Survey functional genes in Arctic marine sediment communities

The objective was to identify functional genes encoded by Fungi and fungal-like organisms to assess putative ecological roles Using the GeoChip microarray, we detected fungal genes involved in the complete assimilation of nitrate and the degradation of lignin, as well as evidence for Partitiviridae (a mycovirus) that likely regulates fungal populations in the marine environment. These results demonstrate the potential for fungi to degrade terrigenously-sourced molecules, such as permafrost and compete with algae for nitrate during blooms. Ultimately, these data suggest that marine fungi could be as important in oceanic ecosystems as they are in freshwater environments. Three biological replicates were collected in both May and June sediment. Biological replicates were pooled and DNA was subsequently extracted. DNA was shipped to the University of Oklahoma, where it was analyzed with the GeoChip microarray

本研究旨在鉴定真菌及类真菌生物所编码的功能基因，以评估其推定的生态功能。研究使用GeoChip微阵列 (GeoChip microarray)，检测到参与硝酸盐完全同化与木质素降解的真菌功能基因，同时发现了分体病毒科 (Partitiviridae，一种真菌病毒) 的相关证据，该类病毒可能在海洋环境中调控真菌种群数量。研究结果表明，真菌具备降解陆源分子（如永久冻土中的有机物）的潜力，且在藻华期间可与藻类竞争硝酸盐。综上，本研究数据表明，海洋真菌在海洋生态系统中的重要性或可与其在淡水生态系统中相当。本研究于5月和6月分别采集沉积物样本，每组设置3次生物学重复。将生物学重复样本混合后提取总DNA，随后将DNA样本寄送至俄克拉荷马大学，使用GeoChip微阵列完成后续分析。