Study on novel functions of nitrogen fixation and hydrogen utilization in bacteria of the order Bacteroidales

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26292047
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied microbiology
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: OHKUMA Moriya 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, バイオリソースセンター, 室長 (10270597)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 野田 悟子 山梨大学, 総合研究部, 准教授 (80342830)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HONGOH Yuichi 東京工業大学, 生命理工学研究科, 教授 (90392117)
• Research Collaborator: YUKI Masahiro ; INOUE Jun-ichi
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 微生物機能 / 窒素固定 / 水素代謝 / 共生 / シングルセルゲノム / 還元的酢酸生成 / Bacteroidales目細菌 / スピロヘータ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We found bacterial species in the order Bacteroidales that harbor genes for nitrogen fixation or genes homologous to archaea for hydrogen utilization in the genomes, and we detected the respective activities in their representative cultured strains. We identified an endosymbiotic spirochete species of a termite-gut cellulolytic protist species that contributes to the activities for both nitrogen fixation and hydrogen-utilizing reductive acetogenesis in the gut. Through single-cell genome sequencing, we investigated functions and symbiotic mechanisms of this endosymbiont and two ectosymbiotic Bacteroidales species attached onto cell surface of termite-gut protists.

Free Research Field

微生物学