Weiwen Zhang
Tianjin University, China
Title: Single-cell analysis reveals gene-expression heterogeneity in microbial syntrophic dual-culture
Biography
Biography: Weiwen Zhang
Abstract
Microbial syntrophic metabolism has been well accepted as the heart of how methanogenic and other anaerobic microbial communities function. In this work, we applied a single-cell RT-qPCR approach to reveal gene-expression heterogeneity in a model syntrophic system of Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Methanosarcina barkeri, as compared with the D.vulgaris monoculture. Using the optimized primers and single-cell analytical protocol, we quantitatively determine geneexpression levels of 6 selected target genes in each of the 120 single cells of D. vulgaris isolated from its monoculture and dualculture with M. barkeri. Th e results demonstrated very signifi cant cell-to-cell gene-expression heterogeneity for the selected D.vulgaris genes in both the monoculture and the syntrophic dual-culture. Interestingly, no obvious increase in gene expression heterogeneity for the selected genes was observed for the syntrophic dual-culture when compared with its monoculture, although the community structure and cell-cell interactions have become more complicated in the syntrophic dual-culture. In addition, the single-cell RT-qPCR analysis also provided further evidence that the gene cluster (DVU0148-DVU0150) may be involved syntrophic metabolism between D. vulgaris and M. barkeri. Finally, the study validated that single-cell RT qPCR analysis could be a valuable tool in deciphering gene functions and metabolism in mixed-cultured microbial communities.