Culturomics of Bacteria from Radon-Saturated Water of the World's Oldest Radium Mine
- PMID: 36000901
- PMCID: PMC9602452
- DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01995-22
Culturomics of Bacteria from Radon-Saturated Water of the World's Oldest Radium Mine
Abstract
Balneotherapeutic water springs, such as those with thermal, saline, sulfur, or any other characteristics, have recently been the subject of phylogenetic studies with a closer focus on the description and/or isolation of phylogenetically novel or biotechnologically interesting microorganisms. Generally, however, most such microorganisms are rarely obtained in pure culture or are even, for now, unculturable under laboratory conditions. In this culture-dependent study of radioactive water springs of Jáchymov (Joachimstahl), Czech Republic, we investigated a combination of classical cultivation approaches with those imitating sampling source conditions. Using these environmentally relevant cultivation approaches, over 1,000 pure cultures were successfully isolated from 4 radioactive springs. Subsequent dereplication yielded 121 unique taxonomic units spanning 44 genera and 9 taxonomic classes, ~10% of which were identified as hitherto undescribed taxa. Genomes of the latter were sequenced and analyzed, with a special focus on endogenous defense systems to withstand oxidative stress and aid in radiotolerance. Due to their origin from radioactive waters, we determined the resistance of the isolates to oxidative stress. Most of the isolates were more resistant to menadione than the model strain Deinococcus radiodurans DSM 20539T. Moreover, isolates of the Deinococcacecae, Micrococcaceae, Bacillaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae families even exhibited higher resistance in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. In summary, our culturomic analysis shows that subsurface water springs contain diverse bacterial populations, including as-yet-undescribed taxa and strains with promising biotechnological potential. Furthermore, this study suggests that environmentally relevant cultivation techniques increase the efficiency of cultivation, thus enhancing the chance of isolating hitherto uncultured microorganisms. IMPORTANCE The mine Svornost in Jáchymov (Joachimstahl), Czech Republic is a former silver-uranium mine and the world's first and for a long time only radium mine, nowadays the deepest mine devoted to the extraction of water which is saturated with radon and has therapeutic benefits given its chemical properties. This healing water, which is approximately 13 thousand years old, is used under medical supervision for the treatment of patients with neurological and rheumatic disorders. Our culturomic approach using low concentrations of growth substrates or the environmental matrix itself (i.e., water filtrate) in culturing media combined with prolonged cultivation time resulted in the isolation of a broad spectrum of microorganisms from 4 radioactive springs of Jáchymov which are phylogenetically novel and/or bear various adaptive or coping mechanisms to thrive under selective pressure and can thus provide a wide spectrum of capabilities potentially exploitable in diverse scientific, biotechnological, or medical disciplines.
Keywords: environmentally relevant cultivation approaches; extremophiles; novel taxa; oxidative stress response; radioactive water springs; subsurface microbiology.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Prokaryotes of renowned Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) thermal springs: phylogenetic and cultivation analysis.Environ Microbiome. 2022 Sep 11;17(1):48. doi: 10.1186/s40793-022-00440-2. Environ Microbiome. 2022. PMID: 36089611 Free PMC article.
-
Kocuria Bacterial Isolates from Radioactive Springs of Jáchymov spa (Joachimsthal) as Sources of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids.Lipids. 2019 Feb;54(2-3):177-187. doi: 10.1002/lipd.12136. Epub 2019 Mar 6. Lipids. 2019. PMID: 30843230
-
Untapped bacterial diversity and metabolic potential within Unkeshwar hot springs, India.Arch Microbiol. 2018 Jul;200(5):753-770. doi: 10.1007/s00203-018-1484-4. Epub 2018 Feb 2. Arch Microbiol. 2018. PMID: 29396619
-
Natural Radiation in the Rocks, Soils, and Groundwater of Southern Florida with a Discussion on Potential Health Impacts.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 May 21;16(10):1793. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16101793. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019. PMID: 31117171 Free PMC article. Review.
-
A review of exposures to radon, long-lived radionuclides and external gamma at the Czech uranium mine.Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2011 May;145(2-3):248-51. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncr065. Epub 2011 Apr 6. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2011. PMID: 21471123 Review.
Cited by
-
Isolation and characterization of multiple-stress tolerant bacteria from radon springs.PLoS One. 2024 Mar 7;19(3):e0299532. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299532. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 38451953 Free PMC article.
-
Shedding light on the composition of extreme microbial dark matter: alternative approaches for culturing extremophiles.Front Microbiol. 2023 Jun 2;14:1167718. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1167718. eCollection 2023. Front Microbiol. 2023. PMID: 37333658 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Enriching the endophytic bacterial microbiota of Ginkgo roots.Front Microbiol. 2023 Apr 17;14:1163488. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1163488. eCollection 2023. Front Microbiol. 2023. PMID: 37138610 Free PMC article.
-
Reaching unreachables: Obstacles and successes of microbial cultivation and their reasons.Front Microbiol. 2023 Mar 7;14:1089630. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1089630. eCollection 2023. Front Microbiol. 2023. PMID: 36960281 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Porowski A. 2019. Mineral and Thermal Waters, p 149–181. In LaMoreaux JW (ed), Environmental Geology. Springer US, New York, NY.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical