1
|
Gao F, Li Y, Fan H, Luo D, Chapman SJ, Yao H. 15N-DNA stable isotope probing reveals niche differentiation of ammonia oxidizers in paddy soils. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 108:342. [PMID: 38789552 PMCID: PMC11126484 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13170-x] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Chemoautotrophic canonical ammonia oxidizers (ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB)) and complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox Nitrospira) are accountable for ammonia oxidation, which is a fundamental process of nitrification in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the relationship between autotrophic nitrification and the active nitrifying populations during 15N-urea incubation has not been totally clarified. The 15N-labeled DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) technique was utilized in order to study the response from the soil nitrification process and the active nitrifying populations, in both acidic and neutral paddy soils, to the application of urea. The presence of C2H2 almost completely inhibited NO3--N production, indicating that autotrophic ammonia oxidation was dominant in both paddy soils. 15N-DNA-SIP technology could effectively distinguish active nitrifying populations in both soils. The active ammonia oxidation groups in both soils were significantly different, AOA (NS (Nitrososphaerales)-Alpha, NS-Gamma, NS-Beta, NS-Delta, NS-Zeta and NT (Ca. Nitrosotaleales)-Alpha), and AOB (Nitrosospira) were functionally active in the acidic paddy soil, whereas comammox Nitrospira clade A and Nitrosospira AOB were functionally active in the neutral paddy soil. This study highlights the effective discriminative effect of 15N-DNA-SIP and niche differentiation of nitrifying populations in these paddy soils. KEY POINTS: • 15N-DNA-SIP technology could effectively distinguish active ammonia oxidizers. • Comammox Nitrospira clade A plays a lesser role than canonical ammonia oxidizers. • The active groups in the acidic and neutral paddy soils were significantly different.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fuyun Gao
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaying Li
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China.
| | - Haoxin Fan
- Research Center for Environmental Ecology and Engineering, School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430073, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan Luo
- College of Petrochemical Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou, 730050, People's Republic of China
| | | | - Huaiying Yao
- Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, People's Republic of China.
- Research Center for Environmental Ecology and Engineering, School of Environmental Ecology and Biological Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430073, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhang Z, Bo L, Wang S, Li C, Zhang X, Xue B, Yang X, He X, Shen Z, Qiu Z, Zhao C, Wang J. Multidrug-resistant plasmid RP4 inhibits the nitrogen removal capacity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, and comammox in activated sludge. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 242:117739. [PMID: 38007076 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117739] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), ammonia oxidation is primarily carried out by three types of ammonia oxidation microorganisms (AOMs): ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and comammox (CMX). Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), which pose an important public health concern, have been identified at every stage of wastewater treatment. However, few studies have focused on the impact of ARGs on ammonia removal performance. Therefore, our study sought to investigate the effect of the representative multidrug-resistant plasmid RP4 on the functional microorganisms involved in ammonia oxidation. Using an inhibitor-based method, we first evaluated the contributions of AOA, AOB, and CMX to ammonia oxidation in activated sludge, which were determined to be 13.7%, 41.1%, and 39.1%, respectively. The inhibitory effects of C2H2, C8H14, and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) were then validated by qPCR. After adding donor strains to the sludge, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) imaging analysis demonstrated the co-localization of RP4 plasmids and all three AOMs, thus confirming the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of the RP4 plasmid among these microorganisms. Significant inhibitory effects of the RP4 plasmid on the ammonia nitrogen consumption of AOA, AOB, and CMX were also observed, with inhibition rates of 39.7%, 36.2%, and 49.7%, respectively. Moreover, amoA expression in AOB and CMX was variably inhibited by the RP4 plasmid, whereas AOA amoA expression was not inhibited. These results demonstrate the adverse environmental effects of the RP4 plasmid and provide indirect evidence supporting plasmid-mediated conjugation transfer from bacteria to archaea.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohui Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Binshui West Road 399, Xiqing District, Tianjin, 300387, China.
| | - Lin Bo
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Binshui West Road 399, Xiqing District, Tianjin, 300387, China; Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Shang Wang
- Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Chenyu Li
- Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Bin Xue
- Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Xiaobo Yang
- Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Xinxin He
- Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Zhiqiang Shen
- Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Zhigang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, Tianjin, 300050, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- Department of Hygienic Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Tianjin Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, 300050, China.
| | - Jingfeng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Risk Assessment and Control for Environment & Food Safety, Tianjin, 300050, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pornkulwat P, Khan E, Powtongsook S, Mhuantong W, Chawengkijwanich C, Limpiyakorn T. Influence of ammonia and NaCl on nitrifying community and activity: Implications for formulating nitrifying culture augmentation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 833:155132. [PMID: 35405242 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bioaugmentation of nitrifying cultures can accelerate nitrification during startup and transition periods of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) operations. To formulate nitrifying cultures for RASs, impacts of ammonia and salinity (NaCl) on culturing nitrifying microorganisms were comprehensively investigated by including currently known groups of nitrifying microorganisms (ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), comammox, Nitrospira, and Nitrobacter). By varying ammonia loading rate (ALRs of 1.6, 8, 20, 40, 60 and 150 mgN/L/d) of continuous-flow bioreactors fed with inorganic medium experimented for culture preparation, cultures containing distinct patterns of nitrifying communities were produced. Operating the reactors at the ALRs of ≤40 mgN/L/d, resulting in the effluent total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite concentrations of ≤2.64 and ≤0.53 mgN/L, respectively, delivered the consortia consisting of a broad spectrum of substrate affinity nitrifying microorganisms. At the lower ranges of these ALRs (≤8 mgN/L/d), the most desirable consortia comprising comparable numbers of AOB, AOA, and comammox could be produced (the effluent TAN concentrations of ≤0.20 mgN/L), which would be resilient for applying in various RAS types. Enriching the cultures at the ALRs of ≥60 mgN/L/d allowed only the nitrifying microorganisms with low substrate affinity to dominate, incongruent with the consortia found in actual RASs. AOB were adaptable at all salinity studied (2, 15, and 30 g/L), while AOA and comammox were sensitive to elevated salinity (15 and 30 g/L, respectively). The ammonia removal rate of a culture prepared at 2 g/L salinity decreased largely when applied at 15 and 30 g/L. In contrast, those prepared at 15 and 30 g/L were more robust to different salinity. Separately preparing the cultures at different salinity for uses in freshwater-low salinity and brackish-marine RASs is recommended. The findings of this work enhance our understanding on how to formulate nitrifying culture augmentation for used in different RAS types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Preeyaporn Pornkulwat
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Eakalak Khan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4015, USA
| | - Sorawit Powtongsook
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand; Center of Excellence for Marine Biotechnology, Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Wuttichai Mhuantong
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Chamorn Chawengkijwanich
- Environmental Nanotechnology Research Team, National Nanotechnology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Tawan Limpiyakorn
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Research Network of NANOTEC-CU on Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Research Unit Control of Emerging Micropollutants in Environment, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Al-Ajeel S, Spasov E, Sauder LA, McKnight MM, Neufeld JD. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and complete ammonia-oxidizing Nitrospira in water treatment systems. WATER RESEARCH X 2022; 15:100131. [PMID: 35402889 PMCID: PMC8990171 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2022.100131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite, is important for many engineered water treatment systems. The sequential steps of this respiratory process are carried out by distinct microbial guilds, including ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and newly discovered members of the genus Nitrospira that conduct complete ammonia oxidation (comammox). Even though all of these nitrifiers have been identified within water treatment systems, their relative contributions to nitrogen cycling are poorly understood. Although AOA contribute to nitrification in many wastewater treatment plants, they are generally outnumbered by AOB. In contrast, AOA and comammox Nitrospira typically dominate relatively low ammonia environments such as drinking water treatment, tertiary wastewater treatment systems, and aquaculture/aquarium filtration. Studies that focus on the abundance of ammonia oxidizers may misconstrue the actual role that distinct nitrifying guilds play in a system. Understanding which ammonia oxidizers are active is useful for further optimization of engineered systems that rely on nitrifiers for ammonia removal. This review highlights known distributions of AOA and comammox Nitrospira in engineered water treatment systems and suggests future research directions that will help assess their contributions to nitrification and identify factors that influence their distributions and activity.
Collapse
|
5
|
Yang Y, Herbold CW, Jung MY, Qin W, Cai M, Du H, Lin JG, Li X, Li M, Gu JD. Survival strategies of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in a full-scale WWTP treating mixed landfill leachate containing copper ions and operating at low-intensity of aeration. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 191:116798. [PMID: 33444853 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) may play an important role in nitrogen removal by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, our knowledge of the mechanisms employed by AOA for growth and survival in full-scale WWTPs is still limited. Here, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses combined with a laboratory cultivation experiment revealed that three active AOAs (WS9, WS192, and WS208) belonging to family Nitrososphaeraceae were active in the deep oxidation ditch (DOD) of a full-scale WWTP treating landfill leachate, which is configured with three continuous aerobic-anoxic (OA) modules with low-intensity aeration (≤ 1.5 mg/L). AOA coexisted with AOB and complete ammonia oxidizers (Comammox), while the ammonia-oxidizing microbial (AOM) community was unexpectedly dominated by the novel AOA strain WS9. The low aeration, long retention time, and relatively high inputs of ammonium and copper might be responsible for the survival of AOA over AOB and Comammox, while the dominance of WS9, specifically may be enhanced by substrate preference and uniquely encoded retention strategies. The urease-negative WS9 is specifically adapted for ammonia acquisition as evidenced by the high expression of an ammonium transporter, whereas two metabolically versatile urease-positive AOA strains (WS192 and WS208) can likely supplement ammonia needs with urea. This study provides important information for the survival and application of the eutrophic Nitrososphaeraceae AOA and advances our understanding of archaea-dominated ammonia oxidation in a full-scale wastewater treatment system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuchun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Craig W Herbold
- University of Vienna, Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Man-Young Jung
- Division of Biology Education, Department of Science Education, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju 63243, South Korea; Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme in Advance Convergence Technology and Science, Faculty of Science Education, Jeju National University, Jeju 6324, South Korea
| | - Wei Qin
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States; Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, United States
| | - Mingwei Cai
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Huan Du
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Jih-Gaw Lin
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
| | - Meng Li
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
| | - Ji-Dong Gu
- Environmental Engineering, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China; Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Liu X, Wang Y, Gu JD. Ecological distribution and potential roles of Woesearchaeota in anaerobic biogeochemical cycling unveiled by genomic analysis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:794-800. [PMID: 33552450 PMCID: PMC7844129 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Woesearchaeota as a newly established member of the superphylum DPANN (Diapherotrites, Parvarchaeota, Aenigmarchaeota, Nanoarchaeota and Nanohaloarchaea) are surprisingly abundant and diverse in a wide variety of environments, including deep oil reservoir, sulfuric springs and anoxic aquifers, indicating a high diversity of their roles in global biogeochemical cycles. However, ecological functions of them remain elusive. To fill up this gap, we analyzed and compared the global distribution patterns of Woesearchaeota using the genomes available publicly. As a result, both ecological distribution patterns and metabolic predictions support a key role of woesearchaeotal lineages in cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that Woesearchaeota might function in consortium with methanogens in the cycling of carbon in anaerobic environments, particularly in soils or sediments. Moreover, comparative genomic analysis and ecological distribution suggest the potential roles of Woesearchaeota in the processes of denitrification, nitrogen fixation, and dissimilatory nitrite reduction, especially in the wastewater treatment systems; and also uncovered the potential capability of sulfate reduction, sulfide oxidation and thiosulfate oxidation in sulfuric or sulfidic-rich environments. Our findings add more information into the ecological roles of archaea in the anoxic environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobo Liu
- Environmental Engineering Program, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), 241 Daxue Road, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China
| | - Yali Wang
- Conservation Center, Guangdong Museum, 2 Zhujiang East Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 510623, Guangdong, China
| | - Ji-Dong Gu
- Environmental Engineering Program, Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), 241 Daxue Road, Shantou 515063, Guangdong, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Han P, Yu Y, Zhou L, Tian Z, Li Z, Hou L, Liu M, Wu Q, Wagner M, Men Y. Specific Micropollutant Biotransformation Pattern by the Comammox Bacterium Nitrospira inopinata. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:8695-8705. [PMID: 31294971 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The recently discovered complete ammonia-oxidizing (comammox) bacteria occur in various environments, including wastewater treatment plants. To better understand their role in micropollutant biotransformation in comparison with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), we investigated the biotransformation capability of Nitrospira inopinata (the only comammox isolate) for 17 micropollutants. Asulam, fenhexamid, mianserin, and ranitidine were biotransformed by N. inopinata, Nitrososphaera gargensis (AOA), and Nitrosomonas nitrosa Nm90 (AOB). More distinctively, carbendazim, a benzimidazole fungicide, was exclusively biotransformed by N. inopinata. The biotransformation of carbendazim only occurred when N. inopinata was supplied with ammonia but not nitrite as the energy source. The exclusive biotransformation of carbendazim by N. inopinata was likely enabled by an enhanced substrate promiscuity of its unique AMO and its much higher substrate (for ammonia) affinity compared with the other two ammonia oxidizers. One major plausible transformation product (TP) of carbendazim is a hydroxylated form at the aromatic ring, which is consistent with the function of AMO. These findings provide fundamental knowledge on the micropollutant degradation potential of a comammox bacterium to better understand the fate of micropollutants in nitrifying environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ping Han
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology , University of Vienna , Althanstrasse 14 , 1090 Vienna , Austria
| | - Yaochun Yu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | - Lijun Zhou
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology , University of Vienna , Althanstrasse 14 , 1090 Vienna , Austria
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment , Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Nanjing 210008 , China
| | - Zhenyu Tian
- Center for Urban Waters , University of Washington Tacoma , Tacoma , Washington 98421 , United States
| | - Zhong Li
- Metabolomics Center , University of Illinois , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| | | | | | - Qinglong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment , Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Nanjing 210008 , China
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Science , University of Chinese Academy of Science , Beijing 100190 , China
| | - Michael Wagner
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology , University of Vienna , Althanstrasse 14 , 1090 Vienna , Austria
- The Comammox Research Platform of the University of Vienna , 1090 Vienna , Austria
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Bioscience , Aalborg University , 9100 Aalborg , Denmark
| | - Yujie Men
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
- Institute for Genomic Biology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhou LJ, Han P, Yu Y, Wang B, Men Y, Wagner M, Wu QL. Cometabolic biotransformation and microbial-mediated abiotic transformation of sulfonamides by three ammonia oxidizers. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 159:444-453. [PMID: 31125804 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.05.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The abilities of three phylogenetically distant ammonia oxidizers, Nitrososphaera gargensis, an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon (AOA); Nitrosomomas nitrosa Nm90, an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB); and Nitrospira inopinata, the only complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) available as a pure culture, to biotransform seven sulfonamides (SAs) were investigated. The removals and protein-normalized biotransformation rate constants indicated that the AOA strain N. gargensis exhibited the highest SA biotransformation rates, followed by N. inopinata and N. nitrosa Nm90. The transformation products (TPs) of sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamethazine (SMZ) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and the biotransformation mechanisms were evaluated. Based on the analysis of the TP formulas and approximate structures, it was found that during biotransformation, i) the AOA strain carried out SA deamination, hydroxylation, and nitration; ii) the AOB strain mainly performed SA deamination; and iii) the comammox isolate participated only in deamination reactions. It is proposed that deamination was catalyzed by deaminases while hydroxylation and nitration were mediated by nonspecific activities of the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO). Additionally, it was demonstrated that among the three ammonia oxidizers, only AOB contributed to the formation of pterin-SA conjugates. The biotransformation of SDZ, SMZ and SMX occurred only when ammonia oxidation was active, suggesting a cometabolic transformation mechanism. Interestingly, SAs could also be transformed by hydroxylamine, an intermediate of ammonia oxidation, suggesting that in addition to enzymatic conversions, a microbially induced abiotic mechanism contributes to SA transformation during ammonia oxidation. Overall, using experiments with pure cultures, this study provides important insights into the roles played by ammonia oxidizers in SA biotransformation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li-Jun Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China; Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ping Han
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria; State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, China; School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, China.
| | - Yaochun Yu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Baozhan Wang
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria; Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Yujie Men
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Michael Wagner
- Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria; The Comammox Research Platform of the University of Vienna, Austria; Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Denmark
| | - Qinglong L Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China; Sino-Danish Center for Science and Education, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|