyme M reductase-encoding genes () in uncultured archaea beyond traditional euryarchaeotal methanogens have reshaped our view of methanogenesis. However, whether any of these nontraditional archaea perform methanogenesis remains elusive. Here, we report field and microcosm experiments based on C-tracer labeling and genome-resolved metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, revealing that nontraditional archaea are predominant active methane producers in two geothermal springs.

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In the ongoing debates about eukaryogenesis-the series of evolutionary events leading to the emergence of the eukaryotic cell from prokaryotic ancestors-members of the Asgard archaea play a key part as the closest archaeal relatives of eukaryotes. However, the nature and phylogenetic identity of the last common ancestor of Asgard archaea and eukaryotes remain unresolved. Here we analyse distinct phylogenetic marker datasets of an expanded genomic sampling of Asgard archaea and evaluate competing evolutionary scenarios using state-of-the-art phylogenomic approaches.

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The recent discovery of Nitrospira species capable of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) in non-marine natural and engineered ecosystems under mesothermal conditions has changed our understanding of microbial nitrification. However, little is known about the occurrence of comammox bacteria or their ability to survive in moderately thermal and/or hyperthermal habitats. Here, we report the wide distribution of comammox Nitrospira in five terrestrial hot springs at temperatures ranging from 36 to 80°C and provide metagenome-assembled genomes of 11 new comammox strains.

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" Parvarchaeales" microbes, representing a DPANN archaeal group with limited metabolic potential and reliance on hosts for their growth, were initially found in acid mine drainage (AMD). Due to the lack of representatives, however, their ecological roles and adaptation to extreme habitats such as AMD as well as how they diverge across the lineage remain largely unexplored. By applying genome-resolved metagenomics, 28 Parvarchaeales-associated metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) representing two orders and five genera were recovered.

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  • The newly sequenced and existing genomes of the Omnitrophota phylum were analyzed to better understand their habitat, metabolism, and lifestyles, revealing a diversity of 6 classes and 276 species.
  • Most Omnitrophota are ultra-small (~0.2 μm) and are commonly found in water, sediments, and soils, possessing reduced genomes yet retaining key biosynthetic and energy pathways.
  • A significant portion of Omnitrophota genomes suggests they have symbiotic relationships, and some families were linked to obligate predatory lifestyles, indicating they may act as predators or parasites in various ecosystems.
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The biology of Korarchaeia remains elusive due to the lack of genome representatives. Here, we reconstruct 10 closely related metagenome-assembled genomes from hot spring habitats and place them into a single species, proposed herein as Panguiarchaeum symbiosum. Functional investigation suggests that Panguiarchaeum symbiosum is strictly anaerobic and grows exclusively in thermal habitats by fermenting peptides coupled with sulfide and hydrogen production to dispose of electrons.

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Background: Candidatus Nanohaloarchaeota, an archaeal phylum within the DPANN superphylum, is characterized by limited metabolic capabilities and limited phylogenetic diversity and until recently has been considered to exclusively inhabit hypersaline environments due to an obligate association with Halobacteria. Aside from hypersaline environments, Ca. Nanohaloarchaeota can also have been discovered from deep-subsurface marine sediments.

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  • The text discusses the cultivation of a unique archaeal species called Wolframiiraptor gerlachensis, which relies on tungsten for its growth, showcasing the importance of trace metals in life.
  • Research included genetic analysis revealing that W. gerlachensis possesses tungsten transport systems and enzymes for anaerobic sugar oxidation, indicating a specialized metabolism linked to tungsten.
  • Phylogenetic studies suggest that tungsten-dependent enzymes have deep evolutionary roots in the Wolframiiraptoraceae family, highlighting tungsten's potential role in early life forms and ecosystems.
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" Aenigmarchaeota" (" Aenigmarchaeota") represents one of the earliest proposed evolutionary branches within the , , , , and (DPANN) superphylum. However, their ecological roles and potential host-symbiont interactions are still poorly understood. Here, eight metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were reconstructed from hot spring ecosystems, and further in-depth comparative and evolutionary genomic analyses were conducted on these MAGs and other genomes downloaded from public databases.

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  • - The study focuses on **Bathyarchaeia**, a diverse group of microorganisms found mainly in anoxic submarine sediments, examining its evolution and ecological roles in hot spring sediments from Tibet and Yunnan, China.
  • - Researchers recovered **35 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs)** of Bathyarchaeia, discovering 4 new families and categorizing them into 7 orders and 15 families, significantly increasing the known diversity of this group.
  • - Comparative genomic analyses suggest that Bathyarchaeia from thermal habitats possess genes for **carbohydrate degradation**, indicating adaptations to high temperatures and potential roles in methanogenesis, showcasing their unique metabolic abilities compared to their marine counterparts.
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  • Chemoautotrophic microbes, particularly homoacetogens, played a crucial role in the transition from inorganic to organic life by fixing carbon.
  • Recent research identified genes for essential enzymes related to the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (WLP) within Actinobacteria, leading to the proposal of three new classes: Ca. Aquicultoria, Ca. Geothermincolia, and Ca. Humimicrobiia.
  • These classes not only have the capability for acetogenesis through the WLP but also show evidence of independent acquisition of hydrogenases, while sharing an ancestral carbon monoxide dehydrogenase/acetyl-CoA synthase complex likely passed down through vertical inheritance.
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Geothermal environments, such as hot springs and hydrothermal vents, are hotspots for carbon cycling and contain many poorly described microbial taxa. Here, we reconstructed 15 archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from terrestrial hot spring sediments in China and deep-sea hydrothermal vent sediments in Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. Phylogenetic analyses of these MAGs indicate that they form a distinct group within the TACK superphylum, and thus we propose their classification as a new phylum, 'Brockarchaeota', named after Thomas Brock for his seminal research in hot springs.

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The discovery of complete ammonia-oxidizing (comammox) Nitrospira has added an important new process to the microbial nitrogen cycle. While comammox Nitrospira have been detected in various ecosystems, only few studies have achieved their enrichment over other canonical nitrifiers. Here, we obtained a selective enrichment of comammox Nitrospira in a urine-fed membrane bioreactor in less than 200 days.

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  • "Nitrosocaldaceae" are a group of microorganisms found in hot springs and geothermally heated soils, playing a crucial role in the nitrogen cycle, but remain largely unstudied due to challenges in isolating them in pure form.
  • This study utilized metagenomics to analyze samples from hot springs in India and China, leading to the identification of two new species within "Nitrosocaldus" and a new genus named "Nitrosothermus."
  • Key metabolic genes for ammonia oxidation and thermal adaptation were found in the genomes, along with genes for urea degradation and vitamin biosynthesis, highlighting their unique adaptations to high-temperature environments.
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Several recent studies have shown the presence of genes for the key enzyme associated with archaeal methane/alkane metabolism, methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr), in metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) divergent to existing archaeal lineages. Here, we study the mcr-containing archaeal MAGs from several hot springs, which reveal further expansion in the diversity of archaeal organisms performing methane/alkane metabolism. Significantly, an MAG basal to organisms from the phylum Thaumarchaeota that contains mcr genes, but not those for ammonia oxidation or aerobic metabolism, is identified.

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Denitrifying sulfur conversion-associated enhanced biological phosphorous removal (DS-EBPR) system is not only a novel wastewater treatment process, but also an ideal model for microbial ecology in a community context. However, it exists the knowledge gap on the roles and interactions of functional microorganisms in the DS-EBPR system for carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S) bioconversions. We use genome-resolved metagenomics to build up an ecological model of microbial communities in a lab-scale DS-EBPR system with stable operation for more than 400 days.

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  • Microbes from the Aigarchaeota phylum are abundant in geothermal areas, but their functions and ecological roles remain largely unclear.
  • Analysis of metagenomic data from hot springs in China shows that these microbes are mostly anaerobic and can oxidize sulfide, indicating their unique metabolic capabilities.
  • The study highlights the importance of horizontal gene transfer in Aigarchaeota's evolution, revealing a shared ancestry with Thaumarchaeota and contributing to their functional diversity and ecological differentiation.
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