OPUS-CRS: Integration of Phylogenomic and Metabolic Analyses to Understand the Biodiversity of Deeply Rooted Microbial Lineages

目前在黄石国家公园（YNP）的温泉中蓬勃发展的微生物（单细胞生物）被认为与地球上最早的生命形式相似。该项目的研究人员之前已经收集了大量数据，包括来自YNP许多不同微生物群落的基因序列。在这个项目中，他们将分析和存储来自微生物（古细菌和细菌）的遗传信息，这些微生物喜欢高温环境（嗜热菌）。这些生物中的许多只是最近才被发现，它们在生命之树中的位置还不清楚。这项工作很重要，因为它将建立不同嗜热菌之间的遗传关系，可以用来推断这些谱系中的哪一个可能产生了更复杂的（多细胞）生物。此外，这些不需要阳光的生物体的能量能力可以提供线索，说明一些第一生命形式可能如何使用硫化物，氢和/或甲烷等化合物的能量。该项目还将在YNP内举办一个展览，重点关注一个高度可见的温泉通道中的微生物-矿物相互作用，该通道包含氧化铁梯田，每年将有多达50万游客参观。该综合项目将利用深植嗜热菌的基因组学和代谢活动数据，了解它们在生命之树中的系统发育位置和代谢重要性。这项工作将从黄石国家公园的高温栖息地收集大量根深蒂固的嗜热古菌和细菌的基因组。这些数据将用于构建详细的系统发育分析，这对于了解目前公认的三个生命领域（古生物，细菌，真核生物）的进化非常重要。来自微生物群落的基因组和转录组数据将用于研究与地球化学循环形成关键联系的新代谢。这些联系在化学合成生命形式的起源中可能很重要。 该项目将整合生物基因组学，生态生理学和地球化学，以了解根深蒂固的嗜热微生物的进化历史和代谢能力。具体而言，综合报告将侧重于具体环境参数的作用（例如，氧与硫化物）对嗜热微生物分布和多样性的影响，以及不同地球化学环境下微生物生长所需的特异蛋白质的分布。对近80个代表性不足且根深蒂固的古细菌和细菌的泛基因组进行的管理和分析，很有可能改变我们对微生物谱系和代谢的基本理解，这些谱系和代谢被认为在早期生命中很重要。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Microorganisms (single-cell organisms) currently thriving in hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) are thought to be similar to some of the earliest forms of life on Earth. This project's investigators have previously collected a large amount of data including the gene sequences from numerous different microbial communities at YNP. In this project they will analyze and store genetic information from microorganisms (both archaea and bacteria) that prefer high temperature environments (thermophiles). Many of these organisms have only recently been discovered and their placement in the Tree of Life is not yet clear. This work is important because it will establish genetic relationships among different thermophiles that can be used to infer which of these lineages may have given rise to more complex (multicellular) organisms. In addition, the energic capabilities of these organisms, that do not require sunlight, can provide clues to how some of the first life forms may have used energy from chemical compounds such as sulfide, hydrogen and/or methane. The work will also result in an exhibit within YNP, focused on microbe-mineral interactions in a highly visible hot spring channel containing iron oxide terraces, which will be seen by as many as 0.5 million tourists annually.This synthesis project will utilize data on genomics and metabolic activity of deeply rooted thermophiles to understand their phylogenetic position and metabolic importance in the Tree of Life. The work will curate genomes of numerous deeply rooted thermophilic archaea and bacteria from high temperature habitats in Yellowstone National Park. The data will be used to construct detailed phylogenetic analyses, which are important for understanding the evolution of the currently recognized three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya). Genomic and transcriptomic data from microbial communities will be used to investigate novel metabolisms that form critical links with geochemical cycles. These links were likely important in the origin of chemosynthetic life forms. The project will integrate phylogenomics, ecophysiology, and geochemistry to understand the evolutionary history and metabolic capabilities of deeply rooted thermophilic microorganisms. Specifically, the synthesis will focus on the role of specific environmental parameters (e.g., oxygen versus sulfide) on the distribution and diversity of thermophilic microorganisms, as well as the distribution of specific proteins necessary for microbial growth under different geochemical circumstances. Curation and analysis of nearly 80 pan-genomes of under-represented and deeply rooted archaea and bacteria has a high probability of transforming our basic understanding of microbial lineages and metabolisms thought to have been important in early life.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.