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Ellenbogen JB, Borton MA, McGivern BB, Cronin DR, Hoyt DW, Freire-Zapata V, McCalley CK, Varner RK, Crill PM, Wehr RA, Chanton JP, Woodcroft BJ, Tfaily MM, Tyson GW, Rich VI, Wrighton KC. Methylotrophy in the Mire: direct and indirect routes for methane production in thawing permafrost. mSystems 2024; 9:e0069823. [PMID: 38063415 PMCID: PMC10805028 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00698-23] [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: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
While wetlands are major sources of biogenic methane (CH4), our understanding of resident microbial metabolism is incomplete, which compromises the prediction of CH4 emissions under ongoing climate change. Here, we employed genome-resolved multi-omics to expand our understanding of methanogenesis in the thawing permafrost peatland of Stordalen Mire in Arctic Sweden. In quadrupling the genomic representation of the site's methanogens and examining their encoded metabolism, we revealed that nearly 20% of the metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) encoded the potential for methylotrophic methanogenesis. Further, 27% of the transcriptionally active methanogens expressed methylotrophic genes; for Methanosarcinales and Methanobacteriales MAGs, these data indicated the use of methylated oxygen compounds (e.g., methanol), while for Methanomassiliicoccales, they primarily implicated methyl sulfides and methylamines. In addition to methanogenic methylotrophy, >1,700 bacterial MAGs across 19 phyla encoded anaerobic methylotrophic potential, with expression across 12 phyla. Metabolomic analyses revealed the presence of diverse methylated compounds in the Mire, including some known methylotrophic substrates. Active methylotrophy was observed across all stages of a permafrost thaw gradient in Stordalen, with the most frozen non-methanogenic palsa found to host bacterial methylotrophy and the partially thawed bog and fully thawed fen seen to house both methanogenic and bacterial methylotrophic activities. Methanogenesis across increasing permafrost thaw is thus revised from the sole dominance of hydrogenotrophic production and the appearance of acetoclastic at full thaw to consider the co-occurrence of methylotrophy throughout. Collectively, these findings indicate that methanogenic and bacterial methylotrophy may be an important and previously underappreciated component of carbon cycling and emissions in these rapidly changing wetland habitats.IMPORTANCEWetlands are the biggest natural source of atmospheric methane (CH4) emissions, yet we have an incomplete understanding of the suite of microbial metabolism that results in CH4 formation. Specifically, methanogenesis from methylated compounds is excluded from all ecosystem models used to predict wetland contributions to the global CH4 budget. Though recent studies have shown methylotrophic methanogenesis to be active across wetlands, the broad climatic importance of the metabolism remains critically understudied. Further, some methylotrophic bacteria are known to produce methanogenic by-products like acetate, increasing the complexity of the microbial methylotrophic metabolic network. Prior studies of Stordalen Mire have suggested that methylotrophic methanogenesis is irrelevant in situ and have not emphasized the bacterial capacity for metabolism, both of which we countered in this study. The importance of our findings lies in the significant advancement toward unraveling the broader impact of methylotrophs in wetland methanogenesis and, consequently, their contribution to the terrestrial global carbon cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared B. Ellenbogen
- Department of Soil and Crop Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Mikayla A. Borton
- Department of Soil and Crop Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Bridget B. McGivern
- Department of Soil and Crop Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Dylan R. Cronin
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - David W. Hoyt
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Earth and Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, USA
| | | | - Carmody K. McCalley
- Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Ruth K. Varner
- Department of Earth Sciences and Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Patrick M. Crill
- Department of Geological Sciences, Bolin Center for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Richard A. Wehr
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Jeffrey P. Chanton
- Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Ben J. Woodcroft
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Malak M. Tfaily
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Gene W. Tyson
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Virginia I. Rich
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Kelly C. Wrighton
- Department of Soil and Crop Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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2
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Lynes MM, Jay ZJ, Kohtz AJ, Hatzenpichler R. Methylotrophic methanogenesis in the Archaeoglobi revealed by cultivation of Ca. Methanoglobus hypatiae from a Yellowstone hot spring. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae026. [PMID: 38452205 PMCID: PMC10945360 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae026] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Over the past decade, environmental metagenomics and polymerase chain reaction-based marker gene surveys have revealed that several lineages beyond just a few well-established groups within the Euryarchaeota superphylum harbor the genetic potential for methanogenesis. One of these groups are the Archaeoglobi, a class of thermophilic Euryarchaeota that have long been considered to live non-methanogenic lifestyles. Here, we enriched Candidatus Methanoglobus hypatiae, a methanogen affiliated with the family Archaeoglobaceae, from a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. The enrichment is sediment-free, grows at 64-70°C and a pH of 7.8, and produces methane from mono-, di-, and tri-methylamine. Ca. M. hypatiae is represented by a 1.62 Mb metagenome-assembled genome with an estimated completeness of 100% and accounts for up to 67% of cells in the culture according to fluorescence in situ hybridization. Via genome-resolved metatranscriptomics and stable isotope tracing, we demonstrate that Ca. M. hypatiae expresses methylotrophic methanogenesis and energy-conserving pathways for reducing monomethylamine to methane. The detection of Archaeoglobi populations related to Ca. M. hypatiae in 36 geochemically diverse geothermal sites within Yellowstone National Park, as revealed through the examination of previously published gene amplicon datasets, implies a previously underestimated contribution to anaerobic carbon cycling in extreme ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie M Lynes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Anthony J Kohtz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, United States
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3
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Webster G, Cragg BA, Rinna J, Watkins AJ, Sass H, Weightman AJ, Parkes RJ. Methanogen activity and microbial diversity in Gulf of Cádiz mud volcano sediments. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1157337. [PMID: 37293223 PMCID: PMC10244519 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1157337] [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: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The Gulf of Cádiz is a tectonically active continental margin with over sixty mud volcanoes (MV) documented, some associated with active methane (CH4) seepage. However, the role of prokaryotes in influencing this CH4 release is largely unknown. In two expeditions (MSM1-3 and JC10) seven Gulf of Cádiz MVs (Porto, Bonjardim, Carlos Ribeiro, Captain Arutyunov, Darwin, Meknes, and Mercator) were analyzed for microbial diversity, geochemistry, and methanogenic activity, plus substrate amended slurries also measured potential methanogenesis and anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Prokaryotic populations and activities were variable in these MV sediments reflecting the geochemical heterogeneity within and between them. There were also marked differences between many MV and their reference sites. Overall direct cell numbers below the SMTZ (0.2-0.5 mbsf) were much lower than the general global depth distribution and equivalent to cell numbers from below 100 mbsf. Methanogenesis from methyl compounds, especially methylamine, were much higher than the usually dominant substrates H2/CO2 or acetate. Also, CH4 production occurred in 50% of methylated substrate slurries and only methylotrophic CH4 production occurred at all seven MV sites. These slurries were dominated by Methanococcoides methanogens (resulting in pure cultures), and prokaryotes found in other MV sediments. AOM occurred in some slurries, particularly, those from Captain Arutyunov, Mercator and Carlos Ribeiro MVs. Archaeal diversity at MV sites showed the presence of both methanogens and ANME (Methanosarcinales, Methanococcoides, and ANME-1) related sequences, and bacterial diversity was higher than archaeal diversity, dominated by members of the Atribacterota, Chloroflexota, Pseudomonadota, Planctomycetota, Bacillota, and Ca. "Aminicenantes." Further work is essential to determine the full contribution of Gulf of Cádiz mud volcanoes to the global methane and carbon cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Webster
- Microbiomes, Microbes and Informatics Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Barry A. Cragg
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Joachim Rinna
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
- Aker BP ASA, Lysaker, Norway
| | - Andrew J. Watkins
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
- The Wales Research and Diagnostic Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Centre (PETIC), School of Medicine, Cardiff University, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Henrik Sass
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Weightman
- Microbiomes, Microbes and Informatics Group, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
| | - R. John Parkes
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
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4
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Prakash O, Dodsworth JA, Dong X, Ferry JG, L'Haridon S, Imachi H, Kamagata Y, Rhee SK, Sagar I, Shcherbakova V, Wagner D, Whitman WB. Proposed minimal standards for description of methanogenic archaea. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2023; 73. [PMID: 37097839 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Methanogenic archaea are a diverse, polyphyletic group of strictly anaerobic prokaryotes capable of producing methane as their primary metabolic product. It has been over three decades since minimal standards for their taxonomic description have been proposed. In light of advancements in technology and amendments in systematic microbiology, revision of the older criteria for taxonomic description is essential. Most of the previously recommended minimum standards regarding phenotypic characterization of pure cultures are maintained. Electron microscopy and chemotaxonomic methods like whole-cell protein and lipid analysis are desirable but not required. Because of advancements in DNA sequencing technologies, obtaining a complete or draft whole genome sequence for type strains and its deposition in a public database are now mandatory. Genomic data should be used for rigorous comparison to close relatives using overall genome related indices such as average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene is also required and can be supplemented by phylogenies of the mcrA gene and phylogenomic analysis using multiple conserved, single-copy marker genes. Additionally, it is now established that culture purity is not essential for studying prokaryotes, and description of Candidatus methanogenic taxa using single-cell or metagenomics along with other appropriate criteria is a viable alternative. The revisions to the minimal criteria proposed here by the members of the Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Methanogenic Archaea of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes should allow for rigorous yet practical taxonomic description of these important and diverse microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Om Prakash
- National Centre for Microbial Resource (NCMR), National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India
- Symbiosis Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Lavale, Pune-412115, Maharashtra, India
| | - Jeremy A Dodsworth
- Department of Biology, California State University, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Xiuzhu Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, PR China
| | - James G Ferry
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Stephane L'Haridon
- CNRS, IFREMER, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, University of Brest, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Hiroyuki Imachi
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Yoichi Kamagata
- Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8560, Japan
| | - Sung-Keun Rhee
- Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, Chungdae-ro 1, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
| | - Isita Sagar
- National Centre for Microbial Resource (NCMR), National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune, 411007, Maharashtra, India
| | - Viktoria Shcherbakova
- Laboratory of Anaerobic Microorganisms, All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms (VKM), Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Federal Research Center Pushchino Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospect Nauki 3, Pushchino, Moscow, 142290, Russian Federation
| | - Dirk Wagner
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg A71-359, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Institut of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - William B Whitman
- Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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5
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Bueno de Mesquita CP, Wu D, Tringe SG. Methyl-Based Methanogenesis: an Ecological and Genomic Review. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2023; 87:e0002422. [PMID: 36692297 PMCID: PMC10029344 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00024-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Methyl-based methanogenesis is one of three broad categories of archaeal anaerobic methanogenesis, including both the methyl dismutation (methylotrophic) pathway and the methyl-reducing (also known as hydrogen-dependent methylotrophic) pathway. Methyl-based methanogenesis is increasingly recognized as an important source of methane in a variety of environments. Here, we provide an overview of methyl-based methanogenesis research, including the conditions under which methyl-based methanogenesis can be a dominant source of methane emissions, experimental methods for distinguishing different pathways of methane production, molecular details of the biochemical pathways involved, and the genes and organisms involved in these processes. We also identify the current gaps in knowledge and present a genomic and metagenomic survey of methyl-based methanogenesis genes, highlighting the diversity of methyl-based methanogens at multiple taxonomic levels and the widespread distribution of known methyl-based methanogenesis genes and families across different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dongying Wu
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Susannah G. Tringe
- Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, USA
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6
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Liang L, Sun Y, Dong Y, Ahmad T, Chen Y, Wang J, Wang F. Methanococcoides orientis sp. nov., a methylotrophic methanogen isolated from sediment of the East China Sea. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2022; 72. [DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel methylotrophic methanogen Methanococcoides orientis sp. nov. was isolated from East China Sea sediment. Type strain LMO-1T of Methanococcoides orientis sp. nov. was irregular 1–2 µm cocci without flagella. Strain LMO-1T could utilize a variety of methylated compounds including methanol, methylamine, dimethylamine and trimethylamine for growth and methanogenesis, while H2/CO2 or acetate could not be used for growth or methanogenesis. Optimum growth temperature was 30–35 °C, optimum pH range for growth was 7.0–7.5, while the optimum salinity spectrum for growth was 1.0%–5.0% NaCl. Based on 16S rRNA gene similarity, strain LMO-1T belongs to
Methanococcoides
, with the highest sequence similarity to
Methanococcoides methylutens
DSM 2657T (99.8 %),
Methanococcoides vulcani
SLH33T(99.4 %), followed by
Methanococcoides alaskense
AK-5T(98.1 %),
Methanococcoides burtonii
DSM 6242T (98.0 %). Digital DNA–DNA hybridization also showed highest similarity with
Methanococcoides methylutens
DSM 2657T, with the value of 58.4 %. The average nucleotide identity between strain LMO-1T and
Methanococcoides methylutens
DSM 2657T was 94.06 %. In summary, LMO-1T represents a novel species of the genus Methaococcoides, for which the name Methanococcoides orientis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LMO-1T (=MCCC 4K00106T=JCM 39195T).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lewen Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Yu Sun
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Yijing Dong
- School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Tariq Ahmad
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Yifan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Jing Wang
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
| | - Fengping Wang
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, PR China
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7
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Schorn S, Ahmerkamp S, Bullock E, Weber M, Lott C, Liebeke M, Lavik G, Kuypers MMM, Graf JS, Milucka J. Diverse methylotrophic methanogenic archaea cause high methane emissions from seagrass meadows. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2106628119. [PMID: 35165204 PMCID: PMC8892325 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106628119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine coastlines colonized by seagrasses are a net source of methane to the atmosphere. However, methane emissions from these environments are still poorly constrained, and the underlying processes and responsible microorganisms remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated methane turnover in seagrass meadows of Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea. The underlying sediments exhibited median net fluxes of methane into the water column of ca. 106 µmol CH4 ⋅ m-2 ⋅ d-1 Our data show that this methane production was sustained by methylated compounds produced by the plant, rather than by fermentation of buried organic carbon. Interestingly, methane production was maintained long after the living plant died off, likely due to the persistence of methylated compounds, such as choline, betaines, and dimethylsulfoniopropionate, in detached plant leaves and rhizomes. We recovered multiple mcrA gene sequences, encoding for methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr), the key methanogenic enzyme, from the seagrass sediments. Most retrieved mcrA gene sequences were affiliated with a clade of divergent Mcr and belonged to the uncultured Candidatus Helarchaeota of the Asgard superphylum, suggesting a possible involvement of these divergent Mcr in methane metabolism. Taken together, our findings identify the mechanisms controlling methane emissions from these important blue carbon ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Schorn
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany;
| | - Soeren Ahmerkamp
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Emma Bullock
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | | | | | - Manuel Liebeke
- Symbiosis Department, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Gaute Lavik
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Marcel M M Kuypers
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Jon S Graf
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Jana Milucka
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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Bacteria and Archaea Synergistically Convert Glycine Betaine to Biogenic Methane in the Formosa Cold Seep of the South China Sea. mSystems 2021; 6:e0070321. [PMID: 34491083 PMCID: PMC8547467 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00703-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold seeps are globally widespread seafloor ecosystems that feature abundant methane production and flourishing chemotrophic benthic communities. Chemical evidence indicates that cold seep methane is largely biogenic; however, the primary methane-producing organisms and associated pathways involved in methanogenesis remain elusive. This work detected methane production when glycine betaine (GBT) or trimethylamine (TMA) was added to the sediment microcosms of the Formosa cold seep, South China Sea. The methane production was suppressed by antibiotic inhibition of bacteria, while GBT was accumulated. This suggests that the widely used osmoprotectant GBT could be converted to cold seep biogenic methane via the synergistic activity of bacteria and methanogenic archaea because archaea are not sensitive to antibiotics and no bacteria are known to produce ample methane (mM). 16S rRNA gene diversity analyses revealed that the predominant bacterial and archaeal genera in the GBT-amended methanogenic microcosms included Oceanirhabdus and Methanococcoides. Moreover, metagenomic analyses detected the presence of grdH and mtgB genes that are involved in GBT reduction and demethylation, respectively. Two novel species were obtained, including bacterium Oceanirhabdus seepicola, which reduces GBT to TMA, and a methanogenic archaeon, Methanococcoides seepicolus, which produces methane from TMA and GBT. The two strains reconstituted coculture efficiently converted GBT to methane at 18°C; however, at 4°C addition of dimethylglycine (DMG), the GBT demethylation product, was necessary. Therefore, this work demonstrated that GBT is the precursor not only of the biogenic methane but also of the cryoprotectant DMG to the microorganisms at the Formosa cold seep. IMPORTANCE Numerous cold seeps have been found in global continental margins where methane is enriched in pore waters that are forced upward from sediments. Therefore, high concerns have been focused on the methane-producing organisms and the metabolic pathways in these environments because methane is a potent greenhouse gas. In this study, GBT was identified as the main precursor for methane in the Formosa cold seep of the South China Sea. Further, synergism of bacteria and methanogenic archaea was identified in GBT conversion to methane via the GBT reduction pathway, while methanogen-mediated GBT demethylation to methane was also observed. In addition, GBT-demethylated product dimethyl glycine acted as a cryoprotectant that promoted the cold seep microorganisms at cold temperatures. GBT is an osmoprotectant that is widely used by marine organisms, and therefore, the GBT-derived methanogenic pathway reported here could be widely distributed among global cold seep environments.
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9
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Cozannet M, Borrel G, Roussel E, Moalic Y, Allioux M, Sanvoisin A, Toffin L, Alain K. New Insights into the Ecology and Physiology of Methanomassiliicoccales from Terrestrial and Aquatic Environments. Microorganisms 2020; 9:E30. [PMID: 33374130 PMCID: PMC7824343 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the archaeal order Methanomassiliicoccales are methanogens mainly associated with animal digestive tracts. However, environmental members remain poorly characterized as no representatives not associated with a host have been cultivated so far. In this study, metabarcoding screening combined with quantitative PCR analyses on a collection of diverse non-host-associated environmental samples revealed that Methanomassiliicoccales were very scarce in most terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Relative abundance of Methanomassiliicoccales and substrates/products of methanogenesis were monitored during incubation of environmental slurries. A sediment slurry enriched in Methanomassiliicoccales was obtained from a freshwater sample. It allowed the reconstruction of a high-quality metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) corresponding to a new candidate species, for which we propose the name of Candidatus 'Methanomassiliicoccus armoricus MXMAG1'. Comparison of the annotated genome of MXMAG1 with the published genomes and MAGs from Methanomassiliicoccales belonging to the 2 known clades ('free-living'/non-host-associated environmental clade and 'host-associated'/digestive clade) allowed us to explore the putative physiological traits of Candidatus 'M. armoricus MXMAG1'. As expected, Ca. 'Methanomassiliicoccus armoricus MXMAG1' had the genetic potential to produce methane by reduction of methyl compounds and dihydrogen oxidation. This MAG encodes for several putative physiological and stress response adaptations, including biosynthesis of trehalose (osmotic and temperature regulations), agmatine production (pH regulation), and arsenic detoxication, by reduction and excretion of arsenite, a mechanism that was only present in the 'free-living' clade. An analysis of co-occurrence networks carried out on environmental samples and slurries also showed that Methanomassiliicoccales detected in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems were strongly associated with acetate and dihydrogen producing bacteria commonly found in digestive habitats and which have been reported to form syntrophic relationships with methanogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Cozannet
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, IRP 1211 MicrobSea, UMR 6197, IUEM, Rue Dumont d’Urville, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (M.C.); (E.R.); (Y.M.); (M.A.); (A.S.); (L.T.)
| | - Guillaume Borrel
- Unit Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Department of Microbiology, Institute Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France;
| | - Erwan Roussel
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, IRP 1211 MicrobSea, UMR 6197, IUEM, Rue Dumont d’Urville, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (M.C.); (E.R.); (Y.M.); (M.A.); (A.S.); (L.T.)
| | - Yann Moalic
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, IRP 1211 MicrobSea, UMR 6197, IUEM, Rue Dumont d’Urville, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (M.C.); (E.R.); (Y.M.); (M.A.); (A.S.); (L.T.)
| | - Maxime Allioux
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, IRP 1211 MicrobSea, UMR 6197, IUEM, Rue Dumont d’Urville, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (M.C.); (E.R.); (Y.M.); (M.A.); (A.S.); (L.T.)
| | - Amandine Sanvoisin
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, IRP 1211 MicrobSea, UMR 6197, IUEM, Rue Dumont d’Urville, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (M.C.); (E.R.); (Y.M.); (M.A.); (A.S.); (L.T.)
| | - Laurent Toffin
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, IRP 1211 MicrobSea, UMR 6197, IUEM, Rue Dumont d’Urville, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (M.C.); (E.R.); (Y.M.); (M.A.); (A.S.); (L.T.)
| | - Karine Alain
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, Univ Brest, CNRS, IFREMER, IRP 1211 MicrobSea, UMR 6197, IUEM, Rue Dumont d’Urville, F-29280 Plouzané, France; (M.C.); (E.R.); (Y.M.); (M.A.); (A.S.); (L.T.)
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10
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Kurth JM, Op den Camp HJM, Welte CU. Several ways one goal-methanogenesis from unconventional substrates. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2020; 104:6839-6854. [PMID: 32542472 PMCID: PMC7374477 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-10724-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas on earth. It is produced by methanogenic archaea, which play an important role in the global carbon cycle. Three main methanogenesis pathways are known: in the hydrogenotrophic pathway H2 and carbon dioxide are used for methane production, whereas in the methylotrophic pathway small methylated carbon compounds like methanol and methylated amines are used. In the aceticlastic pathway, acetate is disproportionated to methane and carbon dioxide. However, next to these conventional substrates, further methanogenic substrates and pathways have been discovered. Several phylogenetically distinct methanogenic lineages (Methanosphaera, Methanimicrococcus, Methanomassiliicoccus, Methanonatronarchaeum) have evolved hydrogen-dependent methylotrophic methanogenesis without the ability to perform either hydrogenotrophic or methylotrophic methanogenesis. Genome analysis of the deep branching Methanonatronarchaeum revealed an interesting membrane-bound hydrogenase complex affiliated with the hardly described class 4 g of multisubunit hydrogenases possibly providing reducing equivalents for anabolism. Furthermore, methylated sulfur compounds such as methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, and methylmercaptopropionate were described to be converted into adapted methylotrophic methanogenesis pathways of Methanosarcinales strains. Moreover, recently it has been shown that the methanogen Methermicoccus shengliensis can use methoxylated aromatic compounds in methanogenesis. Also, tertiary amines like choline (N,N,N-trimethylethanolamine) or betaine (N,N,N-trimethylglycine) have been described as substrates for methane production in Methanococcoides and Methanolobus strains. This review article will provide in-depth information on genome-guided metabolic reconstructions, physiology, and biochemistry of these unusual methanogenesis pathways. Key points • Newly discovered methanogenic substrates and pathways are reviewed for the first time. • The review provides an in-depth analysis of unusual methanogenesis pathways. • The hydrogenase complex of the deep branching Methanonatronarchaeum is analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M Kurth
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Huub J M Op den Camp
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Cornelia U Welte
- Department of Microbiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. .,Soehngen Institute of Anaerobic Microbiology, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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11
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Creighbaum AJ, Ticak T, Shinde S, Wang X, Ferguson DJ. Examination of the Glycine Betaine-Dependent Methylotrophic Methanogenesis Pathway: Insights Into Anaerobic Quaternary Amine Methylotrophy. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2572. [PMID: 31787957 PMCID: PMC6855144 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies indicate that environmentally abundant quaternary amines (QAs) are a primary source for methanogenesis, yet the catabolic enzymes are unknown. We hypothesized that the methanogenic archaeon Methanolobus vulcani B1d metabolizes glycine betaine (GB) through a corrinoid-dependent GB:coenzyme M (CoM) methyl transfer pathway. The draft genome sequence of M. vulcani B1d revealed a gene encoding a predicted non-pyrrolysine MttB homolog (MV8460) with high sequence similarity to the GB methyltransferase encoded by Desulfitobacterium hafniense Y51. MV8460 catalyzes GB-dependent methylation of free cob(I)alamin indicating it is an authentic MtgB enzyme. Proteomic analysis revealed that MV8460 and a corrinoid binding protein (MV8465) were highly abundant when M. vulcani B1d was grown on GB relative to growth on trimethylamine. The abundance of a corrinoid reductive activation enzyme (MV10335) and a methylcorrinoid:CoM methyltransferase (MV10360) were significantly higher in GB-grown B1d lysates compared to other homologs. The GB:CoM pathway was fully reconstituted in vitro using recombinant MV8460, MV8465, MV10335, and MV10360. Demonstration of the complete GB:CoM pathway expands the knowledge of direct QA-dependent methylotrophy and establishes a model to identify additional ecologically relevant anaerobic quaternary amine pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Creighbaum
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
| | - Tomislav Ticak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
| | - Shrameeta Shinde
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
| | - Donald J Ferguson
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States.,Department of Biological Sciences, Miami University Regionals, Hamilton, OH, United States
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12
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Genome Sequences of Two Choline-Utilizing Methanogenic Archaea, Methanococcoides spp., Isolated from Marine Sediments. Microbiol Resour Announc 2019; 8:8/18/e00342-19. [PMID: 31048384 PMCID: PMC6498239 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00342-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The genomes of two Methanococcoides spp. that were isolated from marine sediments and are capable of carrying out methanogenesis from choline and other methylotrophic substrates were sequenced. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization analyses demonstrate that they represent species different from those previously described.
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13
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Deltaproteobacteria (Pelobacter) and Methanococcoides are responsible for choline-dependent methanogenesis in a coastal saltmarsh sediment. ISME JOURNAL 2018; 13:277-289. [PMID: 30206424 PMCID: PMC6331629 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0269-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Coastal saltmarsh sediments represent an important source of natural methane emissions, much of which originates from quaternary and methylated amines, such as choline and trimethylamine. In this study, we combine DNA stable isotope probing with high throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and 13C2-choline enriched metagenomes, followed by metagenome data assembly, to identify the key microbes responsible for methanogenesis from choline. Microcosm incubation with 13C2-choline leads to the formation of trimethylamine and subsequent methane production, suggesting that choline-dependent methanogenesis is a two-step process involving trimethylamine as the key intermediate. Amplicon sequencing analysis identifies Deltaproteobacteria of the genera Pelobacter as the major choline utilizers. Methanogenic Archaea of the genera Methanococcoides become enriched in choline-amended microcosms, indicating their role in methane formation from trimethylamine. The binning of metagenomic DNA results in the identification of bins classified as Pelobacter and Methanococcoides. Analyses of these bins reveal that Pelobacter have the genetic potential to degrade choline to trimethylamine using the choline-trimethylamine lyase pathway, whereas Methanococcoides are capable of methanogenesis using the pyrrolysine-containing trimethylamine methyltransferase pathway. Together, our data provide a new insight on the diversity of choline utilizing organisms in coastal sediments and support a syntrophic relationship between Bacteria and Archaea as the dominant route for methanogenesis from choline in this environment.
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14
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Coupled laboratory and field investigations resolve microbial interactions that underpin persistence in hydraulically fractured shales. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E6585-E6594. [PMID: 29941576 PMCID: PMC6048472 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1800155115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydraulic fracturing is one of the industrial processes behind the surging natural gas output in the United States. This technology inadvertently creates an engineered microbial ecosystem thousands of meters below Earth's surface. Here, we used laboratory reactors to perform manipulations of persisting shale microbial communities that are currently not feasible in field scenarios. Metaproteomic and metabolite findings from the laboratory were then corroborated using regression-based modeling performed on metagenomic and metabolite data from more than 40 produced fluids from five hydraulically fractured shale wells. Collectively, our findings show that Halanaerobium, Geotoga, and Methanohalophilus strain abundances predict a significant fraction of nitrogen and carbon metabolites in the field. Our laboratory findings also exposed cryptic predatory, cooperative, and competitive interactions that impact microorganisms across fractured shales. Scaling these results from the laboratory to the field identified mechanisms underpinning biogeochemical reactions, yielding knowledge that can be harnessed to potentially increase energy yields and inform management practices in hydraulically fractured shales.
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15
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Zabranska J, Pokorna D. Bioconversion of carbon dioxide to methane using hydrogen and hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Biotechnol Adv 2017; 36:707-720. [PMID: 29248685 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Revised: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Biogas produced from organic wastes contains energetically usable methane and unavoidable amount of carbon dioxide. The exploitation of whole biogas energy is locally limited and utilization of the natural gas transport system requires CO2 removal or its conversion to methane. The biological conversion of CO2 and hydrogen to methane is well known reaction without the demand of high pressure and temperature and is carried out by hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Reducing equivalents to the biotransformation of carbon dioxide from biogas or other resources to biomethane can be supplied by external hydrogen. Discontinuous electricity production from wind and solar energy combined with fluctuating utilization cause serious storage problems that can be solved by power-to-gas strategy representing the production of storable hydrogen via the electrolysis of water. The possibility of subsequent repowering of the energy of hydrogen to the easily utilizable and transportable form is a biological conversion with CO2 to biomethane. Biomethanization of CO2 can take place directly in anaerobic digesters fed with organic substrates or in separate bioreactors. The major bottleneck in the process is gas-liquid mass transfer of H2 and the method of the effective input of hydrogen into the system. There are many studies with different bioreactors arrangements and a way of enrichment of hydrogenotrophic methanogens, but the system still has to be optimized for a higher efficiency. The aim of the paper is to gather and critically assess the state of a research and experience from laboratory, pilot and operational applications of carbon dioxide bioconversion and highlight further perspective fields of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Zabranska
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, Technicka 5, CZ 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Dana Pokorna
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Department of Water Technology and Environmental Engineering, Technicka 5, CZ 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic
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16
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Chronopoulou PM, Shelley F, Pritchard WJ, Maanoja ST, Trimmer M. Origin and fate of methane in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone. THE ISME JOURNAL 2017; 11:1386-1399. [PMID: 28244978 PMCID: PMC5437358 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2016] [Revised: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) contain the largest pools of oceanic methane but its origin and fate are poorly understood. High-resolution (<15 m) water column profiles revealed a 300 m thick layer of elevated methane (20-105 nM) in the anoxic core of the largest OMZ, the Eastern Tropical North Pacific. Sediment core incubations identified a clear benthic methane source where the OMZ meets the continental shelf, between 350 and 650 m, with the flux reflecting the concentration of methane in the overlying anoxic water. Further incubations characterised a methanogenic potential in the presence of both porewater sulphate and nitrate of up to 88 nmol g-1day-1 in the sediment surface layer. In these methane-producing sediments, the majority (85%) of methyl coenzyme M reductase alpha subunit (mcrA) gene sequences clustered with Methanosarcinaceae (⩾96% similarity to Methanococcoides sp.), a family capable of performing non-competitive methanogenesis. Incubations with 13C-CH4 showed potential for both aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation in the waters within and above the OMZ. Both aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation is corroborated by the presence of particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) gene sequences, related to type I methanotrophs and the lineage of Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera, known to perform nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (N-DAMO), respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felicity Shelley
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - William J Pritchard
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Susanna T Maanoja
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Mark Trimmer
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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17
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Webster TM, Smith AL, Reddy RR, Pinto AJ, Hayes KF, Raskin L. Anaerobic microbial community response to methanogenic inhibitors 2-bromoethanesulfonate and propynoic acid. Microbiologyopen 2016; 5:537-50. [PMID: 26987552 PMCID: PMC4985588 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Methanogenic inhibitors are often used to study methanogenesis in complex microbial communities or inhibit methanogens in the gastrointestinal tract of livestock. However, the resulting structural and functional changes in archaeal and bacterial communities are poorly understood. We characterized microbial community structure and activity in mesocosms seeded with cow dung and municipal wastewater treatment plant anaerobic digester sludge after exposure to two methanogenic inhibitors, 2‐bromoethanesulfonate (BES) and propynoic acid (PA). Methane production was reduced by 89% (0.5 mmol/L BES), 100% (10 mmol/LBES), 24% (0.1 mmol/LPA), and 95% (10 mmol/LPA). Using modified primers targeting the methyl‐coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) gene, changes in mcrA gene expression were found to correspond with changes in methane production and the relative activity of methanogens. Methanogenic activity was determined by the relative abundance of methanogen 16S rRNA cDNA as a percentage of the total community 16S rRNA cDNA. Overall, methanogenic activity was lower when mesocosms were exposed to higher concentrations of both inhibitors, and aceticlastic methanogens were inhibited to a greater extent than hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Syntrophic bacterial activity, measured by 16S rRNA cDNA, was also reduced following exposure to both inhibitors, but the overall structure of the active bacterial community was not significantly affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara M Webster
- Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Adam L Smith
- Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Raghav R Reddy
- Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Ameet J Pinto
- Infrastructure and Environment Research Division, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Kim F Hayes
- Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Lutgarde Raskin
- Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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18
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Webster G, O'Sullivan LA, Meng Y, Williams AS, Sass AM, Watkins AJ, Parkes RJ, Weightman AJ. Archaeal community diversity and abundance changes along a natural salinity gradient in estuarine sediments. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 91:1-18. [PMID: 25764553 PMCID: PMC4399439 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiu025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Archaea are widespread in marine sediments, but their occurrence and relationship with natural salinity gradients in estuarine sediments is not well understood. This study investigated the abundance and diversity of Archaea in sediments at three sites [Brightlingsea (BR), Alresford (AR) and Hythe (HY)] along the Colne Estuary, using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) of 16S rRNA genes, DNA hybridization, Archaea 16S rRNA and mcrA gene phylogenetic analyses. Total archaeal 16S rRNA abundance in sediments were higher in the low-salinity brackish sediments from HY (2-8 × 10(7) 16S rRNA gene copies cm(-3)) than the high-salinity marine sites from BR and AR (2 × 10(4)-2 × 10(7) and 4 × 10(6)-2 × 10(7) 16S rRNA gene copies cm(-3), respectively), although as a proportion of the total prokaryotes Archaea were higher at BR than at AR or HY. Phylogenetic analysis showed that members of the 'Bathyarchaeota' (MCG), Thaumarchaeota and methanogenic Euryarchaeota were the dominant groups of Archaea. The composition of Thaumarchaeota varied with salinity, as only 'marine' group I.1a was present in marine sediments (BR). Methanogen 16S rRNA genes from low-salinity sediments at HY were dominated by acetotrophic Methanosaeta and putatively hydrogentrophic Methanomicrobiales, whereas the marine site (BR) was dominated by mcrA genes belonging to methylotrophic Methanococcoides, versatile Methanosarcina and methanotrophic ANME-2a. Overall, the results indicate that salinity and associated factors play a role in controlling diversity and distribution of Archaea in estuarine sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Webster
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Louise A O'Sullivan
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Yiyu Meng
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Angharad S Williams
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Andrea M Sass
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Andrew J Watkins
- School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - R John Parkes
- School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Andrew J Weightman
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, CF10 3AT, UK
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Draft Genome Sequence of an Obligately Methylotrophic Methanogen, Methanococcoides methylutens, Isolated from Marine Sediment. GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS 2014; 2:2/6/e01184-14. [PMID: 25414501 PMCID: PMC4239356 DOI: 10.1128/genomea.01184-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Methanococcoides methylutens, the type species of the genus Methanococcoides, is a slightly halophilic methanogenic archaeon with a methylotrophic metabolism. Here, we present the annotated draft genome sequence of M. methylutens, which comprises 2,508,511 bp with 2,482 coding sequences, 51 tRNA genes, and a G+C content of 42.5%.
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20
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Ticak T, Hariraju D, Arcelay MB, Arivett BA, Fiester SE, Ferguson DJ. Isolation and characterization of a tetramethylammonium-degrading Methanococcoides strain and a novel glycine betaine-utilizing Methanolobus strain. Arch Microbiol 2014; 197:197-209. [DOI: 10.1007/s00203-014-1043-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Revised: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 09/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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21
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Costa KC, Leigh JA. Metabolic versatility in methanogens. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2014; 29:70-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2014.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2013] [Revised: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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22
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L’Haridon S, Chalopin M, Colombo D, Toffin L. Methanococcoides vulcani sp. nov., a marine methylotrophic methanogen that uses betaine, choline and N,N-dimethylethanolamine for methanogenesis, isolated from a mud volcano, and emended description of the genus Methanococcoides. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2014; 64:1978-1983. [DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.058289-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel, strictly anaerobic, methylotrophic marine methanogen, strain SLH33T, was isolated from deep sediment samples covered by an orange microbial mat collected from the Napoli Mud Volcano. Cells of strain SLH33T were Gram-stain-negative, motile, irregular cocci that occurred singly. Cells utilized trimethylamine, dimethylamine, monomethylamine, methanol, betaine, N,N-dimethylethanolamine and choline (N,N,N-trimethylethanolamine) as substrates for growth and methanogenesis. The optimal growth temperature was 30 °C; maximum growth rate was obtained at pH 7.0 in the presence of 0.5 M Na+. The DNA G+C content of strain SLH33T was 43.4 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences placed strain SLH33T within the genus
Methanococcoides
. The novel isolate was related most closely to
Methanococcoides methylutens
TMA-10T (98.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) but distantly related to
Methanococcoides burtonii
DSM 6242T (97.6 %) and
Methanococcoides alaskense
AK-5T (97.6 %). DNA–DNA hybridization studies indicated that strain SLH33T represents a novel species, given that it shared less than 16 % DNA–DNA relatedness with
Methanococcoides methylutens
TMA-10T. The name Methanococcoides vulcani sp. nov. is proposed for this novel species, with strain SLH33T ( = DSM 26966T = JCM 19278T) as the type strain. An emended description of the genus
Methanococcoides
is also proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane L’Haridon
- Ifremer, UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Technopôle Pointe du diable, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- CNRS, IUEM – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO, UEB), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Morgane Chalopin
- Ifremer, UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Technopôle Pointe du diable, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- CNRS, IUEM – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO, UEB), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Delphine Colombo
- Ifremer, UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Technopôle Pointe du diable, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- CNRS, IUEM – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO, UEB), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Laurent Toffin
- Ifremer, UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Technopôle Pointe du diable, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- CNRS, IUEM – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
- Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO, UEB), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) – UMR 6197, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes (LMEE), Place Nicolas Copernic, F-29280 Plouzané, France
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Watkins AJ, Roussel EG, Parkes RJ, Sass H. Glycine betaine as a direct substrate for methanogens (Methanococcoides spp.). Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:289-93. [PMID: 24162571 PMCID: PMC3911008 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03076-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nine marine methanogenic Methanococcoides strains, including the type strains of Methanococcoides methylutens, M. burtonii, and M. alaskense, were tested for the utilization of N-methylated glycines. Three strains (NM1, PM2, and MKM1) used glycine betaine (N,N,N-trimethylglycine) as a substrate for methanogenesis, partially demethylating it to N,N-dimethylglycine, whereas none of the strains used N,N-dimethylglycine or sarcosine (N-methylglycine). Growth rates and growth yields per mole of substrate with glycine betaine (3.96 g [dry weight] per mol) were similar to those with trimethylamine (4.11 g [dry weight] per mol). However, as glycine betaine is only partially demethylated, the yield per methyl group was significantly higher than with trimethylamine. If glycine betaine and trimethylamine are provided together, trimethylamine is demethylated to dimethyl- and methylamine with limited glycine betaine utilization. After trimethylamine is depleted, dimethylamine and glycine betaine are consumed rapidly, before methylamine. Glycine betaine extends the range of substrates that can be directly utilized by some methanogens, allowing them to gain energy from the substrate without the need for syntrophic partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Watkins
- School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Meslé M, Dromart G, Oger P. Microbial methanogenesis in subsurface oil and coal. Res Microbiol 2013; 164:959-72. [DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2013.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2012] [Accepted: 07/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Zeleke J, Sheng Q, Wang JG, Huang MY, Xia F, Wu JH, Quan ZX. Effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion on the communities of methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria in estuarine marsh sediments. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:243. [PMID: 23986751 PMCID: PMC3750361 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2013.00243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 08/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of plant invasion on the microorganisms of soil sediments is very important for estuary ecology. The community structures of methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) as a function of Spartina alterniflora invasion in Phragmites australis-vegetated sediments of the Dongtan wetland in the Yangtze River estuary, China, were investigated using 454 pyrosequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) of the methyl coenzyme M reductase A (mcrA) and dissimilatory sulfite-reductase (dsrB) genes. Sediment samples were collected from two replicate locations, and each location included three sampling stands each covered by monocultures of P. australis, S. alterniflora and both plants (transition stands), respectively. qPCR analysis revealed higher copy numbers of mcrA genes in sediments from S. alterniflora stands than P. australis stands (5- and 7.5-fold more in the spring and summer, respectively), which is consistent with the higher methane flux rates measured in the S. alterniflora stands (up to 8.01 ± 5.61 mg m(-2) h(-1)). Similar trends were observed for SRB, and they were up to two orders of magnitude higher than the methanogens. Diversity indices indicated a lower diversity of methanogens in the S. alterniflora stands than the P. australis stands. In contrast, insignificant variations were observed in the diversity of SRB with the invasion. Although Methanomicrobiales and Methanococcales, the hydrogenotrophic methanogens, dominated in the salt marsh, Methanomicrobiales displayed a slight increase with the invasion and growth of S. alterniflora, whereas the later responded differently. Methanosarcina, the metabolically diverse methanogens, did not vary with the invasion of, but Methanosaeta, the exclusive acetate utilizers, appeared to increase with S. alterniflora invasion. In SRB, sequences closely related to the families Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfobulbaceae dominated in the salt marsh, although they displayed minimal changes with the S. alterniflora invasion. Approximately 11.3 ± 5.1% of the dsrB gene sequences formed a novel cluster that was reduced upon the invasion. The results showed that in the sediments of tidal salt marsh where S. alterniflora displaced P. australis, the abundances of methanogens and SRB increased, but the community composition of methanogens appeared to be influenced more than did the SRB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jemaneh Zeleke
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Qiang Sheng
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Jian-Gong Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Ming-Yao Huang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Fei Xia
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Ji-Hua Wu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
| | - Zhe-Xue Quan
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan UniversityShanghai, China
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