Untargeted metabolomics studies employing NMR and LC-MS reveal metabolic coupling betweenNanoarcheum equitansand its archaeal hostIgnicoccus hospitalis.
Interspecies interactions are the basis of microbial community formation and infectious diseases. Systems biology enables the construction of complex models describing such interactions, leading to a better understanding of disease states and communities. However, before interactions between complex organisms can be understood, metabolic and energetic implications of simpler real-world host-microbe systems must be worked out. To this effect, untargeted metabolomics experiments were conducted and integrated with proteomics data to characterize key molecular-level interactions between two hyperthermophilic microbial species, both of which have reduced genomes. Metabolic changes and transfer of metabolites between the archaeaIgnicoccus hospitalisandNanoarcheum equitanswere investigated using integrated LC-MS and NMR metabolomics. The study of such a system is challenging, as no genetic tools are available, growth in the laboratory is challenging, and mechanisms by which they interact are unknown. Together with information about relative enzyme levels obtained from shotgun proteomics, the metabolomics data provided useful insights into metabolic pathways and cellular networks ofI. hospitalisthat are impacted by the presence ofN. equitans, including arginine, isoleucine, and CTP biosynthesis. On the organismal level, the data indicate thatN. equitansexploits metabolites generated byI. hospitalisto satisfy its own metabolic needs. This finding is based onN. equitans's consumption of a significant fraction of the metabolite pool inI. hospitalisthat cannot solely be attributed to increased biomass production forN. equitans. Combining LC-MS and NMR metabolomics datasets improved coverage of the metabolome and enhanced the identification and quantitation of cellular metabolites.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717.
Timothy
T
Hamerly
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717.
Brian P
BP
Tripet
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717.
Michelle
M
Tigges
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831.
Richard J
RJ
Giannone
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 ; Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996.
Louie
L
Wurch
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831.
Robert L
RL
Hettich
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 ; Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996.
Mircea
M
Podar
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 ; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717.
Valerie
V
Copié
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 ; Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717.
Brian
B
Bothner
Ignicoccus hospitalis; LC-MS; NMR; Nanoarcheum equitans; hyperthermophilic Archaea; interspecies interactions; metabolic pathway analysis; metabolomics; systems biology