1
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Karavaeva V, Sousa FL. Navigating the archaeal frontier: insights and projections from bioinformatic pipelines. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1433224. [PMID: 39380680 PMCID: PMC11459464 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1433224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 10/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Archaea continues to be one of the least investigated domains of life, and in recent years, the advent of metagenomics has led to the discovery of many new lineages at the phylum level. For the majority, only automatic genomic annotations can provide information regarding their metabolic potential and role in the environment. Here, genomic data from 2,978 archaeal genomes was used to perform automatic annotations using bioinformatics tools, alongside synteny analysis. These automatic classifications were done to assess how good these different tools perform in relation to archaeal data. Our study revealed that even with lowered cutoffs, several functional models do not capture the recently discovered archaeal diversity. Moreover, our investigation revealed that a significant portion of archaeal genomes, approximately 42%, remain uncharacterized. In comparison, within 3,235 bacterial genomes, a diverse range of unclassified proteins is obtained, with well-studied organisms like Escherichia coli having a substantially lower proportion of uncharacterized regions, ranging from <5 to 25%, and less studied lineages being comparable to archaea with the range of 35-40% of unclassified regions. Leveraging this analysis, we were able to identify metabolic protein markers, thereby providing insights into the metabolism of the archaea in our dataset. Our findings underscore a substantial gap between automatic classification tools and the comprehensive mapping of archaeal metabolism. Despite advances in computational approaches, a significant portion of archaeal genomes remains unexplored, highlighting the need for extensive experimental validation in this domain, as well as more refined annotation methods. This study contributes to a better understanding of archaeal metabolism and underscores the importance of further research in elucidating the functional potential of archaeal genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Val Karavaeva
- Genome Evolution and Ecology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna Doctoral School of Ecology and Evolution, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Filipa L. Sousa
- Genome Evolution and Ecology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Dinh TA, Allen KD. Toward the Use of Methyl-Coenzyme M Reductase for Methane Bioconversion Applications. Acc Chem Res 2024; 57:2746-2757. [PMID: 39190795 PMCID: PMC11411713 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
ConspectusAs the main component of natural gas and renewable biogas, methane is an abundant, affordable fuel. Thus, there is interest in converting these methane reserves into liquid fuels and commodity chemicals, which would contribute toward mitigating climate change, as well as provide potentially sustainable routes to chemical production. Unfortunately, specific activation of methane for conversion into other molecules is a difficult process due to the unreactive nature of methane C-H bonds. The use of methane activating enzymes, such as methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR), may offer a solution. MCR catalyzes the methane-forming step of methanogenesis in methanogenic archaea (methanogens), as well as the initial methane oxidation step during the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME). In this Account, we highlight our contributions toward understanding MCR catalysis and structure, focusing on features that may tune the catalytic activity. Additionally, we discuss some key considerations for biomanufacturing approaches to MCR-based production of useful compounds.MCR is a complex enzyme consisting of a dimer of heterotrimers with several post-translational modifications, as well as the nickel-hydrocorphin prosthetic group, known as coenzyme F430. Since MCR is difficult to study in vitro, little information is available regarding which MCRs have ideal catalytic properties. To investigate the role of the MCR active site electronic environment in promoting methane synthesis, we performed electric field calculations based on molecular dynamics simulations with a MCR from Methanosarcina acetivorans and an ANME-1 MCR. Interestingly, the ANME-1 MCR active site better optimizes the electric field with methane formation substrates, indicating that it may have enhanced catalytic efficiency. Our lab has also worked toward understanding the structures and functions of modified F430 coenzymes, some of which we have discovered in methanogens. We found that methanogens produce modified F430s under specific growth conditions, and we hypothesize that these modifications serve to fine-tune the activity of MCR.Due to the complexity of MCR, a methanogen host is likely the best near-term option for biomanufacturing platforms using methane as a C1 feedstock. M. acetivorans has well-established genetic tools and has already been used in pilot methane oxidation studies. To make methane oxidation energetically favorable, extracellular electron acceptors are employed. This electron transfer can be facilitated by carbon-based materials. Interestingly, our analyses of AOM enrichment cultures and pure methanogen cultures revealed the biogenic production of an amorphous carbon material with similar characteristics to activated carbon, thus highlighting the potential use of such materials as conductive elements to enhance extracellular electron transfer.In summary, the possibilities for sustainable MCR-based methane conversions are exciting, but there are still some challenges to tackle toward understanding and utilizing this complex enzyme in efficient methane oxidation biomanufacturing processes. Additionally, further work is necessary to optimize bioengineered MCR-containing host organisms to produce large quantities of desired chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuc-Anh Dinh
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Kylie D Allen
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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3
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Yu T, Fu L, Wang Y, Dong Y, Chen Y, Wegener G, Cheng L, Wang F. Thermophilic Hadarchaeota grow on long-chain alkanes in syntrophy with methanogens. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6560. [PMID: 39095478 PMCID: PMC11297162 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50883-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Methanogenic hydrocarbon degradation can be carried out by archaea that couple alkane oxidation directly to methanogenesis, or by syntrophic associations of bacteria with methanogenic archaea. However, metagenomic analyses of methanogenic environments have revealed other archaea with potential for alkane degradation but apparent inability to form methane, suggesting the existence of other modes of syntrophic hydrocarbon degradation. Here, we provide experimental evidence supporting the existence of a third mode of methanogenic degradation of hydrocarbons, mediated by syntrophic cooperation between archaeal partners. We collected sediment samples from a hot spring sediment in Tengchong, China, and enriched Hadarchaeota under methanogenic conditions at 60 °C, using hexadecane as substrate. We named the enriched archaeon Candidatus Melinoarchaeum fermentans DL9YTT1. We used 13C-substrate incubations, metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and metabolomic analyses to show that Ca. Melinoarchaeum uses alkyl-coenzyme M reductases (ACRs) to activate hexadecane via alkyl-CoM formation. Ca. Melinoarchaeum likely degrades alkanes to carbon dioxide, hydrogen and acetate, which can be used as substrates by hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methanogens such as Methanothermobacter and Methanothrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Yu
- Key Laboratory of Polar Ecosystem and Climate Change, Ministry of Education; and School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Lin Fu
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chengdu, China
| | - Yinzhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yijing Dong
- Institute of Natural Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Gunter Wegener
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Lei Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chengdu, China.
| | - Fengping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Polar Ecosystem and Climate Change, Ministry of Education; and School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
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4
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Xie H, Wang Y, Chen Y, Hu Y, Adeleke R, Obi L, Wang Y, Cao W, Lin JG, Zhang Y. Carbon flow, energy metabolic intensity and metagenomic characteristics of a Fe (III)-enhanced anerobic digestion system during treating swine wastewater. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 935:173431. [PMID: 38782283 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Deep treatment and bioenergy recovery of swine wastewater (SW) are beneficial for constructing a low-carbon footprint and resource-recycling society. In this study, Fe (III) addition from 0 to 600 mg/L significantly increased the methane (CH4) content of the recovered biogas from 61.4 ± 2.0 to 89.3 ± 2.0 % during SW treatment in an anaerobic membrane digestion system. The specific methane yields (SMY) also increased significantly from 0.20 ± 0.05 to 0.29 ± 0.02 L/g COD. Fe (III) and its bio-transformed products which participated in establishing direct interspecific electron transfer (DIET), upregulated the abundance of e-pili and Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), enriched electroactive bacteria. The increase in cellular adenosine triphosphate (cATP) from 6583 to 14,518 ng/gVSS and electron transport system (ETS) from 1468 to 1968 mg/(g·h) promoted the intensity of energy flow and electron flow during anaerobic digestion of SW. Moreover, Fe (III) promoted the hydrolysis and acidification of organic matters, and strengthened the acetoacetic methanogenesis pathway. This study established an approach for harvesting high quality bioenergy from SW and revealed the effects and mechanisms from the view of carbon flow, energy metabolic intensity and metagenomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Xie
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Yuzheng Wang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Yuqi Chen
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Yong Hu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
| | - Rasheed Adeleke
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Linda Obi
- University of South Africa, Department of Environmental Sciences, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Yuanpeng Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Wenzhi Cao
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China
| | - Jih-Gaw Lin
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
| | - Yanlong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystem, College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Coastal Pollution Prevention and Control (CPPC), College of Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China; Fujian Institute for Sustainable Oceans, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102, China.
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5
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Liu X, Wu M, Guo J. Coupling Nitrate-Dependent Anaerobic Ethane Degradation with Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:11525-11533. [PMID: 38898713 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c00488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
The microbial oxidation of short-chain gaseous alkanes (SCGAs, consisting of ethane, propane, and butane) serves as an efficient sink to mitigate these gases' emission to the atmosphere, thus reducing their negative impacts on air quality and climate. "Candidatus Alkanivorans nitratireducens" are recently found to mediate nitrate-dependent anaerobic ethane oxidation (n-DAEO). In natural ecosystems, anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria may consume nitrite generated from nitrate reduction by "Ca. A. nitratireducens", thereby alleviating the inhibition caused by nitrite accumulation on the metabolism of "Ca. A. nitratireducens". Here, we demonstrate the coupling of n-DAEO with anammox in a laboratory-scale model system to prevent nitrite accumulation. Our results suggest that a high concentration of ethane (6.9-7.9%) has acute inhibition on anammox activities, thus making the coupling process a significant challenge. By maintaining ethane concentrations within the range of 1.7-5.5%, stable ethane and ammonium oxidation, nitrate reduction, and dinitrogen gas generation without nitrite accumulation were finally achieved. After the accomplished coupling of n-DAEO with anammox, nitrate reduction rates increased by 8.1 times compared to the rate observed with n-DAEO alone. Microbial community profiling via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed "Ca. A. nitratireducens" (6.6-12.9%) and anammox bacteria "Candidatus Kuenenia" (3.4-5.6%) were both dominant in the system, indicating they potentially form a syntrophic partnership to jointly contribute to nitrogen removal. Our findings offer insights into the cross-feeding interaction between "Ca. A. nitratireducens" and anammox bacteria in anoxic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiawei Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Mengxiong Wu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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6
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Huang H, Xie C, Xia Z, Sun Z, Chen Y, Gou M, Tang Y, Cui H, Wu X. Multi-omics association study of hexadecane degradation in haloarchaeal strain Halogranum rubrum RO2-11. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:118751. [PMID: 38522738 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Haloarchaea with the capacity to degrade alkanes is promising to deal with petroleum pollution in hypersaline environments. However, only a limited number of haloarchaeal species are investigated, and their pathway and mechanism for alkane degradation remain unclear. In this study, Halogranum rubrum RO2-11, a haloarchaeal strain, verified the ability to degrade kerosene and hexadecane in 184 g/L NaCl, with 53% and 52% degradation rates after 9 and 4 days, respectively. Genome sequencing and gene annotation indicated that strain RO2-11 possesses a complete potential alkane-degrading pathway, of which alkane hydroxylases may include CYP450, AlmA, and LadA. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses revealed that the upregulation of related genes in TCA cycle, lysine biosynthesis, and acetylation may help improve hexadecane degradation. Additionally, an alternative degrading pathway of hexadecane based on dual-terminal β-oxidation may occur in strain RO2-11. It is likely to be the first report of alkane degradation by the genus Halogranum, which may be helpful for applications of oil-pollution bioremediation under high-salt conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- HeLang Huang
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Sichuan, 610065, China; Chengdu Surveying Geotechnical Research Institute Co. Ltd. of MCC, Chengdu, 610023, China.
| | - CaiYun Xie
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Sichuan, 610065, China.
| | - ZiYuan Xia
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Sichuan, 610065, China.
| | - ZhaoYong Sun
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Sichuan, 610065, China.
| | - YaTing Chen
- Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University, Sichuan, 610207, China.
| | - Min Gou
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Sichuan, 610065, China.
| | - YueQin Tang
- College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Sichuan, 610065, China.
| | - HengLin Cui
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China.
| | - XiaoLei Wu
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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7
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Greening C, Cabotaje PR, Valentin Alvarado LE, Leung PM, Land H, Rodrigues-Oliveira T, Ponce-Toledo RI, Senger M, Klamke MA, Milton M, Lappan R, Mullen S, West-Roberts J, Mao J, Song J, Schoelmerich M, Stairs CW, Schleper C, Grinter R, Spang A, Banfield JF, Berggren G. Minimal and hybrid hydrogenases are active from archaea. Cell 2024; 187:3357-3372.e19. [PMID: 38866018 PMCID: PMC11216029 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Microbial hydrogen (H2) cycling underpins the diversity and functionality of diverse anoxic ecosystems. Among the three evolutionarily distinct hydrogenase superfamilies responsible, [FeFe] hydrogenases were thought to be restricted to bacteria and eukaryotes. Here, we show that anaerobic archaea encode diverse, active, and ancient lineages of [FeFe] hydrogenases through combining analysis of existing and new genomes with extensive biochemical experiments. [FeFe] hydrogenases are encoded by genomes of nine archaeal phyla and expressed by H2-producing Asgard archaeon cultures. We report an ultraminimal hydrogenase in DPANN archaea that binds the catalytic H-cluster and produces H2. Moreover, we identify and characterize remarkable hybrid complexes formed through the fusion of [FeFe] and [NiFe] hydrogenases in ten other archaeal orders. Phylogenetic analysis and structural modeling suggest a deep evolutionary history of hybrid hydrogenases. These findings reveal new metabolic adaptations of archaea, streamlined H2 catalysts for biotechnological development, and a surprisingly intertwined evolutionary history between the two major H2-metabolizing enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Greening
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; SAEF: Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Princess R Cabotaje
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Luis E Valentin Alvarado
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Pok Man Leung
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; SAEF: Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Henrik Land
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Thiago Rodrigues-Oliveira
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rafael I Ponce-Toledo
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Moritz Senger
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Max A Klamke
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Michael Milton
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Rachael Lappan
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; SAEF: Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan Mullen
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Jacob West-Roberts
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Jie Mao
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Jiangning Song
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Marie Schoelmerich
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | | | - Christa Schleper
- Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Unit, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rhys Grinter
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Hoorn, the Netherlands; Department of Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA.
| | - Gustav Berggren
- Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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8
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Sarno N, Hyde E, De Anda V, Baker BJ. Beyond methane, new frontiers in anaerobic microbial hydrocarbon utilizing pathways. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14508. [PMID: 38888492 PMCID: PMC11184930 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Alkanes, single carbon methane to long-chain hydrocarbons (e.g. hexadecane and tetradecane), are important carbon sources to anaerobic microbial communities. In anoxic environments, archaea are known to utilize and produce methane via the methyl-coenzyme M reductase enzyme (MCR). Recent explorations of new environments, like deep sea sediments, that have coupled metagenomics and cultivation experiments revealed divergent MCRs, also referred to as alkyl-coenzyme M reductases (ACRs) in archaea, with similar mechanisms as the C1 utilizing canonical MCR mechanism. These ACR enzymes have been shown to activate other alkanes such as ethane, propane and butane for subsequent degradation. The reversibility of canonical MCRs suggests that these non-methane-activating homologues (ACRs) might have similar reversibility, perhaps mediated by undiscovered lineages that produce alkanes under certain conditions. The discovery of these alternative alkane utilization pathways holds significant promise for a breadth of potential biotechnological applications in bioremediation, energy production and climate change mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Sarno
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - Emily Hyde
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - Valerie De Anda
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
- Department of Marine ScienceUniversity of Texas at Austin, Marine Science InstitutePort AransasTexasUSA
| | - Brett J. Baker
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
- Department of Marine ScienceUniversity of Texas at Austin, Marine Science InstitutePort AransasTexasUSA
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9
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Musat F, Kjeldsen KU, Rotaru AE, Chen SC, Musat N. Archaea oxidizing alkanes through alkyl-coenzyme M reductases. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 79:102486. [PMID: 38733792 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
This review synthesizes recent discoveries of novel archaea clades capable of oxidizing higher alkanes, from volatile ones like ethane to longer-chain alkanes like hexadecane. These archaea, termed anaerobic multicarbon alkane-oxidizing archaea (ANKA), initiate alkane oxidation using alkyl-coenzyme M reductases, enzymes similar to the methyl-coenzyme M reductases of methanogenic and anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME). The polyphyletic alkane-oxidizing archaea group (ALOX), encompassing ANME and ANKA, harbors increasingly complex alkane degradation pathways, correlated with the alkane chain length. We discuss the evolutionary trajectory of these pathways emphasizing metabolic innovations and the acquisition of metabolic modules via lateral gene transfer. Additionally, we explore the mechanisms by which archaea couple alkane oxidation with the reduction of electron acceptors, including electron transfer to partner sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). The phylogenetic and functional constraints that shape ALOX-SRB associations are also discussed. We conclude by highlighting the research needs in this emerging research field and its potential applications in biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florin Musat
- Department of Biology, Section for Microbiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
| | - Kasper U Kjeldsen
- Department of Biology, Section for Microbiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Amelia E Rotaru
- Department of Biology, Nordic Center for Earth Evolution, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Song-Can Chen
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna A-1030, Austria
| | - Niculina Musat
- Department of Biology, Section for Microbiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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10
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Zhuang X, Wang S, Wu S. Electron Transfer in the Biogeochemical Sulfur Cycle. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:591. [PMID: 38792612 PMCID: PMC11123123 DOI: 10.3390/life14050591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms are key players in the global biogeochemical sulfur cycle. Among them, some have garnered particular attention due to their electrical activity and ability to perform extracellular electron transfer. A growing body of research has highlighted their extensive phylogenetic and metabolic diversity, revealing their crucial roles in ecological processes. In this review, we delve into the electron transfer process between sulfate-reducing bacteria and anaerobic alkane-oxidizing archaea, which facilitates growth within syntrophic communities. Furthermore, we review the phenomenon of long-distance electron transfer and potential extracellular electron transfer in multicellular filamentous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. These bacteria, with their vast application prospects and ecological significance, play a pivotal role in various ecological processes. Subsequently, we discuss the important role of the pili/cytochrome for electron transfer and presented cutting-edge approaches for exploring and studying electroactive microorganisms. This review provides a comprehensive overview of electroactive microorganisms participating in the biogeochemical sulfur cycle. By examining their electron transfer mechanisms, and the potential ecological and applied implications, we offer novel insights into microbial sulfur metabolism, thereby advancing applications in the development of sustainable bioelectronics materials and bioremediation technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuliang Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (X.Z.); (S.W.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Shijie Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (X.Z.); (S.W.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shanghua Wu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (X.Z.); (S.W.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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11
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Portela PC, Shipps CC, Shen C, Srikanth V, Salgueiro CA, Malvankar NS. Widespread extracellular electron transfer pathways for charging microbial cytochrome OmcS nanowires via periplasmic cytochromes PpcABCDE. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2434. [PMID: 38509081 PMCID: PMC10954620 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46192-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Extracellular electron transfer (EET) via microbial nanowires drives globally-important environmental processes and biotechnological applications for bioenergy, bioremediation, and bioelectronics. Due to highly-redundant and complex EET pathways, it is unclear how microbes wire electrons rapidly (>106 s-1) from the inner-membrane through outer-surface nanowires directly to an external environment despite a crowded periplasm and slow (<105 s-1) electron diffusion among periplasmic cytochromes. Here, we show that Geobacter sulfurreducens periplasmic cytochromes PpcABCDE inject electrons directly into OmcS nanowires by binding transiently with differing efficiencies, with the least-abundant cytochrome (PpcC) showing the highest efficiency. Remarkably, this defined nanowire-charging pathway is evolutionarily conserved in phylogenetically-diverse bacteria capable of EET. OmcS heme reduction potentials are within 200 mV of each other, with a midpoint 82 mV-higher than reported previously. This could explain efficient EET over micrometres at ultrafast (<200 fs) rates with negligible energy loss. Engineering this minimal nanowire-charging pathway may yield microbial chassis with improved performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilar C Portela
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Catharine C Shipps
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Cong Shen
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Vishok Srikanth
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Carlos A Salgueiro
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Nikhil S Malvankar
- Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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12
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Benito Merino D, Lipp JS, Borrel G, Boetius A, Wegener G. Anaerobic hexadecane degradation by a thermophilic Hadarchaeon from Guaymas Basin. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrad004. [PMID: 38365230 PMCID: PMC10811742 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrad004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Hadarchaeota inhabit subsurface and hydrothermally heated environments, but previous to this study, they had not been cultured. Based on metagenome-assembled genomes, most Hadarchaeota are heterotrophs that grow on sugars and amino acids, or oxidize carbon monoxide or reduce nitrite to ammonium. A few other metagenome-assembled genomes encode alkyl-coenzyme M reductases (Acrs), β-oxidation, and Wood-Ljungdahl pathways, pointing toward multicarbon alkane metabolism. To identify the organisms involved in thermophilic oil degradation, we established anaerobic sulfate-reducing hexadecane-degrading cultures from hydrothermally heated sediments of the Guaymas Basin. Cultures at 70°C were enriched in one Hadarchaeon that we propose as Candidatus Cerberiarchaeum oleivorans. Genomic and chemical analyses indicate that Ca. C. oleivorans uses an Acr to activate hexadecane to hexadecyl-coenzyme M. A β-oxidation pathway and a tetrahydromethanopterin methyl branch Wood-Ljungdahl (mWL) pathway allow the complete oxidation of hexadecane to CO2. Our results suggest a syntrophic lifestyle with sulfate reducers, as Ca. C. oleivorans lacks a sulfate respiration pathway. Comparative genomics show that Acr, mWL, and β-oxidation are restricted to one family of Hadarchaeota, which we propose as Ca. Cerberiarchaeaceae. Phylogenetic analyses further indicate that the mWL pathway is basal to all Hadarchaeota. By contrast, the carbon monoxide dehydrogenase/acetyl-coenzyme A synthase complex in Ca. Cerberiarchaeaceae was horizontally acquired from Bathyarchaeia. The Acr and β-oxidation genes of Ca. Cerberiarchaeaceae are highly similar to those of other alkane-oxidizing archaea such as Ca. Methanoliparia and Ca. Helarchaeales. Our results support the use of Acrs in the degradation of petroleum alkanes and suggest a role of Hadarchaeota in oil-rich environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Benito Merino
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Klagenfurter Straße 2, 428359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Julius S Lipp
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße 8, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Guillaume Borrel
- Department of Microbiology, Unit Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Antje Boetius
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße 8, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobener Straße 8, 28359, Bremen, Germany
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13
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Zhang CJ, Zhou Z, Cha G, Li L, Fu L, Liu LY, Yang L, Wegener G, Cheng L, Li M. Anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation by alkylotrophic methanogens in deep oil reservoirs. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae152. [PMID: 39083033 PMCID: PMC11376074 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024]
Abstract
In subsurface biodegraded oil reservoirs, methanogenic biodegradation of crude oil is a common process. This process was previously assigned to the syntrophy of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria and methanogenic archaea. Recent studies showed that archaea of the Candidatus Methanoliparum named as alkylotrophic methanogens couple hydrocarbon degradation and methane production in a single archaeon. To assess the geochemical role of Ca. Methanoliparum, we analyzed the chemical and microbial composition and metabolites of 209 samples from 15 subsurface oil reservoirs across China. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that 92% of the tested samples were substantially degraded. Molecular analysis showed that 85% of the tested samples contained Ca. Methanoliparum, and 52% of the tested samples harbored multiple alkyl-coenzyme M derivatives, the intercellular metabolites of alkylotrophic archaea. According to metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses, Ca. Methanoliparum dominates hydrocarbon degradation in biodegraded samples from the Changqing, Jiangsu, and Shengli (SL) oilfields, and it is persistently present as shown in a 15-year-long sampling effort at the Shengli oilfield. Together, these findings demonstrate that Ca. Methanoliparum is a widely distributed oil degrader in reservoirs of China, suggesting that alkylotrophic methanogenesis by archaea plays a key role in the alteration of oil reservoirs, thereby expanding our understanding of biogeochemical process in the deep biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cui-Jing Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Key laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
- Synthetic Biology Research Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhuo Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Guihong Cha
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Ling Li
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Lin Fu
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Lai-Yan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Gunter Wegener
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359, Bremen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Lei Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 610041, Chengdu, China
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Key laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
- Synthetic Biology Research Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060, Shenzhen, China
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14
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Wu M, Liu X, Engelberts JP, Tyson GW, McIlroy SJ, Guo J. Anaerobic oxidation of ammonium and short-chain gaseous alkanes coupled to nitrate reduction by a bacterial consortium. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae063. [PMID: 38624180 PMCID: PMC11090206 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
The bacterial species "Candidatus Alkanivorans nitratireducens" was recently demonstrated to mediate nitrate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of short-chain gaseous alkanes (SCGAs). In previous bioreactor enrichment studies, the species appeared to reduce nitrate in two phases, switching from denitrification to dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in response to nitrite accumulation. The regulation of this switch or the nature of potential syntrophic partnerships with other microorganisms remains unclear. Here, we describe anaerobic multispecies cultures of bacteria that couple the oxidation of propane and butane to nitrate reduction and the oxidation of ammonium (anammox). Batch tests with 15N-isotope labelling and multi-omic analyses collectively supported a syntrophic partnership between "Ca. A. nitratireducens" and anammox bacteria, with the former species mediating nitrate-driven oxidation of SCGAs, supplying the latter with nitrite for the oxidation of ammonium. The elimination of nitrite accumulation by the anammox substantially increased SCGA and nitrate consumption rates, whereas it suppressed DNRA. Removing ammonium supply led to its eventual production, the accumulation of nitrite, and the upregulation of DNRA gene expression for the abundant "Ca. A. nitratireducens". Increasing the supply of SCGA had a similar effect in promoting DNRA. Our results suggest that "Ca. A. nitratireducens" switches to DNRA to alleviate oxidative stress caused by nitrite accumulation, giving further insight into adaptability and ecology of this microorganism. Our findings also have important implications for the understanding of the fate of nitrogen and SCGAs in anaerobic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxiong Wu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Xiawei Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - J Pamela Engelberts
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Gene W Tyson
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Simon J McIlroy
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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15
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Wu M, Li J, Lai CY, Leu AO, Sun S, Gu R, Erler DV, Liu L, Li L, Tyson GW, Yuan Z, McIlroy SJ, Guo J. Nitrate-driven anaerobic oxidation of ethane and butane by bacteria. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrad011. [PMID: 38365228 PMCID: PMC10811727 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrad011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
The short-chain gaseous alkanes (ethane, propane, and butane; SCGAs) are important components of natural gas, yet their fate in environmental systems is poorly understood. Microbially mediated anaerobic oxidation of SCGAs coupled to nitrate reduction has been demonstrated for propane, but is yet to be shown for ethane or butane-despite being energetically feasible. Here we report two independent bacterial enrichments performing anaerobic ethane and butane oxidation, respectively, coupled to nitrate reduction to dinitrogen gas and ammonium. Isotopic 13C- and 15N-labelling experiments, mass and electron balance tests, and metabolite and meta-omics analyses collectively reveal that the recently described propane-oxidizing "Candidatus Alkanivorans nitratireducens" was also responsible for nitrate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of the SCGAs in both these enrichments. The complete genome of this species encodes alkylsuccinate synthase genes for the activation of ethane/butane via fumarate addition. Further substrate range tests confirm that "Ca. A. nitratireducens" is metabolically versatile, being able to degrade ethane, propane, and butane under anoxic conditions. Moreover, our study proves nitrate as an additional electron sink for ethane and butane in anaerobic environments, and for the first time demonstrates the use of the fumarate addition pathway in anaerobic ethane oxidation. These findings contribute to our understanding of microbial metabolism of SCGAs in anaerobic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxiong Wu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jie Li
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Chun-Yu Lai
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Andy O Leu
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shengjie Sun
- Computational Science Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Rui Gu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Dirk V Erler
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lian Liu
- Metabolomics Australia (Queensland Node), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Gene W Tyson
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Simon J McIlroy
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Translational Research Institute, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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16
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Rubin-Blum M, Yudkovsky Y, Marmen S, Raveh O, Amrani A, Kutuzov I, Guy-Haim T, Rahav E. Tar patties are hotspots of hydrocarbon turnover and nitrogen fixation during a nearshore pollution event in the oligotrophic southeastern Mediterranean Sea. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 197:115747. [PMID: 37995430 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Weathered oil, that is, tar, forms hotspots of hydrocarbon degradation by complex biota in marine environment. Here, we used marker gene sequencing and metagenomics to characterize the communities of bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes that colonized tar patties and control samples (wood, plastic), collected in the littoral following an offshore spill in the warm, oligotrophic southeastern Mediterranean Sea (SEMS). We show potential aerobic and anaerobic hydrocarbon catabolism niches on tar interior and exterior, linking carbon, sulfur and nitrogen cycles. Alongside aromatics and larger alkanes, short-chain alkanes appear to fuel dominant populations, both the aerobic clade UBA5335 (Macondimonas), anaerobic Syntropharchaeales, and facultative Mycobacteriales. Most key organisms, including the hydrocarbon degraders and cyanobacteria, have the potential to fix dinitrogen, potentially alleviating the nitrogen limitation of hydrocarbon degradation in the SEMS. We highlight the complexity of these tar-associated communities, where bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes co-exist, likely exchanging metabolites and competing for resources and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxim Rubin-Blum
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Yana Yudkovsky
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sophi Marmen
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ofrat Raveh
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa, Israel
| | - Alon Amrani
- Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ilya Kutuzov
- Institute of Earth Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Tamar Guy-Haim
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa, Israel
| | - Eyal Rahav
- Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research, National Institute of Oceanography, Haifa, Israel
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17
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Buessecker S, Chadwick GL, Quan ME, Hedlund BP, Dodsworth JA, Dekas AE. Mcr-dependent methanogenesis in Archaeoglobaceae enriched from a terrestrial hot spring. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1649-1659. [PMID: 37452096 PMCID: PMC10504316 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01472-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
The preeminent source of biological methane on Earth is methyl coenzyme M reductase (Mcr)-dependent archaeal methanogenesis. A growing body of evidence suggests a diversity of archaea possess Mcr, although experimental validation of hypothesized methane metabolisms has been missing. Here, we provide evidence of a functional Mcr-based methanogenesis pathway in a novel member of the family Archaeoglobaceae, designated Methanoglobus nevadensis, which we enriched from a terrestrial hot spring on the polysaccharide xyloglucan. Our incubation assays demonstrate methane production that is highly sensitive to the Mcr inhibitor bromoethanesulfonate, stimulated by xyloglucan and xyloglucan-derived sugars, concomitant with the consumption of molecular hydrogen, and causing a deuterium fractionation in methane characteristic of hydrogenotrophic and methylotrophic methanogens. Combined with the recovery and analysis of a high-quality M. nevadensis metagenome-assembled genome encoding a divergent Mcr and diverse potential electron and carbon transfer pathways, our observations suggest methanogenesis in M. nevadensis occurs via Mcr and is fueled by the consumption of cross-fed byproducts of xyloglucan fermentation mediated by other community members. Phylogenetic analysis shows close affiliation of the M. nevadensis Mcr with those from Korarchaeota, Nezhaarchaeota, Verstraetearchaeota, and other Archaeoglobales that are divergent from well-characterized Mcr. We propose these archaea likely also use functional Mcr complexes to generate methane on the basis of our experimental validation in M. nevadensis. Thus, divergent Mcr-encoding archaea may be underestimated sources of biological methane in terrestrial and marine hydrothermal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Buessecker
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Grayson L Chadwick
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Melanie E Quan
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Brian P Hedlund
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Jeremy A Dodsworth
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, USA
| | - Anne E Dekas
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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18
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Vogt C, Song Z, Richnow HH, Musat F. Carbon and hydrogen stable isotope fractionation due to monooxygenation of short-chain alkanes by butane monooxygenase of Thauera butanivorans Bu-B1211. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1250308. [PMID: 37817750 PMCID: PMC10560718 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1250308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Multi element compound-specific stable isotope analysis (ME-CSIA) is a tool to assess (bio)chemical reactions of molecules in the environment based on their isotopic fingerprints. To that effect, ME-CSIA concepts are initially developed with laboratory model experiments to determine the isotope fractionation factors specific for distinct (bio)chemical reactions. Here, we determined for the first time the carbon and hydrogen isotope fractionation factors for the monooxygenation of the short-chain alkanes ethane, propane, and butane. As model organism we used Thauera butanivorans strain Bu-B1211 which employs a non-haem iron monooxygenase (butane monooxygenase) to activate alkanes. Monooxygenation of alkanes was associated with strong carbon and hydrogen isotope effects: εbulkC = -2.95 ± 0.5 ‰ for ethane, -2.68 ± 0.1 ‰ for propane, -1.19 ± 0.18 ‰ for butane; εbulkH = -56.3 ± 15 ‰ for ethane, -40.5 ± 2.3 ‰ for propane, -14.6 ± 3.6 ‰ for butane. This resulted in lambda (Λ ≈ εHbulk/εCbulk) values of 16.2 ± 3.7 for ethane, 13.2 ± 0.7 for propane, and 11.4 ± 2.8 for butane. The results show that ME-CSIA can be used to track the occurrence and impact of monooxygenase-dependent aerobic processes converting short-chain alkanes in natural settings like marine and terrestrial seeps, gas reservoirs, and other geological formations impacted by natural gas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten Vogt
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Zhiyong Song
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hans-Hermann Richnow
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Florin Musat
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
- Section for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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19
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Xu Q, Du Q, Gao J, Chen L, Dong X, Li J. A robust genetic toolbox for fine-tuning gene expression in the CO 2-Fixing methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis. Metab Eng 2023; 79:130-145. [PMID: 37495072 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Libraries of well-characterized genetic elements for fine-tuning gene expression are essential for biological and biotechnological research and applications. The fast-growing and genetically tractable methanogen, Methanococcus maripaludis, is a promising host organism for biotechnological conversion of carbon dioxide and renewable hydrogen into fuels and value-added products, as well as fundamental biological studies of archaea. However, the lack of molecular tools for gene expression has hindered its application as a workhorse to fine-tune gene and metabolic pathway expressions. In this study, we developed a genetic toolbox, including libraries of promoters, ribosome binding sites (RBS), and neutral sites for chromosomal integration, to facilitate precise gene expression in M. maripaludis. We generated a promoter library consisting of 81 constitutive promoters with expression strengths spanning a ∼104-fold dynamic range. Importantly, we identified a base composition rule for strong archaeal promoters and successfully remodeled weak promoters, enhancing their activities by up to 120-fold. We also established an RBS library containing 42 diverse RBS sequences with translation strengths covering a ∼100-fold dynamic range. Additionally, we identified eight neutral sites and developed a one-step, Cas9-based marker-less knock-in approach for chromosomal integration. We successfully applied the characterized promoter and RBS elements to significantly improve recombinant protein expression by 41-fold and modulate essential gene expression to generate corresponding physiological changes in M. maripaludis. Therefore, this work establishes a solid foundation for utilizing this autotrophic methanogen as an ideal workhorse for archaeal biology and biotechnological studies and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Xu
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China; State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Qing Du
- Key Laboratory of Development and Application of Rural Renewable Energy, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Jian Gao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences and School of Biomedical Engineering, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Xiuzhu Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19A Yuquan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China.
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20
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Murali R, Yu H, Speth DR, Wu F, Metcalfe KS, Crémière A, Laso-Pèrez R, Malmstrom RR, Goudeau D, Woyke T, Hatzenpichler R, Chadwick GL, Connon SA, Orphan VJ. Physiological potential and evolutionary trajectories of syntrophic sulfate-reducing bacterial partners of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002292. [PMID: 37747940 PMCID: PMC10553843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Sulfate-coupled anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is performed by multicellular consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) in obligate syntrophic partnership with sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Diverse ANME and SRB clades co-associate but the physiological basis for their adaptation and diversification is not well understood. In this work, we used comparative metagenomics and phylogenetics to investigate the metabolic adaptation among the 4 main syntrophic SRB clades (HotSeep-1, Seep-SRB2, Seep-SRB1a, and Seep-SRB1g) and identified features associated with their syntrophic lifestyle that distinguish them from their non-syntrophic evolutionary neighbors in the phylum Desulfobacterota. We show that the protein complexes involved in direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) from ANME to the SRB outer membrane are conserved between the syntrophic lineages. In contrast, the proteins involved in electron transfer within the SRB inner membrane differ between clades, indicative of convergent evolution in the adaptation to a syntrophic lifestyle. Our analysis suggests that in most cases, this adaptation likely occurred after the acquisition of the DIET complexes in an ancestral clade and involve horizontal gene transfers within pathways for electron transfer (CbcBA) and biofilm formation (Pel). We also provide evidence for unique adaptations within syntrophic SRB clades, which vary depending on the archaeal partner. Among the most widespread syntrophic SRB, Seep-SRB1a, subclades that specifically partner ANME-2a are missing the cobalamin synthesis pathway, suggestive of nutritional dependency on its partner, while closely related Seep-SRB1a partners of ANME-2c lack nutritional auxotrophies. Our work provides insight into the features associated with DIET-based syntrophy and the adaptation of SRB towards it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjani Murali
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Hang Yu
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Daan R. Speth
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fabai Wu
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kyle S. Metcalfe
- Department of Plant and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Antoine Crémière
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
| | - Rafael Laso-Pèrez
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rex R. Malmstrom
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Department of Energy, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Danielle Goudeau
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Department of Energy, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Department of Energy, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Grayson L. Chadwick
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
- Department of Plant and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Stephanie A. Connon
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
| | - Victoria J. Orphan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
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21
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Zehnle H, Laso-Pérez R, Lipp J, Riedel D, Benito Merino D, Teske A, Wegener G. Candidatus Alkanophaga archaea from Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent sediment oxidize petroleum alkanes. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:1199-1212. [PMID: 37264141 PMCID: PMC10322722 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01400-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Methanogenic and methanotrophic archaea produce and consume the greenhouse gas methane, respectively, using the reversible enzyme methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr). Recently, Mcr variants that can activate multicarbon alkanes have been recovered from archaeal enrichment cultures. These enzymes, called alkyl-coenzyme M reductase (Acrs), are widespread in the environment but remain poorly understood. Here we produced anoxic cultures degrading mid-chain petroleum n-alkanes between pentane (C5) and tetradecane (C14) at 70 °C using oil-rich Guaymas Basin sediments. In these cultures, archaea of the genus Candidatus Alkanophaga activate the alkanes with Acrs and completely oxidize the alkyl groups to CO2. Ca. Alkanophaga form a deep-branching sister clade to the methanotrophs ANME-1 and are closely related to the short-chain alkane oxidizers Ca. Syntrophoarchaeum. Incapable of sulfate reduction, Ca. Alkanophaga shuttle electrons released from alkane oxidation to the sulfate-reducing Ca. Thermodesulfobacterium syntrophicum. These syntrophic consortia are potential key players in petroleum degradation in heated oil reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Zehnle
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
| | - Rafael Laso-Pérez
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Biogeochemistry and Microbial Ecology Department, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Julius Lipp
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Dietmar Riedel
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - David Benito Merino
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Andreas Teske
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
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22
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Barrera-Rojas J, Gurubel-Tun KJ, Ríos-Castro E, López-Méndez MC, Sulbarán-Rangel B. An Initial Proteomic Analysis of Biogas-Related Metabolism of Euryarchaeota Consortia in Sediments from the Santiago River, México. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1640. [PMID: 37512813 PMCID: PMC10384328 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, sediments from the Santiago River were characterized to look for an alternative source of inoculum for biogas production. A proteomic analysis of methane-processing archaea present in these sediments was carried out. The Euryarchaeota superkingdom of archaea is responsible for methane production and methane assimilation in the environment. The Santiago River is a major river in México with great pollution and exceeded recovery capacity. Its sediments could contain nutrients and the anaerobic conditions for optimal growth of Euryarchaeota consortia. Batch bioreactor experiments were performed, and a proteomic analysis was conducted with current database information. The maximum biogas production was 266 NmL·L-1·g VS-1, with 33.34% of methane, and for proteomics, 3206 proteins were detected from 303 species of 69 genera. Most of them are metabolically versatile members of the genera Methanosarcina and Methanosarcinales, both with 934 and 260 proteins, respectively. These results showed a diverse euryarcheotic species with high potential to methane production. Although related proteins were found and could be feeding this metabolism through the methanol and acetyl-CoA pathways, the quality obtained from the biogas suggests that this metabolism is not the main one in carbon use, possibly the sum of several conditions including growth conditions and the pollution present in these sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Barrera-Rojas
- Department of Water and Energy, Campus Tonalá, University of Guadalajara, Tonalá 45425, Mexico
| | - Kelly Joel Gurubel-Tun
- Department of Water and Energy, Campus Tonalá, University of Guadalajara, Tonalá 45425, Mexico
| | - Emmanuel Ríos-Castro
- Laboratorios Nacionales de Servicios Experimentales, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Ciudad de México 07000, Mexico
| | - María Cristina López-Méndez
- Wetlands and Environmental Sustainability Laboratory, Division of Graduate Studies and Research, Tecnológico Nacional de México/ITS de Misantla, Veracruz 93850, Mexico
| | - Belkis Sulbarán-Rangel
- Department of Water and Energy, Campus Tonalá, University of Guadalajara, Tonalá 45425, Mexico
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23
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Wu M, Lai CY, Wang Y, Yuan Z, Guo J. Microbial nitrate reduction in propane- or butane-based membrane biofilm reactors under oxygen-limiting conditions. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 235:119887. [PMID: 36947926 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate contamination has been commonly detected in water environments and poses serious hazards to human health. Previously methane was proposed as a promising electron donor to remove nitrate from contaminated water. Compared with pure methane, natural gas, which not only contains methane but also other short chain gaseous alkanes (SCGAs), is less expensive and more widely available, representing a more attractive electron source for removing oxidized contaminants. However, it remains unknown if these SCGAs can be utilized as electron donors for nitrate reduction. Here, two lab-scale membrane biofilm reactors (MBfRs) separately supplied with propane and butane were operated under oxygen-limiting conditions to test its feasibility of microbial nitrate reduction. Long-term performance suggested nitrate could be continuously removed at a rate of ∼40-50 mg N/L/d using propane/butane as electron donors. In the absence of propane/butane, nitrate removal rates significantly decreased both in the long-term operation (∼2-10 and ∼4-9 mg N/L/d for propane- and butane-based MBfRs, respectively) and batch tests, indicating nitrate bio-reduction was driven by propane/butane. The consumption rates of nitrate and propane/butane dramatically decreased under anaerobic conditions, but recovered after resupplying limited oxygen, suggesting oxygen was an essential triggering factor for propane/butane-based nitrate reduction. High-throughput sequencing targeting 16S rRNA, bmoX and narG genes indicated Mycobacterium/Rhodococcus/Thauera were the potential microorganisms oxidizing propane/butane, while various denitrifiers (e.g. Dechloromonas, Denitratisoma, Zoogloea, Acidovorax, Variovorax, Pseudogulbenkiania and Rhodanobacter) might perform nitrate reduction in the biofilms. Our findings provide evidence to link SCGA oxidation with nitrate reduction under oxygen-limiting conditions and may ultimately facilitate the design of cost-effective techniques for ex-situ groundwater remediation using natural gas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxiong Wu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Chun-Yu Lai
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yulu Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
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24
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Su L, Teske AP, MacGregor BJ, McKay LJ, Mendlovitz H, Albert D, Ma Z, Li J. Thermal Selection of Microbial Communities and Preservation of Microbial Function in Guaymas Basin Hydrothermal Sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0001823. [PMID: 36847505 PMCID: PMC10057036 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00018-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California is characterized by active seafloor spreading, hydrothermal activity, and organic matter accumulation on the seafloor due to high sedimentation rates. In the hydrothermal sediments of Guaymas Basin, microbial community compositions and coexistence patterns change across steep gradients of temperature, potential carbon sources, and electron acceptors. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and guanine-cytosine percentage analyses reveal that the bacterial and archaeal communities adjust compositionally to their local temperature regime. Functional inference using PICRUSt shows that microbial communities consistently maintain their predicted biogeochemical functions in different sediments. Phylogenetic profiling shows that microbial communities retain distinct sulfate-reducing, methane-oxidizing, or heterotrophic lineages within specific temperature windows. The preservation of similar biogeochemical functions across microbial lineages with different temperature adaptations stabilizes the hydrothermal microbial community in a highly dynamic environment. IMPORTANCE Hydrothermal vent sites have been widely studied to investigate novel bacteria and archaea that are adapted to these extreme environments. However, community-level analyses of hydrothermal microbial ecosystems look beyond the presence and activity of particular types of microbes and examine to what extent the entire community of bacteria and archaea is adapted to hydrothermal conditions; these include elevated temperatures, hydrothermally generated carbon sources, and inorganic electron donors and acceptors that are characteristic for hydrothermal environments. In our case study of bacterial and archaeal communities in hydrothermal sediments of Guaymas Basin, we found that sequence-inferred microbial function was maintained in differently structured bacterial and archaeal communities across different samples and thermal regimes. The resulting preservation of biogeochemical functions across thermal gradients is an important factor in explaining the consistency of the microbial core community in the dynamic sedimentary environment of Guaymas Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Su
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Andreas P. Teske
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Barbara J. MacGregor
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Luke J. McKay
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Howard Mendlovitz
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Daniel Albert
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Zhonglin Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiangtao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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25
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Lynes MM, Krukenberg V, Jay ZJ, Kohtz AJ, Gobrogge CA, Spietz RL, Hatzenpichler R. Diversity and function of methyl-coenzyme M reductase-encoding archaea in Yellowstone hot springs revealed by metagenomics and mesocosm experiments. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:22. [PMID: 36949220 PMCID: PMC10033731 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00225-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Metagenomic studies on geothermal environments have been central in recent discoveries on the diversity of archaeal methane and alkane metabolism. Here, we investigated methanogenic populations inhabiting terrestrial geothermal features in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) by combining amplicon sequencing with metagenomics and mesocosm experiments. Detection of methyl-coenzyme M reductase subunit A (mcrA) gene amplicons demonstrated a wide diversity of Mcr-encoding archaea inhabit geothermal features with differing physicochemical regimes across YNP. From three selected hot springs we recovered twelve Mcr-encoding metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) affiliated with lineages of cultured methanogens as well as Candidatus (Ca.) Methanomethylicia, Ca. Hadesarchaeia, and Archaeoglobi. These MAGs encoded the potential for hydrogenotrophic, aceticlastic, hydrogen-dependent methylotrophic methanogenesis, or anaerobic short-chain alkane oxidation. While Mcr-encoding archaea represent minor fractions of the microbial community of hot springs, mesocosm experiments with methanogenic precursors resulted in the stimulation of methanogenic activity and the enrichment of lineages affiliated with Methanosaeta and Methanothermobacter as well as with uncultured Mcr-encoding archaea including Ca. Korarchaeia, Ca. Nezhaarchaeia, and Archaeoglobi. We revealed that diverse Mcr-encoding archaea with the metabolic potential to produce methane from different precursors persist in the geothermal environments of YNP and can be enriched under methanogenic conditions. This study highlights the importance of combining environmental metagenomics with laboratory-based experiments to expand our understanding of uncultured Mcr-encoding archaea and their potential impact on microbial carbon transformations in geothermal environments and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie M Lynes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Viola Krukenberg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA.
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Anthony J Kohtz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | | | - Rachel L Spietz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA.
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26
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Zhang C, Fang YX, Yin X, Lai H, Kuang Z, Zhang T, Xu XP, Wegener G, Wang JH, Dong X. The majority of microorganisms in gas hydrate-bearing subseafloor sediments ferment macromolecules. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:37. [PMID: 36864529 PMCID: PMC9979476 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01482-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gas hydrate-bearing subseafloor sediments harbor a large number of microorganisms. Within these sediments, organic matter and upward-migrating methane are important carbon and energy sources fueling a light-independent biosphere. However, the type of metabolism that dominates the deep subseafloor of the gas hydrate zone is poorly constrained. Here we studied the microbial communities in gas hydrate-rich sediments up to 49 m below the seafloor recovered by drilling in the South China Sea. We focused on distinct geochemical conditions and performed metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses to characterize microbial communities and their role in carbon mineralization. RESULTS Comparative microbial community analysis revealed that samples above and in sulfate-methane interface (SMI) zones were clearly distinguished from those below the SMI. Chloroflexota were most abundant above the SMI, whereas Caldatribacteriota dominated below the SMI. Verrucomicrobiota, Bathyarchaeia, and Hadarchaeota were similarly present in both types of sediment. The genomic inventory and transcriptional activity suggest an important role in the fermentation of macromolecules. In contrast, sulfate reducers and methanogens that catalyze the consumption or production of commonly observed chemical compounds in sediments are rare. Methanotrophs and alkanotrophs that anaerobically grow on alkanes were also identified to be at low abundances. The ANME-1 group actively thrived in or slightly below the current SMI. Members from Heimdallarchaeia were found to encode the potential for anaerobic oxidation of short-chain hydrocarbons. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that the fermentation of macromolecules is the predominant energy source for microorganisms in deep subseafloor sediments that are experiencing upward methane fluxes. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuwen Zhang
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Yun-Xin Fang
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiuran Yin
- Faculty of Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hongfei Lai
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zenggui Kuang
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tianxueyu Zhang
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Xiang-Po Xu
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Gunter Wegener
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Jiang-Hai Wang
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China.
| | - Xiyang Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China.
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China.
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27
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Prondzinsky P, Toyoda S, McGlynn SE. The methanogen core and pangenome: conservation and variability across biology's growth temperature extremes. DNA Res 2023; 30:dsac048. [PMID: 36454681 PMCID: PMC9886072 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsac048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Temperature is a key variable in biological processes. However, a complete understanding of biological temperature adaptation is lacking, in part because of the unique constraints among different evolutionary lineages and physiological groups. Here we compared the genomes of cultivated psychrotolerant and thermotolerant methanogens, which are physiologically related and span growth temperatures from -2.5°C to 122°C. Despite being phylogenetically distributed amongst three phyla in the archaea, the genomic core of cultivated methanogens comprises about one-third of a given genome, while the genome fraction shared by any two organisms decreases with increasing phylogenetic distance between them. Increased methanogenic growth temperature is associated with reduced genome size, and thermotolerant organisms-which are distributed across the archaeal tree-have larger core genome fractions, suggesting that genome size is governed by temperature rather than phylogeny. Thermotolerant methanogens are enriched in metal and other transporters, and psychrotolerant methanogens are enriched in proteins related to structure and motility. Observed amino acid compositional differences between temperature groups include proteome charge, polarity and unfolding entropy. Our results suggest that in the methanogens, shared physiology maintains a large, conserved genomic core even across large phylogenetic distances and biology's temperature extremes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Prondzinsky
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, 152-8550 Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, 226-8503 Yokohama, Japan
| | - Sakae Toyoda
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, 226-8503 Yokohama, Japan
| | - Shawn Erin McGlynn
- Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, 152-8550 Tokyo, Japan
- Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, 351-0198 Saitama, Japan
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA 98154, USA
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28
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Laso-Pérez R, Wu F, Crémière A, Speth DR, Magyar JS, Zhao K, Krupovic M, Orphan VJ. Evolutionary diversification of methanotrophic ANME-1 archaea and their expansive virome. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:231-245. [PMID: 36658397 PMCID: PMC9894754 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01297-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
'Candidatus Methanophagales' (ANME-1) is an order-level clade of archaea responsible for anaerobic methane oxidation in deep-sea sediments. The diversity, ecology and evolution of ANME-1 remain poorly understood. In this study, we use metagenomics on deep-sea hydrothermal samples to expand ANME-1 diversity and uncover the effect of virus-host dynamics. Phylogenetic analyses reveal a deep-branching, thermophilic family, 'Candidatus Methanospirareceae', closely related to short-chain alkane oxidizers. Global phylogeny and near-complete genomes show that hydrogen metabolism within ANME-1 is an ancient trait that was vertically inherited but differentially lost during lineage diversification. Metagenomics also uncovered 16 undescribed virus families so far exclusively targeting ANME-1 archaea, showing unique structural and replicative signatures. The expansive ANME-1 virome contains a metabolic gene repertoire that can influence host ecology and evolution through virus-mediated gene displacement. Our results suggest an evolutionary continuum between anaerobic methane and short-chain alkane oxidizers and underscore the effects of viruses on the dynamics and evolution of methane-driven ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Laso-Pérez
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Science, and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Fabai Wu
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, China.
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China.
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan, China.
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Antoine Crémière
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Daan R Speth
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - John S Magyar
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Kehan Zhao
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France.
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
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Lyu Z, Rotaru AE, Pimentel M, Zhang CJ, Rittmann SKMR. Editorial: The methane moment - Cross-boundary significance of methanogens: Preface. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1055494. [PMID: 36504803 PMCID: PMC9731359 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1055494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Lyu
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States,Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States,*Correspondence: Zhe Lyu
| | - Amelia-Elena Rotaru
- Nordic Center for Earth Evolution (NORDCEE), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark,Amelia-Elena Rotaru
| | - Mark Pimentel
- Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program, Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA, United States,Mark Pimentel
| | - Cui-Jing Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China,Cui-Jing Zhang
| | - Simon K.-M. R. Rittmann
- Archaea Physiology & Biotechnology Group, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria,Arkeon GmbH, Tulln a.d. Donau, Austria,Simon K.-M. R. Rittmann
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30
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Adam PS, Kolyfetis GE, Bornemann TLV, Vorgias CE, Probst AJ. Genomic remnants of ancestral methanogenesis and hydrogenotrophy in Archaea drive anaerobic carbon cycling. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm9651. [PMID: 36332026 PMCID: PMC9635834 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm9651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic methane metabolism is among the hallmarks of Archaea, originating very early in their evolution. Here, we show that the ancestor of methane metabolizers was an autotrophic CO2-reducing hydrogenotrophic methanogen that possessed the two main complexes, methyl-CoM reductase (Mcr) and tetrahydromethanopterin-CoM methyltransferase (Mtr), the anaplerotic hydrogenases Eha and Ehb, and a set of other genes collectively called "methanogenesis markers" but could not oxidize alkanes. Overturning recent inferences, we demonstrate that methyl-dependent hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis has emerged multiple times independently, either due to a loss of Mtr while Mcr is inherited vertically or from an ancient lateral acquisition of Mcr. Even if Mcr is lost, Mtr, Eha, Ehb, and the markers can persist, resulting in mixotrophic metabolisms centered around the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. Through their methanogenesis remnants, Thorarchaeia and two newly reconstructed order-level lineages in Archaeoglobi and Bathyarchaeia act as metabolically versatile players in carbon cycling of anoxic environments across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis S. Adam
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
- Corresponding author.
| | - George E. Kolyfetis
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Till L. V. Bornemann
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Constantinos E. Vorgias
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 15784 Athens, Greece
| | - Alexander J. Probst
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
- Centre for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
- Research Center One Health Ruhr, Research Alliance Ruhr, Environmental Metagenomics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
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31
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Shao N, Fan Y, Chou CW, Yavari S, Williams RV, Amster IJ, Brown SM, Drake IJ, Duin EC, Whitman WB, Liu Y. Expression of divergent methyl/alkyl coenzyme M reductases from uncultured archaea. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1113. [PMID: 36266535 PMCID: PMC9584954 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04057-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Methanogens and anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) are important players in the global carbon cycle. Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) is a key enzyme in methane metabolism, catalyzing the last step in methanogenesis and the first step in anaerobic methane oxidation. Divergent mcr and mcr-like genes have recently been identified in uncultured archaeal lineages. However, the assembly and biochemistry of MCRs from uncultured archaea remain largely unknown. Here we present an approach to study MCRs from uncultured archaea by heterologous expression in a methanogen, Methanococcus maripaludis. Promoter, operon structure, and temperature were important determinants for MCR production. Both recombinant methanococcal and ANME-2 MCR assembled with the host MCR forming hybrid complexes, whereas tested ANME-1 MCR and ethyl-coenzyme M reductase only formed homogenous complexes. Together with structural modeling, this suggests that ANME-2 and methanogen MCRs are structurally similar and their reaction directions are likely regulated by thermodynamics rather than intrinsic structural differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Shao
- Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Yu Fan
- EMTEC IT, ExxonMobil Technical Computing Company, Annandale, NJ, USA
| | - Chau-Wen Chou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Shadi Yavari
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | | | | | - Stuart M Brown
- Energy Sciences, ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ, USA
| | - Ian J Drake
- Biomedical Sciences, ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ, USA
| | - Evert C Duin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | | | - Yuchen Liu
- Energy Sciences, ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ, USA.
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32
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Vulcano F, Hahn CJ, Roerdink D, Dahle H, Reeves EP, Wegener G, Steen IH, Stokke R. Phylogenetic and functional diverse ANME-1 thrive in Arctic hydrothermal vents. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:fiac117. [PMID: 36190327 PMCID: PMC9576274 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The methane-rich areas, the Loki's Castle vent field and the Jan Mayen vent field at the Arctic Mid Ocean Ridge (AMOR), host abundant niches for anaerobic methane-oxidizers, which are predominantly filled by members of the ANME-1. In this study, we used a metagenomic-based approach that revealed the presence of phylogenetic and functional different ANME-1 subgroups at AMOR, with heterogeneous distribution. Based on a common analysis of ANME-1 genomes from AMOR and other geographic locations, we observed that AMOR subgroups clustered with a vent-specific ANME-1 group that occurs solely at vents, and with a generalist ANME-1 group, with a mixed environmental origin. Generalist ANME-1 are enriched in genes coding for stress response and defense strategies, suggesting functional diversity among AMOR subgroups. ANME-1 encode a conserved energy metabolism, indicating strong adaptation to sulfate-methane-rich sediments in marine systems, which does not however prevent global dispersion. A deep branching family named Ca. Veteromethanophagaceae was identified. The basal position of vent-related ANME-1 in phylogenomic trees suggests that ANME-1 originated at hydrothermal vents. The heterogeneous and variable physicochemical conditions present in diffuse venting areas of hydrothermal fields could have favored the diversification of ANME-1 into lineages that can tolerate geochemical and environmental variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Vulcano
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - C J Hahn
- Max-Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Bremen, 28359, Germany
| | - D Roerdink
- Department of Earth Science, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - H Dahle
- Computational Biological Unit, Department of Informatics, Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - E P Reeves
- Department of Earth Science, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - G Wegener
- Max-Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Bremen, 28359, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, 28359, Germany
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, 27570, Germany
| | - I H Steen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - R Stokke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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33
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Anaerobic oxidation of propane coupled to nitrate reduction by a lineage within the class Symbiobacteriia. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6115. [PMID: 36253480 PMCID: PMC9576796 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33872-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaerobic microorganisms are thought to play a critical role in regulating the flux of short-chain gaseous alkanes (SCGAs; including ethane, propane and butane) from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to the atmosphere. Sulfate has been confirmed to act as electron acceptor supporting microbial anaerobic oxidation of SCGAs, yet several other energetically more favourable acceptors co-exist with these gases in anaerobic environments. Here, we show that a bioreactor seeded with biomass from a wastewater treatment facility can perform anaerobic propane oxidation coupled to nitrate reduction to dinitrogen gas and ammonium. The bioreactor was operated for more than 1000 days, and we used 13C- and 15N-labelling experiments, metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, metaproteomic and metabolite analyses to characterize the microbial community and the metabolic processes. The data collectively suggest that a species representing a novel order within the bacterial class Symbiobacteriia is responsible for the observed nitrate-dependent propane oxidation. The closed genome of this organism, which we designate as 'Candidatus Alkanivorans nitratireducens', encodes pathways for oxidation of propane to CO2 via fumarate addition, and for nitrate reduction, with all the key genes expressed during nitrate-dependent propane oxidation. Our results suggest that nitrate is a relevant electron sink for SCGA oxidation in anaerobic environments, constituting a new microbially-mediated link between the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
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34
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Berben T, Forlano Bó F, In 't Zandt MH, Yang S, Liebner S, Welte CU. The Polar Fox Lagoon in Siberia harbours a community of Bathyarchaeota possessing the potential for peptide fermentation and acetogenesis. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2022; 115:1229-1244. [PMID: 35947314 PMCID: PMC9534799 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-022-01767-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Archaea belonging to the phylum Bathyarchaeota are the predominant archaeal species in cold, anoxic marine sediments and additionally occur in a variety of habitats, both natural and man-made. Metagenomic and single-cell sequencing studies suggest that Bathyarchaeota may have a significant impact on the emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either through direct production of methane or through the degradation of complex organic matter that can subsequently be converted into methane. This is especially relevant in permafrost regions where climate change leads to thawing of permafrost, making high amounts of stored carbon bioavailable. Here we present the analysis of nineteen draft genomes recovered from a sediment core metagenome of the Polar Fox Lagoon, a thermokarst lake located on the Bykovsky Peninsula in Siberia, Russia, which is connected to the brackish Tiksi Bay. We show that the Bathyarchaeota in this lake are predominantly peptide degraders, producing reduced ferredoxin from the fermentation of peptides, while degradation pathways for plant-derived polymers were found to be incomplete. Several genomes encoded the potential for acetogenesis through the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, but methanogenesis was determined to be unlikely due to the lack of genes encoding the key enzyme in methanogenesis, methyl-CoM reductase. Many genomes lacked a clear pathway for recycling reduced ferredoxin. Hydrogen metabolism was also hardly found: one type 4e [NiFe] hydrogenase was annotated in a single MAG and no [FeFe] hydrogenases were detected. Little evidence was found for syntrophy through formate or direct interspecies electron transfer, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of the metabolism of these organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Berben
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Franco Forlano Bó
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Michiel H In 't Zandt
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Earth System Science Centre, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sizhong Yang
- Section Geomicrobiology, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
- Cryosphere Research Station On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Susanne Liebner
- Section Geomicrobiology, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Cornelia U Welte
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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35
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Benito Merino D, Zehnle H, Teske A, Wegener G. Deep-branching ANME-1c archaea grow at the upper temperature limit of anaerobic oxidation of methane. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:988871. [PMID: 36212815 PMCID: PMC9539880 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.988871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In seafloor sediments, the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) consumes most of the methane formed in anoxic layers, preventing this greenhouse gas from reaching the water column and finally the atmosphere. AOM is performed by syntrophic consortia of specific anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Cultures with diverse AOM partners exist at temperatures between 12°C and 60°C. Here, from hydrothermally heated sediments of the Guaymas Basin, we cultured deep-branching ANME-1c that grow in syntrophic consortia with Thermodesulfobacteria at 70°C. Like all ANME, ANME-1c oxidize methane using the methanogenesis pathway in reverse. As an uncommon feature, ANME-1c encode a nickel-iron hydrogenase. This hydrogenase has low expression during AOM and the partner Thermodesulfobacteria lack hydrogen-consuming hydrogenases. Therefore, it is unlikely that the partners exchange hydrogen during AOM. ANME-1c also does not consume hydrogen for methane formation, disputing a recent hypothesis on facultative methanogenesis. We hypothesize that the ANME-1c hydrogenase might have been present in the common ancestor of ANME-1 but lost its central metabolic function in ANME-1c archaea. For potential direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), both partners encode and express genes coding for extracellular appendages and multiheme cytochromes. Thermodesulfobacteria encode and express an extracellular pentaheme cytochrome with high similarity to cytochromes of other syntrophic sulfate-reducing partner bacteria. ANME-1c might associate specifically to Thermodesulfobacteria, but their co-occurrence is so far only documented for heated sediments of the Gulf of California. However, in the deep seafloor, sulfate-methane interphases appear at temperatures up to 80°C, suggesting these as potential habitats for the partnership of ANME-1c and Thermodesulfobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Benito Merino
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hanna Zehnle
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Andreas Teske
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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36
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The pathway for coenzyme M biosynthesis in bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2207190119. [PMID: 36037354 PMCID: PMC9457059 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207190119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mercaptoethane sulfonate or coenzyme M (CoM) is the smallest known organic cofactor and is most commonly associated with the methane-forming step in all methanogenic archaea but is also associated with the anaerobic oxidation of methane to CO2 in anaerobic methanotrophic archaea and the oxidation of short-chain alkanes in Syntrophoarchaeum species. It has also been found in a small number of bacteria capable of the metabolism of small organics. Although many of the steps for CoM biosynthesis in methanogenic archaea have been elucidated, a complete pathway for the biosynthesis of CoM in archaea or bacteria has not been reported. Here, we present the complete CoM biosynthesis pathway in bacteria, revealing distinct chemical steps relative to CoM biosynthesis in methanogenic archaea. The existence of different pathways represents a profound instance of convergent evolution. The five-step pathway involves the addition of sulfite, the elimination of phosphate, decarboxylation, thiolation, and the reduction to affect the sequential conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate to CoM. The salient features of the pathway demonstrate reactivities for members of large aspartase/fumarase and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzyme families.
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37
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Dong X, Zhang C, Peng Y, Zhang HX, Shi LD, Wei G, Hubert CRJ, Wang Y, Greening C. Phylogenetically and catabolically diverse diazotrophs reside in deep-sea cold seep sediments. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4885. [PMID: 35985998 PMCID: PMC9391474 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32503-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbially mediated nitrogen cycling in carbon-dominated cold seep environments remains poorly understood. So far anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME-2) and their sulfate-reducing bacterial partners (SEEP-SRB1 clade) have been identified as diazotrophs in deep sea cold seep sediments. However, it is unclear whether other microbial groups can perform nitrogen fixation in such ecosystems. To fill this gap, we analyzed 61 metagenomes, 1428 metagenome-assembled genomes, and six metatranscriptomes derived from 11 globally distributed cold seeps. These sediments contain phylogenetically diverse nitrogenase genes corresponding to an expanded diversity of diazotrophic lineages. Diverse catabolic pathways were predicted to provide ATP for nitrogen fixation, suggesting diazotrophy in cold seeps is not necessarily associated with sulfate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane. Nitrogen fixation genes among various diazotrophic groups in cold seeps were inferred to be genetically mobile and subject to purifying selection. Our findings extend the capacity for diazotrophy to five candidate phyla (Altarchaeia, Omnitrophota, FCPU426, Caldatribacteriota and UBA6262), and suggest that cold seep diazotrophs might contribute substantially to the global nitrogen balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiyang Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China.
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China.
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China.
| | - Chuwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Yongyi Peng
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Hong-Xi Zhang
- Institute for Marine Engineering, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, University Town, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Life Science, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Ling-Dong Shi
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guangshan Wei
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Casey R J Hubert
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Yong Wang
- Institute for Marine Engineering, Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, University Town, Shenzhen, China.
- Department of Life Science, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.
| | - Chris Greening
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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38
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Mafra D, Ribeiro M, Fonseca L, Regis B, Cardozo LFMF, Fragoso Dos Santos H, Emiliano de Jesus H, Schultz J, Shiels PG, Stenvinkel P, Rosado A. Archaea from the gut microbiota of humans: Could be linked to chronic diseases? Anaerobe 2022; 77:102629. [PMID: 35985606 DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2022.102629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Archaea comprise a unique domain of organisms with distinct biochemical and genetic differences from bacteria. Methane-forming archaea, methanogens, constitute the predominant group of archaea in the human gut microbiota, with Methanobrevibacter smithii being the most prevalent. However, the effect of methanogenic archaea and their methane production on chronic disease remains controversial. As perturbation of the microbiota is a feature of chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases and chronic kidney disease, assessing the influence of archaea could provide a new clue to mitigating adverse effects associated with dysbiosis. In this review, we will discuss the putative role of archaea in the gut microbiota in humans and the possible link to chronic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Mafra
- Graduate Program in Biological Sciences - Physiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, (RJ), Brazil; Graduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói, Brazil; Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói, Brazil.
| | - Marcia Ribeiro
- Graduate Program in Nutrition Sciences, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói, Brazil
| | - Larissa Fonseca
- Graduate Program in Medical Sciences, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói, Brazil
| | - Bruna Regis
- Graduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói, Brazil
| | - Ludmila F M F Cardozo
- Graduate Program in Cardiovascular Sciences, Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Niterói, Brazil
| | | | | | - Junia Schultz
- Microbial Ecogenomics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Makkah, 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Paul G Shiels
- Wolfson Wohl Translational Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Peter Stenvinkel
- Division of Renal Medicine and Baxter Novum, Department of Clinical Science, Technology and Intervention, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alexandre Rosado
- Microbial Ecogenomics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Makkah, 23955, Saudi Arabia
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39
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Allenby A, Cunningham MR, Hillebrand-Voiculescu A, Comte JC, Doherty R, Kumaresan D. Occurrence of methane-oxidizing bacteria and methanogenic archaea in earth’s cave systems—A metagenomic analysis. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.909865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Karst ecosystems represent up to 25% of the land surface and recent studies highlight their potential role as a sink for atmospheric methane. Despite this, there is limited knowledge of the diversity and distribution of methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) or methanogens in karst caves and the sub-surface environment in general. Here, we performed a survey of 14 shotgun metagenomes from cave ecosystems covering a broad set of environmental conditions, to compare the relative abundance and phylogenetic diversity of MOB and methanogens, targeting biomarker genes for methane monooxygenase (pmoA and mmoX) and methyl-coenzyme M reductase (mcrA). Taxonomic analysis of metagenomes showed 0.02–1.28% of classified reads were related to known MOB, of which Gammaproteobacterial MOB were the most abundant making up on average 70% of the surveyed caves’ MOB community. Potential for biogenic methane production in caves was also observed, with 0.008–0.39% of reads classified to methanogens and was dominated by sequences related to Methanosarcina. We have also generated a cave ecosystems protein database (CEPD) based on protein level assembly of cave metagenomes that can be used to profile genes of interest.
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40
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Wegener G, Laso-Pérez R, Orphan VJ, Boetius A. Anaerobic Degradation of Alkanes by Marine Archaea. Annu Rev Microbiol 2022; 76:553-577. [PMID: 35917471 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-111021-045911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Alkanes are saturated apolar hydrocarbons that range from its simplest form, methane, to high-molecular-weight compounds. Although alkanes were once considered biologically recalcitrant under anaerobic conditions, microbiological investigations have now identified several microbial taxa that can anaerobically degrade alkanes. Here we review recent discoveries in the anaerobic oxidation of alkanes with a specific focus on archaea that use specific methyl coenzyme M reductases to activate their substrates. Our understanding of the diversity of uncultured alkane-oxidizing archaea has expanded through the use of environmental metagenomics and enrichment cultures of syntrophic methane-, ethane-, propane-, and butane-oxidizing marine archaea with sulfate-reducing bacteria. A recently cultured group of archaea directly couples long-chain alkane degradation with methane formation, expanding the range of substrates used for methanogenesis. This article summarizes the rapidly growing knowledge of the diversity, physiology, and habitat distribution of alkane-degrading archaea. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 76 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunter Wegener
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Rafael Laso-Pérez
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.,Current affiliation: Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences and Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA;
| | - Antje Boetius
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.,Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany;
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41
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Hydrocarbon Cycling in the Tokamachi Mud Volcano (Japan): Insights from Isotopologue and Metataxonomic Analyses. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10071417. [PMID: 35889138 PMCID: PMC9323770 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10071417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding hydrocarbon cycling in the subsurface is important in various disciplines including climate science, energy resources and astrobiology. Mud volcanoes provide insights into biogeochemical processes occurring in the subsurface. They are usually associated with natural gas reservoirs consisting mainly of methane and other hydrocarbons as well as CO2. Stable isotopes have been used to decipher the sources and sinks of hydrocarbons in the subsurface, although the interpretation can be ambiguous due to the numerous processes involved. Here we report new data for hydrocarbon isotope analysis, including position-specific isotope composition of propane, for samples from the Tokamachi mud volcano area, Japan. The data suggest that C2+ hydrocarbons are being biodegraded, with indirect production of methane (“secondary methanogenesis”). Data from chemical and isotopic composition are discussed with regard to 16S rRNA analysis, which exhibits the presence of hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methoanogens. Overall, the combination of isotopologue analysis with 16S rRNA gene data allows refining of our understanding of hydrocarbon cycling in subsurface environments.
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42
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Microbial communities of Auka hydrothermal sediments shed light on vent biogeography and the evolutionary history of thermophily. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1750-1764. [PMID: 35352015 PMCID: PMC9213671 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01222-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Hydrothermal vents have been key to our understanding of the limits of life, and the metabolic and phylogenetic diversity of thermophilic organisms. Here we used environmental metagenomics combined with analysis of physicochemical data and 16S rRNA gene amplicons to characterize the sediment-hosted microorganisms at the recently discovered Auka vents in the Gulf of California. We recovered 325 metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) representing 54 phyla, over 30% of those currently known, showing the microbial community in Auka hydrothermal sediments is highly diverse. 16S rRNA gene amplicon screening of 224 sediment samples across the vent field indicates that the MAGs retrieved from a single site are representative of the microbial community in the vent field sediments. Metabolic reconstruction of a vent-specific, deeply branching clade within the Desulfobacterota suggests these organisms metabolize sulfur using novel octaheme cytochrome-c proteins related to hydroxylamine oxidoreductase. Community-wide comparison between Auka MAGs and MAGs from Guaymas Basin revealed a remarkable 20% species-level overlap, suggestive of long-distance species transfer over 400 km and subsequent sediment colonization. Optimal growth temperature prediction on the Auka MAGs, and thousands of reference genomes, shows that thermophily is a trait that has evolved frequently. Taken together, our Auka vent field results offer new perspectives on our understanding of hydrothermal vent microbiology.
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43
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Magnuson E, Altshuler I, Fernández-Martínez MÁ, Chen YJ, Maggiori C, Goordial J, Whyte LG. Active lithoautotrophic and methane-oxidizing microbial community in an anoxic, sub-zero, and hypersaline High Arctic spring. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1798-1808. [PMID: 35396347 PMCID: PMC9213412 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01233-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Lost Hammer Spring, located in the High Arctic of Nunavut, Canada, is one of the coldest and saltiest terrestrial springs discovered to date. It perennially discharges anoxic (<1 ppm dissolved oxygen), sub-zero (~-5 °C), and hypersaline (~24% salinity) brines from the subsurface through up to 600 m of permafrost. The sediment is sulfate-rich (1 M) and continually emits gases composed primarily of methane (~50%), making Lost Hammer the coldest known terrestrial methane seep and an analog to extraterrestrial habits on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. A multi-omics approach utilizing metagenome, metatranscriptome, and single-amplified genome sequencing revealed a rare surface terrestrial habitat supporting a predominantly lithoautotrophic active microbial community driven in part by sulfide-oxidizing Gammaproteobacteria scavenging trace oxygen. Genomes from active anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME-1) showed evidence of putative metabolic flexibility and hypersaline and cold adaptations. Evidence of anaerobic heterotrophic and fermentative lifestyles were found in candidate phyla DPANN archaea and CG03 bacteria genomes. Our results demonstrate Mars-relevant metabolisms including sulfide oxidation, sulfate reduction, anaerobic oxidation of methane, and oxidation of trace gases (H2, CO2) detected under anoxic, hypersaline, and sub-zero ambient conditions, providing evidence that similar extant microbial life could potentially survive in similar habitats on Mars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisse Magnuson
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Ianina Altshuler
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Ya-Jou Chen
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Catherine Maggiori
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | | | - Lyle G Whyte
- Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.
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44
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Garcia PS, Gribaldo S, Borrel G. Diversity and Evolution of Methane-Related Pathways in Archaea. Annu Rev Microbiol 2022; 76:727-755. [PMID: 35759872 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-041020-024935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Methane is one of the most important greenhouse gases on Earth and holds an important place in the global carbon cycle. Archaea are the only organisms that use methanogenesis to produce energy and rely on the methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr) complex. Over the last decade, new results have significantly reshaped our view of the diversity of methane-related pathways in the Archaea. Many new lineages that synthesize or use methane have been identified across the whole archaeal tree, leading to a greatly expanded diversity of substrates and mechanisms. In this review, we present the state of the art of these advances and how they challenge established scenarios of the origin and evolution of methanogenesis, and we discuss the potential trajectories that may have led to this strikingly wide range of metabolisms.Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 76 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Simon Garcia
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR CNRS 6047, Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Paris, France; ,
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR CNRS 6047, Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Paris, France; ,
| | - Guillaume Borrel
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, UMR CNRS 6047, Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Paris, France; ,
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45
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Community Structure and Microbial Associations in Sediment-Free Methanotrophic Enrichment Cultures from a Marine Methane Seep. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0210921. [PMID: 35604226 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02109-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Syntrophic consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) consume large amounts of methane and serve as the foundational microorganisms in marine methane seeps. Despite their importance in the carbon cycle, research on the physiology of ANME-SRB consortia has been hampered by the slow growth and complex physicochemical environment the consortia inhabit. Here, we report successful sediment-free enrichment of ANME-SRB consortia from deep-sea methane seep sediments in the Santa Monica Basin, California. Anoxic Percoll density gradients and size-selective filtration were used to separate ANME-SRB consortia from sediment particles and single cells to accelerate the cultivation process. Over a 3-year period, a subset of the sediment-associated ANME and SRB lineages, predominantly comprised of ANME-2a/2b ("Candidatus Methanocomedenaceae") and their syntrophic bacterial partners, SEEP-SRB1/2, adapted and grew under defined laboratory conditions. Metagenome-assembled genomes from several enrichments revealed that ANME-2a, SEEP-SRB1, and Methanococcoides in different enrichments from the same inoculum represented distinct species, whereas other coenriched microorganisms were closely related at the species level. This suggests that ANME, SRB, and Methanococcoides are more genetically diverse than other members in methane seeps. Flow cytometry sorting and sequencing of cell aggregates revealed that Methanococcoides, Anaerolineales, and SEEP-SRB1 were overrepresented in multiple ANME-2a cell aggregates relative to the bulk metagenomes, suggesting they were physically associated and possibly interacting. Overall, this study represents a successful case of selective cultivation of anaerobic slow-growing microorganisms from sediments based on their physical characteristics, introducing new opportunities for detailed genomic, physiological, biochemical, and ecological analyses. IMPORTANCE Biological anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled with sulfate reduction represents a large methane sink in global ocean sediments. Methane consumption is carried out by syntrophic archaeal-bacterial consortia and fuels a unique ecosystem, yet the interactions in these slow-growing syntrophic consortia and with other associated community members remain poorly understood. The significance of this study is the establishment of sediment-free enrichment cultures of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria performing AOM with sulfate using selective cultivation approaches based on size, density, and metabolism. By reconstructing microbial genomes and analyzing community composition of the enrichment cultures and cell aggregates, we shed light on the diversity of microorganisms physically associated with AOM consortia beyond the core syntrophic partners. These enrichment cultures offer simplified model systems to extend our understanding of the diversity of microbial interactions within marine methane seeps.
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46
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Lemaire O, Wagner T. A Structural View of Alkyl-Coenzyme M Reductases, the First Step of Alkane Anaerobic Oxidation Catalyzed by Archaea. Biochemistry 2022; 61:805-821. [PMID: 35500274 PMCID: PMC9118554 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Microbial anaerobic oxidation of alkanes intrigues the scientific community by way of its impact on the global carbon cycle, and its biotechnological applications. Archaea are proposed to degrade short- and long-chain alkanes to CO2 by reversing methanogenesis, a theoretically reversible process. The pathway would start with alkane activation, an endergonic step catalyzed by methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) homologues that would generate alkyl-thiols carried by coenzyme M. While the methane-generating MCR found in methanogens has been well characterized, the enzymatic activity of the putative alkane-fixing counterparts has not been validated so far. Such an absence of biochemical investigations contrasts with the current explosion of metagenomics data, which draws new potential alkane-oxidizing pathways in various archaeal phyla. Therefore, validating the physiological function of these putative alkane-fixing machines and investigating how their structures, catalytic mechanisms, and cofactors vary depending on the targeted alkane have become urgent needs. The first structural insights into the methane- and ethane-capturing MCRs highlighted unsuspected differences and proposed some explanations for their substrate specificity. This Perspective reviews the current physiological, biochemical, and structural knowledge of alkyl-CoM reductases and offers fresh ideas about the expected mechanistic and chemical differences among members of this broad family. We conclude with the challenges of the investigation of these particular enzymes, which might one day generate biofuels for our modern society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier
N. Lemaire
- Max Planck Institute for
Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Tristan Wagner
- Max Planck Institute for
Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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47
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Katayama T, Yoshioka H, Kaneko M, Amo M, Fujii T, Takahashi HA, Yoshida S, Sakata S. Cultivation and biogeochemical analyses reveal insights into methanogenesis in deep subseafloor sediment at a biogenic gas hydrate site. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1464-1472. [PMID: 35105960 PMCID: PMC9038717 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01175-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
AbstractGas hydrates deposited in subseafloor sediments are considered to primarily consist of biogenic methane. However, little evidence for the occurrence of living methanogens in subseafloor sediments has been provided. This study investigated viable methanogen diversity, population, physiology and potential activity in hydrate-bearing sediments (1–307 m below the seafloor) from the eastern Nankai Trough. Radiotracer experiments, the quantification of coenzyme F430 and molecular sequencing analysis indicated the occurrence of potential methanogenic activity and living methanogens in the sediments and the predominance of hydrogenotrophic methanogens followed by methylotrophic methanogens. Ten isolates and nine representative culture clones of hydrogenotrophic, methylotrophic and acetoclastic methanogens were obtained from the batch incubation of sediments and accounted for 0.5–76% of the total methanogenic sequences directly recovered from each sediment. The hydrogenotrophic methanogen isolates of Methanocalculus and Methanoculleus that dominated the sediment methanogen communities produced methane at temperatures from 4 to 55 °C, with an abrupt decline in the methane production rate at temperatures above 40 °C, which is consistent with the depth profiles of potential methanogenic activity in the Nankai Trough sediments in this and previous studies. Our results reveal the previously overlooked phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of living methanogens, including methylotrophic methanogenesis.
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48
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Gendron A, Allen KD. Overview of Diverse Methyl/Alkyl-Coenzyme M Reductases and Considerations for Their Potential Heterologous Expression. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:867342. [PMID: 35547147 PMCID: PMC9081873 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.867342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) is an archaeal enzyme that catalyzes the final step of methanogenesis and the first step in the anaerobic oxidation of methane, the energy metabolisms of methanogens and anaerobic methanotrophs (ANME), respectively. Variants of MCR, known as alkyl-coenzyme M reductases, are involved in the anaerobic oxidation of short-chain alkanes including ethane, propane, and butane as well as the catabolism of long-chain alkanes from oil reservoirs. MCR is a dimer of heterotrimers (encoded by mcrABG) and requires the nickel-containing tetrapyrrole prosthetic group known as coenzyme F430. MCR houses a series of unusual post-translational modifications within its active site whose identities vary depending on the organism and whose functions remain unclear. Methanogenic MCRs are encoded in a highly conserved mcrBDCGA gene cluster, which encodes two accessory proteins, McrD and McrC, that are believed to be involved in the assembly and activation of MCR, respectively. The requirement of a unique and complex coenzyme, various unusual post-translational modifications, and many remaining questions surrounding assembly and activation of MCR largely limit in vitro experiments to native enzymes with recombinant methods only recently appearing. Production of MCRs in a heterologous host is an important step toward developing optimized biocatalytic systems for methane production as well as for bioconversion of methane and other alkanes into value-added compounds. This review will first summarize MCR catalysis and structure, followed by a discussion of advances and challenges related to the production of diverse MCRs in a heterologous host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kylie D. Allen
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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49
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Edgcomb VP, Teske AP, Mara P. Microbial Hydrocarbon Degradation in Guaymas Basin-Exploring the Roles and Potential Interactions of Fungi and Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:831828. [PMID: 35356530 PMCID: PMC8959706 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.831828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrocarbons are degraded by specialized types of bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Their occurrence in marine hydrocarbon seeps and sediments prompted a study of their role and their potential interactions, using the hydrocarbon-rich hydrothermal sediments of Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California as a model system. This sedimented vent site is characterized by localized hydrothermal circulation that introduces seawater sulfate into methane- and hydrocarbon-rich sediments, and thus selects for diverse hydrocarbon-degrading communities of which methane, alkane- and aromatics-oxidizing sulfate-reducing bacteria and archaea have been especially well-studied. Current molecular and cultivation surveys are detecting diverse fungi in Guaymas Basin hydrothermal sediments, and draw attention to possible fungal-bacterial interactions. In this Hypothesis and Theory article, we report on background, recent results and outcomes, and underlying hypotheses that guide current experiments on this topic in the Edgcomb and Teske labs in 2021, and that we will revisit during our ongoing investigations of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities in the deep sedimentary subsurface of Guaymas Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andreas P. Teske
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Paraskevi Mara
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
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50
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Chen SC, Ji J, Popp D, Jaekel U, Richnow HH, Sievert SM, Musat F. Genome and proteome analyses show the gaseous alkane degrader Desulfosarcina sp. strain BuS5 as an extreme metabolic specialist. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:1964-1976. [PMID: 35257474 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The metabolic potential of the sulfate-reducing bacterium Desulfosarcina sp. strain BuS5, currently the only pure culture able to oxidize the volatile alkanes propane and butane without oxygen, was investigated via genomics, proteomics and physiology assays. Complete genome sequencing revealed that strain BuS5 encodes a single alkyl-succinate synthase, an enzyme which apparently initiates oxidation of both propane and butane. The formed alkyl-succinates are oxidized to CO2 via beta oxidation and the oxidative Wood-Ljungdahl pathways as shown by proteogenomics analyses. Strain BuS5 conserves energy via the canonical sulfate reduction pathway and electron bifurcation. An ability to utilize long-chain fatty acids, mannose and oligopeptides, suggested by automated annotation pipelines, was not supported by physiology assays and in-depth analyses of the corresponding genetic systems. Consistently, comparative genomics revealed a streamlined BuS5 genome with a remarkable paucity of catabolic modules. These results establish strain BuS5 as an exceptional metabolic specialist, able to grow only with propane and butane, for which we propose the name Desulfosarcina aeriophaga BuS5. This highly restrictive lifestyle, most likely the result of habitat-driven evolutionary gene loss, may provide D. aeriophaga BuS5 a competitive edge in sediments impacted by natural gas seeps. Etymology: Desulfosarcina aeriophaga, aério (Greek): gas; phágos (Greek): eater; D. aeriophaga: a gas eating or gas feeding Desulfosarcina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Can Chen
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jiaheng Ji
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Denny Popp
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Hans-Hermann Richnow
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan M Sievert
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Florin Musat
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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