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Yu Y, Liu NH, Teng ZJ, Chen Y, Wang P, Zhang YZ, Fu HH, Chen XL, Zhang YQ. Evidence for archaeal metabolism of D-amino acids in the deep marine sediments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174723. [PMID: 39002603 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
The deep marine sediments represent a major repository of organic matter whilst hosting a great number of uncultivated microbes. Microbial metabolism plays a key role in the recycling of organic matter in the deep marine sediments. D-amino acids (DAAs) and DAA-containing muropeptides, an important group of organic matter in the deep marine sediments, are primarily derived from bacterial peptidoglycan decomposition. Archaea are abundant in the deep ocean microbiome, yet their role in DAA metabolism remains poorly studied. Here, we report bioinformatic investigation and enzymatic characterization of deep marine sedimentary archaea involved in DAA metabolism. Our analyses suggest that a variety of archaea, particularly the Candidatus Bathyarchaeota and the Candidatus Lokiarchaeaota, can metabolize DAAs. DAAs are converted into L-amino acids via amino acid racemases (Ala racemase, Asp racemase and broad substrate specificity amino acid racemase), and converted into α-keto acid via d-serine ammonia-lyase, whereas DAA-containing di-/tri-muropeptides can be hydrolyzed by peptidases (dipeptidase and D-aminopeptidase). Overall, this study reveals the identity and activity of deep marine sedimentary archaea involved in DAA metabolism, shedding light on the mineralization and biogeochemical cycling of DAAs in the deep marine sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yu
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Ning-Hua Liu
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Zhao-Jie Teng
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Yin Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System & College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Peng Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System & College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266237, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Yu-Zhong Zhang
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China; MOE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System & College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266237, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Hui-Hui Fu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System & College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266237, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Xiu-Lan Chen
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266237, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China
| | - Yu-Qiang Zhang
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China; Joint Research Center for Marine Microbial Science and Technology, Shandong University and Ocean University of China, China.
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Meyer NR, Morono Y, Dekas AE. Single-cell analysis reveals an active and heterotrophic microbiome in the Guaymas Basin deep subsurface with significant inorganic carbon fixation by heterotrophs. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0044624. [PMID: 38709099 PMCID: PMC11334695 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00446-24] [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: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The marine subsurface is a long-term sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide with significant implications for climate on geologic timescales. Subsurface microbial cells can either enhance or reduce carbon sequestration in the subsurface, depending on their metabolic lifestyle. However, the activity of subsurface microbes is rarely measured. Here, we used nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) to quantify anabolic activity in 3,203 individual cells from the thermally altered deep subsurface in the Guaymas Basin, Mexico (3-75 m below the seafloor, 0-14°C). We observed that a large majority of cells were active (83%-100%), although the rates of biomass generation were low, suggesting cellular maintenance rather than doubling. Mean single-cell activity decreased with increasing sediment depth and temperature and was most strongly correlated with porewater sulfate concentrations. Intracommunity heterogeneity in microbial activity decreased with increasing sediment depth and age. Using a dual-isotope labeling approach, we determined that all active cells analyzed were heterotrophic, deriving the majority of their cellular carbon from organic sources. However, we also detected inorganic carbon assimilation in these heterotrophic cells, likely via processes such as anaplerosis, and determined that inorganic carbon contributes at least 5% of the total biomass carbon in heterotrophs in this community. Our results demonstrate that the deep marine biosphere at Guaymas Basin is largely active and contributes to subsurface carbon cycling primarily by not only assimilating organic carbon but also fixing inorganic carbon. Heterotrophic assimilation of inorganic carbon may be a small yet significant and widespread underappreciated source of labile carbon in the global subsurface. IMPORTANCE The global subsurface is the largest reservoir of microbial life on the planet yet remains poorly characterized. The activity of life in this realm has implications for long-term elemental cycling, particularly of carbon, as well as how life survives in extreme environments. Here, we recovered cells from the deep subsurface of the Guaymas Basin and investigated the level and distribution of microbial activity, the physicochemical drivers of activity, and the relative significance of organic versus inorganic carbon to subsurface biomass. Using a sensitive single-cell assay, we found that the majority of cells are active, that activity is likely driven by the availability of energy, and that although heterotrophy is the dominant metabolism, both organic and inorganic carbon are used to generate biomass. Using a new approach, we quantified inorganic carbon assimilation by heterotrophs and highlighted the importance of this often-overlooked mode of carbon assimilation in the subsurface and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolette R. Meyer
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Yuki Morono
- Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avantgarde Research (X-STAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Anne E. Dekas
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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Hinkle JE, Mara P, Beaudoin DJ, Edgcomb VP, Teske AP. A PCR-Based Survey of Methane-Cycling Archaea in Methane-Soaked Subsurface Sediments of Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2956. [PMID: 38138100 PMCID: PMC10745291 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11122956] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California is characterized by active seafloor spreading, the rapid deposition of organic-rich sediments, steep geothermal gradients, and abundant methane of mixed thermogenic and microbial origin. Subsurface sediment samples from eight drilling sites with distinct geochemical and thermal profiles were selected for DNA extraction and PCR amplification to explore the diversity of methane-cycling archaea in the Guaymas Basin subsurface. We performed PCR amplifications with general (mcrIRD), and ANME-1 specific primers that target the alpha (α) subunit of methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA). Diverse ANME-1 lineages associated with anaerobic methane oxidation were detected in seven out of the eight drilling sites, preferentially around the methane-sulfate interface, and in several cases, showed preferences for specific sampling sites. Phylogenetically, most ANME-1 sequences from the Guaymas Basin subsurface were related to marine mud volcanoes, seep sites, and the shallow marine subsurface. The most frequently recovered methanogenic phylotypes were closely affiliated with the hyperthermophilic Methanocaldococcaceae, and found at the hydrothermally influenced Ringvent site. The coolest drilling site, in the northern axial trough of Guaymas Basin, yielded the greatest diversity in methanogen lineages. Our survey indicates the potential for extensive microbial methane cycling within subsurface sediments of Guaymas Basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E. Hinkle
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Paraskevi Mara
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA; (P.M.); (D.J.B.); (V.P.E.)
| | - David J. Beaudoin
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA; (P.M.); (D.J.B.); (V.P.E.)
| | - Virginia P. Edgcomb
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA; (P.M.); (D.J.B.); (V.P.E.)
| | - Andreas P. Teske
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Mara P, Geller-McGrath D, Edgcomb V, Beaudoin D, Morono Y, Teske A. Metagenomic profiles of archaea and bacteria within thermal and geochemical gradients of the Guaymas Basin deep subsurface. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7768. [PMID: 38012208 PMCID: PMC10681998 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43296-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies of microbial communities in subseafloor sediments reported that microbial abundance and diversity decrease with sediment depth and age, and microbes dominating at depth tend to be a subset of the local seafloor community. However, the existence of geographically widespread, subsurface-adapted specialists is also possible. Here, we use metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses of the hydrothermally heated, sediment layers of Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California, Mexico) to examine the distribution and activity patterns of bacteria and archaea along thermal, geochemical and cell count gradients. We find that the composition and distribution of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), dominated by numerous lineages of Chloroflexota and Thermoproteota, correlate with biogeochemical parameters as long as temperatures remain moderate, but downcore increasing temperatures beyond ca. 45 ºC override other factors. Consistently, MAG size and diversity decrease with increasing temperature, indicating a downcore winnowing of the subsurface biosphere. By contrast, specific archaeal MAGs within the Thermoproteota and Hadarchaeota increase in relative abundance and in recruitment of transcriptome reads towards deeper, hotter sediments, marking the transition towards a specialized deep, hot biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paraskevi Mara
- Geology and Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - David Geller-McGrath
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Virginia Edgcomb
- Geology and Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - David Beaudoin
- Geology and Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Yuki Morono
- Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avantgarde Research (X-STAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Monobe, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Andreas Teske
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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