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| Abstract Submission No. | ABS-2022-05-0052 |
| Title of Abstract | AFISsys - an autonomous instrument for the preservation of water samples for microbial metatranscriptome analysis |
| Authors | Julian von Borries*, Sophie Charvet, Lasse Riemann, Johannes Alneberg, Anders F. Andersson, Uwe Fischer, Matthias Labrenz |
| Organisation | HYDRO-BIOS |
| Address | Am Jaegersberg 5-7 Altenholz, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Pincode: D-24161 Mobile: 1727089171 E-mail: j.borries@hydrobios.de |
| Country | Germany |
| Presentation | Oral |
| Abstract | Microbial communities are the main drivers of biogeochemical cycling of multiple elements sustaining life in the ocean. The rapidity of their response to stressors and abrupt environmental changes implies that even fast and infrequent events can affect local transformations of organic matter and nutrients. Studying dynamics in microbial functionality at temporal- and spatial-scales is complicated. Modern molecular techniques now allow for monitoring of microbial activities and functions in the environment through the analysis of genes and expressed genes (messenger RNA) contained in natural microbial assemblages. However, gene transcript turnover in cells can be as short as 30 seconds and stability varies greatly between transcripts. Traditional sampling of in situ communities involves an inevitable delay (hours, not minutes) between the collection of seawater and the extraction of its RNA, leaving the bacterial communities a sufficient amount of time to alter their gene expression. To address these challenges we designed an autonomous in situ fixation multi-sampler (AFISsys) for reliable sampling of microbial metatranscriptomes at frequent intervals, for refined temporal- and spatial-resolution. To advance the development of such a sampling tool, we examined the minimal seawater volume necessary for adequate coverage of community gene expression, the suitability of phenol/ethanol fixation for long-term preservation of transcripts, and the field eligibility of the instrument itself, in our case in brackish systems. AFISsys is able to collect, fix, and store water samples independently off-shore at high temporal resolution. It can conserve sensitive mRNA directly in the environment for up to a week. Thus, it constitutes an invaluable tool for the integration of molecular functional analyses in environmental monitoring in brackish waters and in aquatic environments in general. |