1
|
He L, Lidstrom ME. Utilisation of low methane concentrations by methanotrophs. Adv Microb Physiol 2024; 85:57-96. [PMID: 39059823 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ampbs.2024.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
The growing urgency regarding climate change points to methane as a key greenhouse gas for slowing global warming to allow other mitigation measures to take effect. One approach to both decreasing methane emissions and removing methane from air is aerobic methanotrophic bacteria, those bacteria that grow on methane as sole carbon and energy source and require O2. A subset of these methanotrophs is able to grow on methane levels of 1000 parts per million (ppm) and below, and these present an opportunity for developing both environmental- and bioreactor-based methane treatment systems. However, relatively little is known about the traits of such methanotrophs that allow them to grow on low methane concentrations. This review assesses current information regarding how methanotrophs grow on low methane concentrations in the context of developing treatment strategies that could be applied for both decreasing methane emissions and removing methane from air.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lian He
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA United States
| | - Mary E Lidstrom
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA United States; Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA United States.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Xu K, Yan Z, Tao C, Wang F, Zheng X, Ma Y, Sun Y, Zheng Y, Jia Z. A novel bioprospecting strategy via 13C-based high-throughput probing of active methylotrophs inhabiting oil reservoir surface soil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 924:171686. [PMID: 38485026 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171686] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) have long been considered as a microbial indicator for oil and gas prospecting. However, due to the phylogenetically narrow breath of ecophysiologically distinct MOB, classic culture-dependent approaches could not discriminate MOB population at fine resolution, and accurately reflect the abundance of active MOB in the soil above oil and gas reservoirs. Here, we presented a novel microbial anomaly detection (MAD) strategy to quantitatively identify specific indicator methylotrophs in the surface soils for bioprospecting oil and gas reservoirs by using a combination of 13C-DNA stable isotope probing (SIP), high-throughput sequencing (HTS), quantitative PCR (qPCR) and geostatistical analysis. The Chunguang oilfield of the Junggar Basin was selected as a model system in western China, and type I methanotrophic Methylobacter was most active in the topsoil above the productive oil wells, while type II methanotrophic Methylosinus predominated in the dry well soils, exhibiting clear differences between non- and oil reservoir soils. Similar results were observed by quantification of Methylobacter pmoA genes as a specific bioindicator for the prediction of unknown reservoirs by grid sampling. A microbial anomaly distribution map based on geostatistical analysis further showed that the anomalous zones were highly consistent with petroleum, geological and seismic data, and validated by subsequent drilling. Over seven years, a total of 24 wells have been designed and drilled into the targeted anomaly, and the success rate via the MAD prospecting strategy was 83 %. Our results suggested that molecular techniques are powerful tools for oil and gas prospecting. This study indicates that the exploration efficiency could be significantly improved by integrating multi-disciplinary information in geophysics and geomicrobiology while reducing the drilling risk to a greater extent.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kewei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China; Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China.
| | - Zhengfei Yan
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Cheng Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China; Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China
| | - Fang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuying Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China; Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China
| | - Yuanyuan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China; Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China
| | - Yongge Sun
- Department of Earth Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yan Zheng
- College of Food and Biological Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450002, China
| | - Zhongjun Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xu K, Tao C, Gu L, Zheng X, Ma Y, Yan Z, Sun Y, Cai Y, Jia Z. Identifying Active Rather than Total Methanotrophs Inhabiting Surface Soil Is Essential for the Microbial Prospection of Gas Reservoirs. Microorganisms 2024; 12:372. [PMID: 38399776 PMCID: PMC10892661 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12020372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) have long been recognized as an important bioindicator for oil and gas exploration. However, due to their physiological and ecological diversity, the distribution of MOB in different habitats varies widely, making it challenging to authentically reflect the abundance of active MOB in the soil above oil and gas reservoirs using conventional methods. Here, we selected the Puguang gas field of the Sichuan Basin in Southwest China as a model system to study the ecological characteristics of methanotrophs using culture-independent molecular techniques. Initially, by comparing the abundance of the pmoA genes determined by quantitative PCR (qPCR), no significant difference was found between gas well and non-gas well soils, indicating that the abundance of total MOB may not necessarily reflect the distribution of the underlying gas reservoirs. 13C-DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) in combination with high-throughput sequencing (HTS) furthermore revealed that type II methanotrophic Methylocystis was the absolutely predominant active MOB in the non-gas-field soils, whereas the niche vacated by Methylocystis was gradually filled with type I RPC-2 (rice paddy cluster-2) and Methylosarcina in the surface soils of gas reservoirs after geoscale acclimation to trace- and continuous-methane supply. The sum of the relative abundance of RPC-2 and Methylosarcina was then used as specific biotic index (BI) in the Puguang gas field. A microbial anomaly distribution map based on the BI values showed that the anomalous zones were highly consistent with geological and geophysical data, and known drilling results. Therefore, the active but not total methanotrophs successfully reflected the microseepage intensity of the underlying active hydrocarbon system, and can be used as an essential quantitative index to determine the existence and distribution of reservoirs. Our results suggest that molecular microbial techniques are powerful tools for oil and gas prospecting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kewei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; (C.T.); (L.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.M.)
- SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China
- Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
| | - Cheng Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; (C.T.); (L.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.M.)
- SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China
- Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
| | - Lei Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; (C.T.); (L.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.M.)
- SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China
- Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
| | - Xuying Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; (C.T.); (L.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.M.)
- SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China
- Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
| | - Yuanyuan Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China; (C.T.); (L.G.); (X.Z.); (Y.M.)
- SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Petroleum Accumulation Mechanisms, Wuxi 214126, China
- Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Production, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
| | - Zhengfei Yan
- School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China;
| | - Yongge Sun
- Department of Earth Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China;
| | - Yuanfeng Cai
- Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China;
| | - Zhongjun Jia
- Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China;
- State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Guo K, Glatter T, Paczia N, Liesack W. Asparagine Uptake: a Cellular Strategy of Methylocystis to Combat Severe Salt Stress. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0011323. [PMID: 37184406 PMCID: PMC10305061 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00113-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Methylocystis spp. are known to have a low salt tolerance (≤1.0% NaCl). Therefore, we tested various amino acids and other well-known osmolytes for their potential to act as an osmoprotectant under otherwise growth-inhibiting NaCl conditions. Adjustment of the medium to 10 mM asparagine had the greatest osmoprotective effect under severe salinity (1.50% NaCl), leading to partial growth recovery of strain SC2. The intracellular concentration of asparagine increased to 264 ± 57 mM, with a certain portion hydrolyzed to aspartate (4.20 ± 1.41 mM). In addition to general and oxidative stress responses, the uptake of asparagine specifically induced major proteome rearrangements related to the KEGG level 3 categories of "methane metabolism," "pyruvate metabolism," "amino acid turnover," and "cell division." In particular, various proteins involved in cell division (e.g., ChpT, CtrA, PleC, FtsA, FtsH1) and peptidoglycan synthesis showed a positive expression response. Asparagine-derived 13C-carbon was incorporated into nearly all amino acids. Both the exometabolome and the 13C-labeling pattern suggest that in addition to aspartate, the amino acids glutamate, glycine, serine, and alanine, but also pyruvate and malate, were most crucially involved in the osmoprotective effect of asparagine, with glutamate being a major hub between the central carbon and amino acid pathways. In summary, asparagine induced significant proteome rearrangements, leading to major changes in central metabolic pathway activity and the sizes of free amino acid pools. In consequence, asparagine acted, in part, as a carbon source for the growth recovery of strain SC2 under severe salinity. IMPORTANCE Methylocystis spp. play a major role in reducing methane emissions into the atmosphere from methanogenic wetlands. In addition, they contribute to atmospheric methane oxidation in upland soils. Although these bacteria are typical soil inhabitants, Methylocystis spp. are thought to have limited capacity to acclimate to salt stress. This called for a thorough study into potential osmoprotectants, which revealed asparagine as the most promising candidate. Intriguingly, asparagine was taken up quantitatively and acted, at least in part, as an intracellular carbon source under severe salt stress. The effect of asparagine as an osmoprotectant for Methylocystis spp. is an unexpected finding. It may provide Methylocystis spp. with an ecological advantage in wetlands, where these methanotrophs colonize the roots of submerged vascular plants. Collectively, our study offers a new avenue into research on compounds that may increase the resilience of Methylocystis spp. to environmental change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kangli Guo
- Methanotrophic Bacteria and Environmental Genomics/Transcriptomics Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Timo Glatter
- Core Facility for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Paczia
- Core Facility for Metabolomics and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Werner Liesack
- Methanotrophic Bacteria and Environmental Genomics/Transcriptomics Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ho A, Zuan ATK, Mendes LW, Lee HJ, Zulkeflee Z, van Dijk H, Kim PJ, Horn MA. Aerobic Methanotrophy and Co-occurrence Networks of a Tropical Rainforest and Oil Palm Plantations in Malaysia. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 84:1154-1165. [PMID: 34716776 PMCID: PMC9747831 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01908-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Oil palm (OP) plantations are gradually replacing tropical rainforest in Malaysia, one of the largest palm oil producers globally. Conversion of lands to OP plantations has been associated with compositional shifts of the microbial community, with consequences on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the impact of the change in land use has recently been investigated for microorganisms involved in N2O emission, the response of the aerobic methanotrophs to OP agriculture remains to be determined. Here, we monitored the bacterial community composition, focusing on the aerobic methanotrophs, in OP agricultural soils since 2012, 2006, and 1993, as well as in a tropical rainforest, in 2019 and 2020. High-affinity methane uptake was confirmed, showing significantly lower rates in the OP plantations than in the tropical rainforest, but values increased with continuous OP agriculture. The bacterial, including the methanotrophic community composition, was modified with ongoing OP agriculture. The methanotrophic community composition was predominantly composed of unclassified methanotrophs, with the canonical (Methylocystis) and putative methanotrophs thought to catalyze high-affinity methane oxidation present at higher relative abundance in the oldest OP plantation. Results suggest that the methanotrophic community was relatively more stable within each site, exhibiting less temporal variations than the total bacterial community. Uncharacteristically, a 16S rRNA gene-based co-occurrence network analysis revealed a more complex and connected community in the OP agricultural soil, which may influence the resilience of the bacterial community to disturbances. Overall, we provide a first insight into the ecology and role of the aerobic methanotrophs as a methane sink in OP agricultural soils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Ho
- Institute for Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Ali Tan Kee Zuan
- Department of Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Lucas W Mendes
- Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo (CENA-USP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hyo Jung Lee
- Department of Biology, Kunsan National University, Gunsan, South Korea
| | - Zufarzaana Zulkeflee
- Department of Environment, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hester van Dijk
- Institute for Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Pil Joo Kim
- Division of Applied Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
| | - Marcus A Horn
- Institute for Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Guo K, Hakobyan A, Glatter T, Paczia N, Liesack W. Methylocystis sp. Strain SC2 Acclimatizes to Increasing NH 4+ Levels by a Precise Rebalancing of Enzymes and Osmolyte Composition. mSystems 2022; 7:e0040322. [PMID: 36154142 PMCID: PMC9600857 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00403-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A high NH4+ load is known to inhibit bacterial methane oxidation. This is due to a competition between CH4 and NH3 for the active site of particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), which converts CH4 to CH3OH. Here, we combined global proteomics with amino acid profiling and nitrogen oxides measurements to elucidate the cellular acclimatization response of Methylocystis sp. strain SC2 to high NH4+ levels. Relative to 1 mM NH4+, a high (50 mM and 75 mM) NH4+ load under CH4-replete conditions significantly increased the lag phase duration required for proteome adjustment. The number of differentially regulated proteins was highly significantly correlated with an increasing NH4+ load. The cellular responses to increasing ionic and osmotic stress involved a significant upregulation of stress-responsive proteins, the K+ "salt-in" strategy, the synthesis of compatible solutes (glutamate and proline), and the induction of the glutathione metabolism pathway. A significant increase in the apparent Km value for CH4 oxidation during the growth phase was indicative of increased pMMO-based oxidation of NH3 to toxic hydroxylamine. The detoxifying activity of hydroxlyamine oxidoreductase (HAO) led to a significant accumulation of NO2- and, upon decreasing O2 tension, N2O. Nitric oxide reductase and hybrid cluster proteins (Hcps) were the candidate enzymes for the production of N2O. In summary, strain SC2 has the capacity to precisely rebalance enzymes and osmolyte composition in response to increasing NH4+ exposure, but the need to simultaneously combat both ionic-osmotic stress and the toxic effects of hydroxylamine may be the reason why its acclimatization capacity is limited to 75 mM NH4+. IMPORTANCE In addition to reducing CH4 emissions from wetlands and landfills, the activity of alphaproteobacterial methane oxidizers of the genus Methylocystis contributes to the sink capacity of forest and grassland soils for atmospheric methane. The methane-oxidizing activity of Methylocystis spp. is, however, sensitive to high NH4+ concentrations. This is due to the competition of CH4 and NH3 for the active site of particulate methane monooxygenase, thereby resulting in the production of toxic hydroxylamine with an increasing NH4+ load. An understanding of the physiological and molecular response mechanisms of Methylocystis spp. is therefore of great importance. Here, we combined global proteomics with amino acid profiling and NOx measurements to disentangle the cellular mechanisms underlying the acclimatization of Methylocystis sp. strain SC2 to an increasing NH4+ load.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kangli Guo
- Methanotrophic Bacteria and Environmental Genomics/Transcriptomics Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Anna Hakobyan
- Methanotrophic Bacteria and Environmental Genomics/Transcriptomics Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Timo Glatter
- Core Facility for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Paczia
- Core Facility for Metabolomics and Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Werner Liesack
- Methanotrophic Bacteria and Environmental Genomics/Transcriptomics Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Täumer J, Marhan S, Groß V, Jensen C, Kuss AW, Kolb S, Urich T. Linking transcriptional dynamics of CH 4-cycling grassland soil microbiomes to seasonal gas fluxes. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:1788-1797. [PMID: 35388141 PMCID: PMC9213473 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01229-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Soil CH4 fluxes are driven by CH4-producing and -consuming microorganisms that determine whether soils are sources or sinks of this potent greenhouse gas. To date, a comprehensive understanding of underlying microbiome dynamics has rarely been obtained in situ. Using quantitative metatranscriptomics, we aimed to link CH4-cycling microbiomes to net surface CH4 fluxes throughout a year in two grassland soils. CH4 fluxes were highly dynamic: both soils were net CH4 sources in autumn and winter and sinks in spring and summer, respectively. Correspondingly, methanogen mRNA abundances per gram soil correlated well with CH4 fluxes. Methanotroph to methanogen mRNA ratios were higher in spring and summer, when the soils acted as net CH4 sinks. CH4 uptake was associated with an increased proportion of USCα and γ pmoA and pmoA2 transcripts. We assume that methanogen transcript abundance may be useful to approximate changes in net surface CH4 emissions from grassland soils. High methanotroph to methanogen ratios would indicate CH4 sink properties. Our study links for the first time the seasonal transcriptional dynamics of CH4-cycling soil microbiomes to gas fluxes in situ. It suggests mRNA transcript abundances as promising indicators of dynamic ecosystem-level processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jana Täumer
- Institute of Microbiology, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sven Marhan
- Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology Department, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Verena Groß
- Institute of Microbiology, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Corinna Jensen
- Human Molecular Genetics Group, Department of Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Andreas W Kuss
- Human Molecular Genetics Group, Department of Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Steffen Kolb
- RA Landscape Functioning, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany.,Thaer Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tim Urich
- Institute of Microbiology, Center for Functional Genomics of Microbes, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Martin G, Rissanen AJ, Garcia SL, Mehrshad M, Buck M, Peura S. Candidatus Methylumidiphilus Drives Peaks in Methanotrophic Relative Abundance in Stratified Lakes and Ponds Across Northern Landscapes. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:669937. [PMID: 34456882 PMCID: PMC8397446 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.669937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Boreal lakes and ponds produce two-thirds of the total natural methane emissions above the latitude of 50° North. These lake emissions are regulated by methanotrophs which can oxidize up to 99% of the methane produced in the sediments and the water column. Despite their importance, the diversity and distribution of the methanotrophs in lakes are still poorly understood. Here, we used shotgun metagenomic data to explore the diversity and distribution of methanotrophs in 40 oxygen-stratified water bodies in boreal and subarctic areas in Europe and North America. In our data, gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs (order Methylococcales) generally dominated the methanotrophic communities throughout the water columns. A recently discovered lineage of Methylococcales, Candidatus Methylumidiphilus, was present in all the studied water bodies and dominated the methanotrophic community in lakes with a high relative abundance of methanotrophs. Alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs were the second most abundant group of methanotrophs. In the top layer of the lakes, characterized by low CH4 concentration, their abundance could surpass that of the gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs. These results support the theory that the alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs have a high affinity for CH4 and can be considered stress-tolerant strategists. In contrast, the gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs are competitive strategists. In addition, relative abundances of anaerobic methanotrophs, Candidatus Methanoperedenaceae and Candidatus Methylomirabilis, were strongly correlated, suggesting possible co-metabolism. Our data also suggest that these anaerobic methanotrophs could be active even in the oxic layers. In non-metric multidimensional scaling, alpha- and gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs formed separate clusters based on their abundances in the samples, except for the gammaproteobacterial Candidatus Methylumidiphilus, which was separated from these two clusters. This may reflect similarities in the niche and environmental requirements of the different genera within alpha- and gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs. Our study confirms the importance of O2 and CH4 in shaping the methanotrophic communities and suggests that one variable cannot explain the diversity and distribution of the methanotrophs across lakes. Instead, we suggest that the diversity and distribution of freshwater methanotrophs are regulated by lake-specific factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtan Martin
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Antti J. Rissanen
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Sarahi L. Garcia
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Science for Life Laboratory, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maliheh Mehrshad
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Moritz Buck
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sari Peura
- Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kröber E, Wende S, Kanukollu S, Buchen-Tschiskale C, Besaury L, Keppler F, Vuilleumier S, Kolb S, Bringel F. 13 C-chloromethane incubations provide evidence for novel bacterial chloromethane degraders in a living tree fern. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:4450-4465. [PMID: 34121306 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Chloromethane (CH3 Cl) is the most abundant halogenated volatile organic compound in the atmosphere and contributes to stratospheric ozone depletion. CH3 Cl has mainly natural sources such as emissions from vegetation. In particular, ferns have been recognized as strong emitters. Mitigation of CH3 Cl to the atmosphere by methylotrophic bacteria, a global sink for this compound, is likely underestimated and remains poorly characterized. We identified and characterized CH3 Cl-degrading bacteria associated with intact and living tree fern plants of the species Cyathea australis by stable isotope probing (SIP) with 13 C-labelled CH3 Cl combined with metagenomics. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) related to Methylobacterium and Friedmanniella were identified as being involved in the degradation of CH3 Cl in the phyllosphere, i.e., the aerial parts of the tree fern, while a MAG related to Sorangium was linked to CH3 Cl degradation in the fern rhizosphere. The only known metabolic pathway for CH3 Cl degradation, via a methyltransferase system including the gene cmuA, was not detected in metagenomes or MAGs identified by SIP. Hence, a yet uncharacterized methylotrophic cmuA-independent pathway may drive CH3 Cl degradation in the investigated tree ferns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eileen Kröber
- Microbial Biogeochemistry, RA Landscape Functioning, ZALF Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Sonja Wende
- Microbial Biogeochemistry, RA Landscape Functioning, ZALF Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Saranya Kanukollu
- Microbial Biogeochemistry, RA Landscape Functioning, ZALF Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Caroline Buchen-Tschiskale
- Isotope Biogeochemistry and Gas Fluxes, RA Landscape Functioning, ZALF Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Ludovic Besaury
- Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7156 CNRS, Strasbourg, France
| | - Frank Keppler
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stéphane Vuilleumier
- Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7156 CNRS, Strasbourg, France
| | - Steffen Kolb
- Microbial Biogeochemistry, RA Landscape Functioning, ZALF Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg, Germany.,Thaer Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Françoise Bringel
- Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie (GMGM), Université de Strasbourg, UMR 7156 CNRS, Strasbourg, France
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Hakobyan A, Liesack W. Unexpected metabolic versatility among type II methanotrophs in the Alphaproteobacteria. Biol Chem 2021; 401:1469-1477. [PMID: 32769217 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2020-0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria, or methanotrophs, play a crucial role in the global methane cycle. Their methane oxidation activity in various environmental settings has a great mitigation effect on global climate change. Alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs were among the first to be taxonomically characterized, nowadays unified in the Methylocystaceae and Beijerinckiaceae families. Originally thought to have an obligate growth requirement for methane and related one-carbon compounds as a source of carbon and energy, it was later shown that various alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs are facultative, able to grow on multi-carbon compounds such as acetate. Most recently, we expanded our knowledge of the metabolic versatility of alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs. We showed that Methylocystis sp. strain SC2 has the capacity for mixotrophic growth on H2 and CH4. This mini-review will summarize the change in perception from the long-held paradigm of obligate methanotrophy to today's recognition of alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs as having both facultative and mixotrophic capabilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Hakobyan
- Research group "Methanotrophic Bacteria and Environmental Genomics/Transcriptomics", Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Werner Liesack
- Research group "Methanotrophic Bacteria and Environmental Genomics/Transcriptomics", Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 10, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Yasuda S, Toyoda R, Agrawal S, Suenaga T, Riya S, Hori T, Lackner S, Hosomi M, Terada A. Exploration and enrichment of methane-oxidizing bacteria derived from a rice paddy field emitting highly concentrated methane. J Biosci Bioeng 2020; 130:311-318. [PMID: 32487498 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2020.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) possess the metabolic potential to assimilate the highly potent greenhouse gas, CH4, and can also synthesize valuable products. Depending on their distinct and fastidious metabolic pathways, MOB are mainly divided into Type I and Type II; the latter are known as producers of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Despite the metabolic potential of MOB to synthesize PHA, the ecophysiology of MOB, especially under high CH4 flux conditions, is yet to be understood. Therefore, in this study, a rice paddy soil receiving a high CH4 flux from underground was used as an inoculum to enrich MOB using fed-batch operation, then the enriched Type II MOB were characterized. The transitions in the microbial community composition and CH4 oxidation rates were monitored by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and degree of CH4 consumption. With increasing incubation time, the initially dominant Methylomonas sp., affiliated with Type I MOB, was gradually replaced with Methylocystis sp., Type II MOB, resulting in a maximum CH4 oxidation rate of 1.40 g-CH4/g-biomass/day. The quantification of functional genes encoding methane monooxygenase, pmoA and PHA synthase, phaC, by quantitative PCR revealed concomitant increases in accordance with the Type II MOB enrichment. These increases in the functional genes underscore the significance of Type II MOB to mitigate greenhouse gas emission and produce PHA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Yasuda
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Risako Toyoda
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Shelesh Agrawal
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Science, Institute IWAR, Chair of Wastewater Engineering, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Toshikazu Suenaga
- Global Innovation Research Institute, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-8-1 Harumi-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 185-8538, Japan.
| | - Shohei Riya
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Tomoyuki Hori
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan.
| | - Susanne Lackner
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Science, Institute IWAR, Chair of Wastewater Engineering, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - Masaaki Hosomi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan.
| | - Akihiko Terada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan; Global Innovation Research Institute, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-8-1 Harumi-cho, Fuchu, Tokyo 185-8538, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Characteristics of Microbial Community Structure at the Seafloor Surface of the Nankai Trough. JOURNAL OF PURE AND APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.22207/jpam.13.4.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
|
13
|
Liu F, Zhang Y, Liang H, Gao D. Long-term harvesting of reeds affects greenhouse gas emissions and microbial functional genes in alkaline wetlands. WATER RESEARCH 2019; 164:114936. [PMID: 31382148 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.114936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Reed (Phragmites australis) is dominant vegetation in alkaline wetlands that is harvested annually due to its economic value. To reveal the effects of harvesting reeds on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), the annual soil physicochemical characteristics and flux of GHGs in a reed wetland without harvesting (NHRW) and with harvesting (HRW) were measured. The results showed that after the harvesting of reeds, the total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) significantly decreased, and soil temperature significantly increased. The annual cumulative N2O emissions decreased from 0.73 ± 0.20 kg ha-1 to -0.57 ± 0.49 kg ha-1 with the harvesting of reeds. The annual cumulative CH4 emissions also decreased from 561.88 ± 18.61 kg ha-1 to 183.13 ± 18.77 kg ha-1 with the harvesting of reeds. However, harvesting of reeds had only a limited influence on the annual cumulative CO2 emissions. A Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the CO2 and N2O emissions were more sensitive to temperature than the CH4 emissions. Both structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis and slurry incubation confirmed that higher temperatures offset the reduction of CO2 emissions after reed harvesting. Metagenomics showed that the abundance of functional genes involved in both GHG sink and source decreased with reed harvesting. This study presents a comprehensive view of reed harvesting on GHG emissions in alkaline wetlands, yielding new insight into the microbial response and offering a novel perspective on the potential impacts of wetland management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fengqin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Yupeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
| | - Hong Liang
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
| | - Dawen Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China; School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Houghton KM, Carere CR, Stott MB, McDonald IR. Thermophilic methanotrophs: in hot pursuit. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 95:5543213. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiz125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACTMethane is a potent greenhouse gas responsible for 20–30% of global climate change effects. The global methane budget is ∼500–600 Tg y−1, with the majority of methane produced via microbial processes, including anthropogenic-mediated sources such as ruminant animals, rice fields, sewage treatment facilities and landfills. It is estimated that microbially mediated methane oxidation (methanotrophy) consumes >50% of global methane flux each year. Methanotrophy research has primarily focused on mesophilic methanotrophic representatives and cooler environments such as freshwater, wetlands or marine habitats from which they are sourced. Nevertheless, geothermal emissions of geological methane, produced from magma and lithosphere degassing micro-seepages, mud volcanoes and other geological sources, contribute an estimated 33–75 Tg y−1 to the global methane budget. The aim of this review is to summarise current literature pertaining to the activity of thermophilic and thermotolerant methanotrophs, both proteobacterial (Methylocaldum, Methylococcus, Methylothermus) and verrucomicrobial (Methylacidiphilum). We assert, on the basis of recently reported molecular and geochemical data, that geothermal ecosystems host hitherto unidentified species capable of methane oxidation at higher temperatures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Houghton
- GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, 114 Karetoto Rd, Taupō 3384, New Zealand
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Knighton Rd, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Carlo R Carere
- GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, 114 Karetoto Rd, Taupō 3384, New Zealand
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Ave, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Matthew B Stott
- GNS Science, Wairakei Research Centre, 114 Karetoto Rd, Taupō 3384, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, 20 Kirkwood Ave, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand
| | - Ian R McDonald
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Knighton Rd, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Taubert M, Grob C, Crombie A, Howat AM, Burns OJ, Weber M, Lott C, Kaster AK, Vollmers J, Jehmlich N, von Bergen M, Chen Y, Murrell JC. Communal metabolism by Methylococcaceae and Methylophilaceae is driving rapid aerobic methane oxidation in sediments of a shallow seep near Elba, Italy. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:3780-3795. [PMID: 31267680 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The release of abiotic methane from marine seeps into the atmosphere is a major source of this potent greenhouse gas. Methanotrophic microorganisms in methane seeps use methane as carbon and energy source, thus significantly mitigating global methane emissions. Here, we investigated microbial methane oxidation at the sediment-water interface of a shallow marine methane seep. Metagenomics and metaproteomics, combined with 13 C-methane stable isotope probing, demonstrated that various members of the gammaproteobacterial family Methylococcaceae were the key players for methane oxidation, catalysing the first reaction step to methanol. We observed a transfer of carbon to methanol-oxidizing methylotrophs of the betaproteobacterial family Methylophilaceae, suggesting an interaction between methanotrophic and methylotrophic microorganisms that allowed for rapid methane oxidation. From our microcosms, we estimated methane oxidation rates of up to 871 nmol of methane per gram sediment per day. This implies that more than 50% of methane at the seep is removed by microbial oxidation at the sediment-water interface, based on previously reported in situ methane fluxes. The organic carbon produced was further assimilated by different heterotrophic microbes, demonstrating that the methane-oxidizing community supported a complex trophic network. Our results provide valuable eco-physiological insights into this specialized microbial community performing an ecosystem function of global relevance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Taubert
- Aquatic Geomicrobiology, Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159 07743, Jena, Germany.,School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Carolina Grob
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Andrew Crombie
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Alexandra M Howat
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Oliver J Burns
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Miriam Weber
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Sinzheim, Germany.,HYDRA Field Station Elba, Italy.,Microsensor Group, Max Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christian Lott
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Sinzheim, Germany.,HYDRA Field Station Elba, Italy.,Department of Symbiosis, Max Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Kaster
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Karlsruhe, Germany.,Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, 38124, Inhoffenstrasse 7B, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - John Vollmers
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Karlsruhe, Germany.,Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, 38124, Inhoffenstrasse 7B, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Nico Jehmlich
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin von Bergen
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Brüderstraße 32, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, University of Aalborg, 9220, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, Aalborg East, Denmark
| | - Yin Chen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - John Colin Murrell
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Deng Y, Che R, Wang F, Conrad R, Dumont M, Yun J, Wu Y, Hu A, Fang J, Xu Z, Cui X, Wang Y. Upland Soil Cluster Gamma dominates methanotrophic communities in upland grassland soils. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 670:826-836. [PMID: 30921716 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic methanotrophs in upland soils consume atmospheric methane, serving as a critical counterbalance to global warming; however, the biogeographic distribution patterns of their abundance and community composition are poorly understood, especial at a large scale. In this study, soils were sampled from 30 grasslands across >2000 km on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to determine the distribution patterns of methanotrophs and their driving factors at a regional scale. Methanotroph abundance and community composition were analyzed using quantitative PCR and Illumina Miseq sequencing of pmoA genes, respectively. The pmoA gene copies ranged from 8.2 × 105 to 1.1 × 108 per gram dry soil. Among the 30 grassland soil samples, Upland Soil Cluster Gamma (USCγ) dominated the methanotroph communities in 26 samples. Jasper Ridge Cluster (JR3) was the most dominant methanotrophic cluster in two samples; while Methylocystis, cluster FWs, and Methylobacter were abundant in other two wet soil samples. Interestingly, reanalyzing the pmoA genes sequencing data from existing publications suggested that USCγ was also the main methanotrophic cluster in grassland soils in other regions, especially when their mean annual precipitation was <500 mm. Canonical Analysis of Principal Coordinates including all soil samples indicated that the methanotrophic community composition was significantly correlated with local environmental factors, among which mean annual precipitation and pH showed the strongest correlations. Variance partitioning analysis showed that environmental factors and spatial distance were significant factors affecting the community structure of methanotrophs, and environmental properties were more important factors. Collectively, these findings indicate that atmospheric methane may be mainly oxidized by USCγ in upland soils. They also highlight the key role of water availability and pH in determining the abundance and community profiles of grassland soil methanotrophs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongcui Deng
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Rongxiao Che
- Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, 650091 Kunming, China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China; Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Australia
| | - Fang Wang
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China; Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Australia
| | - Ralf Conrad
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straße 10, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Marc Dumont
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
| | - Juanli Yun
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 Beijing, China
| | - Yibo Wu
- Ningbo University, 315211 Ningbo, China
| | - Ang Hu
- Hunan Agricultural University, 410128 Changsha, China
| | - Jie Fang
- School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, 210023 Nanjing, China
| | - Zhihong Xu
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane 4111, Australia
| | - Xiaoyong Cui
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 Beijing, China; Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100085 Beijing, China.
| | - Yanfen Wang
- University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
La H, Hettiaratchi JPA, Achari G, Dunfield PF. Biofiltration of methane. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 268:759-772. [PMID: 30064899 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.07.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The on-going annual increase in global methane (CH4) emissions can be largely attributed to anthropogenic activities. However, as more than half of these emissions are diffuse and possess a concentration less than 3% (v/v), physical-chemical treatments are inefficient as an abatement technology. In this regard, biotechnologies, such as biofiltration using methane-oxidizing bacteria, or methanotrophs, are a cost-effective and efficient means of combating diffuse CH4 emissions. In this review, a number of abiotic factors including temperature, pH, water content, packing material, empty-bed residence time, inlet gas flow rate, CH4 concentration, as well biotic factors, such as biomass development, are reviewed based on empirical findings on CH4 biofiltration studies that have been performed in the last decades.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helen La
- Department of Civil Engineering, Center for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE), University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 Canada
| | - J Patrick A Hettiaratchi
- Department of Civil Engineering, Center for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE), University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 Canada
| | - Gopal Achari
- Department of Civil Engineering, Center for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE), University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 Canada.
| | - Peter F Dunfield
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 Canada
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Khadka R, Clothier L, Wang L, Lim CK, Klotz MG, Dunfield PF. Evolutionary History of Copper Membrane Monooxygenases. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2493. [PMID: 30420840 PMCID: PMC6215863 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02493] [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] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Copper membrane monooxygenases (CuMMOs) oxidize ammonia, methane and some short-chain alkanes and alkenes. They are encoded by three genes, usually in an operon of xmoCAB. We aligned xmo operons from 66 microbial genomes, including members of the Alpha-, Beta-, and Gamma-proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Actinobacteria, Thaumarchaeota and the candidate phylum NC10. Phylogenetic and compositional analyses were used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the enzyme and detect potential lateral gene transfer (LGT) events. The phylogenetic analyses showed at least 10 clusters corresponding to a combination of substrate specificity and bacterial taxonomy, but with no overriding structure based on either function or taxonomy alone. Adaptation of the enzyme to preferentially oxidize either ammonia or methane has occurred more than once. Individual phylogenies of all three genes, xmoA, xmoB and xmoC, closely matched, indicating that this operon evolved or was consistently transferred as a unit, with the possible exception of the methane monooxygenase operons in Verrucomicrobia, where the pmoB gene has a distinct phylogeny from pmoA and pmoC. Compositional analyses indicated that some clusters of xmoCAB operons (for example, the pmoCAB in gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs and the amoCAB in betaproteobacterial nitrifiers) were compositionally very different from their genomes, possibly indicating recent lateral transfer of these operons. The combined phylogenetic and compositional analyses support the hypothesis that an ancestor of the nitrifying bacterium Nitrosococcus was the donor of methane monooxygenase (pMMO) to both the alphaproteobacterial and gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs, but that before this event the gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs originally possessed another CuMMO (Pxm), which has since been lost in many species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roshan Khadka
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Lindsay Clothier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Chee Kent Lim
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, United States
| | - Martin G Klotz
- School of Molecular Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Richland, WA, United States.,State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Peter F Dunfield
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Wilhelm RC, Hanson BT, Chandra S, Madsen E. Community dynamics and functional characteristics of naphthalene-degrading populations in contaminated surface sediments and hypoxic/anoxic groundwater. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:3543-3559. [PMID: 30051558 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Earlier research on the biogeochemical factors affecting natural attenuation in coal-tar contaminated groundwater, at South Glens Falls, NY, revealed the importance of anaerobic metabolism and trophic interactions between degrader and bacterivore populations. Field-based characterizations of both phenomena have proven challenging, but advances in stable isotope probing (SIP), single-cell imaging and shotgun metagenomics now provide cultivation-independent tools for their study. We tracked carbon from 13 C-labelled naphthalene through microbial populations in contaminated surface sediments over 6 days using respiration assays, secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging and shotgun metagenomics to disentangle the contaminant-based trophic web. Contaminant-exposed communities in hypoxic/anoxic groundwater were contrasted with those from oxic surface sediments to identify putative features of anaerobic catabolism of naphthalene. In total, six bacteria were responsible for naphthalene degradation. Cupriavidus, Ralstonia and Sphingomonas predominated at the earliest stages of SIP incubations and were succeeded in later stages by Stenotrophomonas and Rhodococcus. Metagenome-assembled genomes provided evidence for the ecological and functional characteristics underlying these temporal shifts. Identical species of Stenotrophomonas and Rhodococcus were abundant in the most contaminated, anoxic groundwater. Apparent increases in bacterivorous protozoa were observed following exposure to naphthalene, though insignificant amounts of carbon were transferred between bacterial degraders and populations of secondary feeders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roland C Wilhelm
- Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Buck T Hanson
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Subhash Chandra
- Cornell SIMS Laboratory, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Eugene Madsen
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Hakobyan A, Liesack W, Glatter T. Crude-MS Strategy for in-Depth Proteome Analysis of the Methane-Oxidizing Methylocystis sp. strain SC2. J Proteome Res 2018; 17:3086-3103. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.8b00216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Werner Liesack
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 16, D-35043 Marburg, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Lv PL, Zhong L, Dong QY, Yang SL, Shen WW, Zhu QS, Lai CY, Luo AC, Tang Y, Zhao HP. The effect of electron competition on chromate reduction using methane as electron donor. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2018; 25:6609-6618. [PMID: 29255986 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0937-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We studied the effect of electron competition on chromate (Cr(VI)) reduction in a methane (CH4)-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), since the reduction rate was usually limited by electron supply. A low surface loading of SO42- promoted Cr(VI) reduction. The Cr(VI) removal percentage increased from 60 to 70% when the SO42- loading increased from 0 to 4.7 mg SO42-/m2-d. After the SO42- loading decreased back to zero, the Cr(VI) removal further increased to 90%, suggesting that some sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) stayed in the reactor to reduce Cr(VI). However, a high surface loading of SO42- (26.6 mg SO42-/m2-d) significantly slowed down the Cr(VI) reduction to 40% removal, which was probably due to competition between Cr(VI) and SO42- reduction. Similarly, when 0.5 mg/L of Se(VI) was introduced into the MBfR, Cr(VI) removal percentage slightly decreased to 60% and then increased to 80% when input Se(VI) was removed again. The microbial community strongly depended on the loadings of Cr(VI) and SO42-. In the sulfate effect experiment, three genera were dominant. Based on the correlation between the abundances of the three genera and the loadings of Cr(VI) and SO42-, we conclude that Methylocystis, a type II methanotroph, reduced both Cr(VI) and sulfate, Meiothermus only reduced Cr(VI), and Ferruginibacter only reduced SO42-.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pan-Long Lv
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liang Zhong
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qiu-Yi Dong
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shi-Lei Yang
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei-Wei Shen
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Quan-Song Zhu
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chun-Yu Lai
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - An-Cheng Luo
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab Water Pollut Control & Envi, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Youneng Tang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32310-6046, USA
| | - He-Ping Zhao
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
- Zhejiang Province Key Lab Water Pollut Control & Envi, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Kwon MJ, Beulig F, Ilie I, Wildner M, Küsel K, Merbold L, Mahecha MD, Zimov N, Zimov SA, Heimann M, Schuur EAG, Kostka JE, Kolle O, Hilke I, Göckede M. Plants, microorganisms, and soil temperatures contribute to a decrease in methane fluxes on a drained Arctic floodplain. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:2396-2412. [PMID: 27901306 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Revised: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
As surface temperatures are expected to rise in the future, ice-rich permafrost may thaw, altering soil topography and hydrology and creating a mosaic of wet and dry soil surfaces in the Arctic. Arctic wetlands are large sources of CH4 , and investigating effects of soil hydrology on CH4 fluxes is of great importance for predicting ecosystem feedback in response to climate change. In this study, we investigate how a decade-long drying manipulation on an Arctic floodplain influences CH4 -associated microorganisms, soil thermal regimes, and plant communities. Moreover, we examine how these drainage-induced changes may then modify CH4 fluxes in the growing and nongrowing seasons. This study shows that drainage substantially lowered the abundance of methanogens along with methanotrophic bacteria, which may have reduced CH4 cycling. Soil temperatures of the drained areas were lower in deep, anoxic soil layers (below 30 cm), but higher in oxic topsoil layers (0-15 cm) compared to the control wet areas. This pattern of soil temperatures may have reduced the rates of methanogenesis while elevating those of CH4 oxidation, thereby decreasing net CH4 fluxes. The abundance of Eriophorum angustifolium, an aerenchymatous plant species, diminished significantly in the drained areas. Due to this decrease, a higher fraction of CH4 was alternatively emitted to the atmosphere by diffusion, possibly increasing the potential for CH4 oxidation and leading to a decrease in net CH4 fluxes compared to a control site. Drainage lowered CH4 fluxes by a factor of 20 during the growing season, with postdrainage changes in microbial communities, soil temperatures, and plant communities also contributing to this reduction. In contrast, we observed CH4 emissions increased by 10% in the drained areas during the nongrowing season, although this difference was insignificant given the small magnitudes of fluxes. This study showed that long-term drainage considerably reduced CH4 fluxes through modified ecosystem properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Jung Kwon
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Felix Beulig
- Aquatic Geomicrobiology, Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburgerstr 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Iulia Ilie
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Marcus Wildner
- Geoecology-Environmental Science: Micrometeorology and Atmospheric Chemistry, Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Science, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Kirsten Küsel
- Aquatic Geomicrobiology, Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburgerstr 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5d, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lutz Merbold
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitätstr 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Miguel D Mahecha
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Deutscher Platz 5d, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nikita Zimov
- North-East Science Station, Pacific Institute for Geography, Far-Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Science, PO Box 18, Cherskii, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia
| | - Sergey A Zimov
- North-East Science Station, Pacific Institute for Geography, Far-Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Science, PO Box 18, Cherskii, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia
| | - Martin Heimann
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
- Division of Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Physics, PO Box 64, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Edward A G Schuur
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5620, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Joel E Kostka
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Olaf Kolle
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Ines Hilke
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Mathias Göckede
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Meyer KM, Klein AM, Rodrigues JLM, Nüsslein K, Tringe SG, Mirza BS, Tiedje JM, Bohannan BJM. Conversion of Amazon rainforest to agriculture alters community traits of methane-cycling organisms. Mol Ecol 2017; 26:1547-1556. [PMID: 28100018 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Land use change is one of the greatest environmental impacts worldwide, especially to tropical forests. The Amazon rainforest has been subject to particularly high rates of land use change, primarily to cattle pasture. A commonly observed response to cattle pasture establishment in the Amazon is the conversion of soil from a methane sink in rainforest, to a methane source in pasture. However, it is not known how the microorganisms that mediate methane flux are altered by land use change. Here, we use the deepest metagenomic sequencing of Amazonian soil to date to investigate differences in methane-cycling microorganisms and their traits across rainforest and cattle pasture soils. We found that methane-cycling microorganisms responded to land use change, with the strongest responses exhibited by methane-consuming, rather than methane-producing, microorganisms. These responses included a reduction in the relative abundance of methanotrophs and a significant decrease in the abundance of genes encoding particulate methane monooxygenase. We also observed compositional changes to methanotroph and methanogen communities as well as changes to methanotroph life history strategies. Our observations suggest that methane-cycling microorganisms are vulnerable to land use change, and this vulnerability may underlie the response of methane flux to land use change in Amazon soils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle M Meyer
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Ann M Klein
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Jorge L M Rodrigues
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Klaus Nüsslein
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Susannah G Tringe
- United States Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
| | - Babur S Mirza
- Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - James M Tiedje
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Brendan J M Bohannan
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Conventional methanotrophs are responsible for atmospheric methane oxidation in paddy soils. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11728. [PMID: 27248847 PMCID: PMC4895445 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Soils serve as the biological sink of the potent greenhouse gas methane with exceptionally low concentrations of ∼1.84 p.p.m.v. in the atmosphere. The as-yet-uncultivated methane-consuming bacteria have long been proposed to be responsible for this ‘high-affinity' methane oxidation (HAMO). Here we show an emerging HAMO activity arising from conventional methanotrophs in paddy soil. HAMO activity was quickly induced during the low-affinity oxidation of high-concentration methane. Activity was lost gradually over 2 weeks, but could be repeatedly regained by flush-feeding the soil with elevated methane. The induction of HAMO activity occurred only after the rapid growth of methanotrophic populations, and a metatranscriptome-wide association study suggests that the concurrent high- and low-affinity methane oxidation was catalysed by known methanotrophs rather than by the proposed novel atmospheric methane oxidizers. These results provide evidence of atmospheric methane uptake in periodically drained ecosystems that are typically considered to be a source of atmospheric methane. Atmospheric methane may be consumed by microorganisms in soil, but the mechanisms behind high-affinity methane oxidization remain poorly understood. Here, Jia et al. show that known methanotrophic bacteria are responsible for atmospheric methane uptake in periodically drained wetland ecosystems.
Collapse
|
25
|
Knief C. Diversity and Habitat Preferences of Cultivated and Uncultivated Aerobic Methanotrophic Bacteria Evaluated Based on pmoA as Molecular Marker. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1346. [PMID: 26696968 PMCID: PMC4678205 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Methane-oxidizing bacteria are characterized by their capability to grow on methane as sole source of carbon and energy. Cultivation-dependent and -independent methods have revealed that this functional guild of bacteria comprises a substantial diversity of organisms. In particular the use of cultivation-independent methods targeting a subunit of the particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) as functional marker for the detection of aerobic methanotrophs has resulted in thousands of sequences representing "unknown methanotrophic bacteria." This limits data interpretation due to restricted information about these uncultured methanotrophs. A few groups of uncultivated methanotrophs are assumed to play important roles in methane oxidation in specific habitats, while the biology behind other sequence clusters remains still largely unknown. The discovery of evolutionary related monooxygenases in non-methanotrophic bacteria and of pmoA paralogs in methanotrophs requires that sequence clusters of uncultivated organisms have to be interpreted with care. This review article describes the present diversity of cultivated and uncultivated aerobic methanotrophic bacteria based on pmoA gene sequence diversity. It summarizes current knowledge about cultivated and major clusters of uncultivated methanotrophic bacteria and evaluates habitat specificity of these bacteria at different levels of taxonomic resolution. Habitat specificity exists for diverse lineages and at different taxonomic levels. Methanotrophic genera such as Methylocystis and Methylocaldum are identified as generalists, but they harbor habitat specific methanotrophs at species level. This finding implies that future studies should consider these diverging preferences at different taxonomic levels when analyzing methanotrophic communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Knief
- Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation – Molecular Biology of the Rhizosphere, University of BonnBonn, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Ho A, Reim A, Kim SY, Meima-Franke M, Termorshuizen A, de Boer W, van der Putten WH, Bodelier PLE. Unexpected stimulation of soil methane uptake as emergent property of agricultural soils following bio-based residue application. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:3864-79. [PMID: 25975568 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Intensification of agriculture to meet the global food, feed, and bioenergy demand entail increasing re-investment of carbon compounds (residues) into agro-systems to prevent decline of soil quality and fertility. However, agricultural intensification decreases soil methane uptake, reducing, and even causing the loss of the methane sink function. In contrast to wetland agricultural soils (rice paddies), the methanotrophic potential in well-aerated agricultural soils have received little attention, presumably due to the anticipated low or negligible methane uptake capacity in these soils. Consequently, a detailed study verifying or refuting this assumption is still lacking. Exemplifying a typical agricultural practice, we determined the impact of bio-based residue application on soil methane flux, and determined the methanotrophic potential, including a qualitative (diagnostic microarray) and quantitative (group-specific qPCR assays) analysis of the methanotrophic community after residue amendments over 2 months. Unexpectedly, after amendments with specific residues, we detected a significant transient stimulation of methane uptake confirmed by both the methane flux measurements and methane oxidation assay. This stimulation was apparently a result of induced cell-specific activity, rather than growth of the methanotroph population. Although transient, the heightened methane uptake offsets up to 16% of total gaseous CO2 emitted during the incubation. The methanotrophic community, predominantly comprised of Methylosinus may facilitate methane oxidation in the agricultural soils. While agricultural soils are generally regarded as a net methane source or a relatively weak methane sink, our results show that methane oxidation rate can be stimulated, leading to higher soil methane uptake. Hence, even if agriculture exerts an adverse impact on soil methane uptake, implementing carefully designed management strategies (e.g. repeated application of specific residues) may compensate for the loss of the methane sink function following land-use change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Ho
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Reim
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Straβe 10, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sang Yoon Kim
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marion Meima-Franke
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Aad Termorshuizen
- SoilCares Research, Binnenhaven 5, 6709, PD Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wietse de Boer
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wim H van der Putten
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR), PO Box 8123, 6700, ES Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul L E Bodelier
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708, PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Youngblut ND, Buckley DH. Intra-genomic variation in G + C content and its implications for DNA stable isotope probing. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2014; 6:767-775. [PMID: 25139123 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/08/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Combining deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA-based) stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with high-throughput sequencing provides a powerful culture-independent means to link microbial metabolic function to genomic information and taxonomic identity. DNA buoyant density (BD) in isopycnic gradients is dependent on both isotope incorporation and G + C content. G + C content varies across a genome but is constrained at rrn operons; hence, the ability to resolve isotopically labelled DNA from unlabelled DNA in SIP may vary between small subunit-ribosomal nucleic acid (SSU rRNA) amplicon and shotgun-read sequencing applications. We tested this hypothesis by evaluating the G + C content of genomic DNA fragments that encompassed either an SSU rRNA template ('amplicon-fragments') or a shotgun read template ('shotgun-fragments'). We find that, contrary to expectations, the BD distribution of amplicon-fragments is non-normal and can be highly skewed. Furthermore, the BD distribution of amplicon-fragments can differ substantially from that of shotgun-fragments from the same genome. Our findings demonstrate the impact of G + C content on the downstream applications of DNA-SIP, which will aid in proper experimental design and the development of statistical tests to accurately identify sequences derived from isotopically labelled DNA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas D Youngblut
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, 306 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Putkinen A, Larmola T, Tuomivirta T, Siljanen HMP, Bodrossy L, Tuittila ES, Fritze H. Peatland succession induces a shift in the community composition of Sphagnum-associated active methanotrophs. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 88:596-611. [PMID: 24701995 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Revised: 03/10/2014] [Accepted: 03/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Sphagnum-associated methanotrophs (SAM) are an important sink for the methane (CH4) formed in boreal peatlands. We aimed to reveal how peatland succession, which entails a directional change in several environmental variables, affects SAM and their activity. Based on the pmoA microarray results, SAM community structure changes when a peatland develops from a minerotrophic fen to an ombrotrophic bog. Methanotroph subtypes Ia, Ib, and II showed slightly contrasting patterns during succession, suggesting differences in their ecological niche adaptation. Although the direct DNA-based analysis revealed a high diversity of type Ib and II methanotrophs throughout the studied peatland chronosequence, stable isotope probing (SIP) of the pmoA gene indicated they were active mainly during the later stages of succession. In contrast, type Ia methanotrophs showed active CH4 consumption in all analyzed samples. SIP-derived (13)C-labeled 16S rRNA gene clone libraries revealed a high diversity of SAM in every succession stage including some putative Methylocella/Methyloferula methanotrophs that are not detectable with the pmoA-based approach. In addition, a high diversity of 16S rRNA gene sequences likely representing cross-labeled nonmethanotrophs was discovered, including a significant proportion of Verrucomicrobia-related sequences. These results help to predict the effects of changing environmental conditions on SAM communities and activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anuliina Putkinen
- Southern Finland Regional Unit, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa, Finland
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Kim SJ, Park SJ, Cha IT, Min D, Kim JS, Chung WH, Chae JC, Jeon CO, Rhee SK. Metabolic versatility of toluene-degrading, iron-reducing bacteria in tidal flat sediment, characterized by stable isotope probing-based metagenomic analysis. Environ Microbiol 2013; 16:189-204. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 09/04/2013] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- So-Jeong Kim
- Department of Microbiology; Chungbuk National University; Cheongju 361-763 Korea
| | - Soo-Je Park
- Department of Biology; Jeju National University; Jeju 690-756 Korea
| | - In-Tae Cha
- Department of Microbiology; Chungbuk National University; Cheongju 361-763 Korea
| | - Deullae Min
- Center for Gas Analysis; Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science; 267 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu Daejeon 305-340 Korea
| | - Jin-Seog Kim
- Center for Gas Analysis; Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science; 267 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu Daejeon 305-340 Korea
| | - Won-Hyung Chung
- Korean Bioinformation Center; Korean Research Institute of Bioscience and Bioengineering; Daejeon 305-806 Korea
| | - Jong-Chan Chae
- Division of Biotechnology; Chonbuk National University; Iksan 570-752 Korea
| | - Che Ok Jeon
- School of Biological Sciences; Chung-Ang University; Seoul 156-756 Korea
| | - Sung-Keun Rhee
- Department of Microbiology; Chungbuk National University; Cheongju 361-763 Korea
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Termites facilitate methane oxidation and shape the methanotrophic community. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:7234-40. [PMID: 24038691 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02785-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Termite-derived methane contributes 3 to 4% to the total methane budget globally. Termites are not known to harbor methane-oxidizing microorganisms (methanotrophs). However, a considerable fraction of the methane produced can be consumed by methanotrophs that inhabit the mound material, yet the methanotroph ecology in these environments is virtually unknown. The potential for methane oxidation was determined using slurry incubations under conditions with high (12%) and in situ (∼0.004%) methane concentrations through a vertical profile of a termite (Macrotermes falciger) mound and a reference soil. Interestingly, the mound material showed higher methanotrophic activity. The methanotroph community structure was determined by means of a pmoA-based diagnostic microarray. Although the methanotrophs in the mound were derived from populations in the reference soil, it appears that termite activity selected for a distinct community. Applying an indicator species analysis revealed that putative atmospheric methane oxidizers (high-indicator-value probes specific for the JR3 cluster) were indicative of the active nest area, whereas methanotrophs belonging to both type I and type II were indicative of the reference soil. We conclude that termites modify their environment, resulting in higher methane oxidation and selecting and/or enriching for a distinct methanotroph population.
Collapse
|
31
|
The (d)evolution of methanotrophy in the Beijerinckiaceae--a comparative genomics analysis. ISME JOURNAL 2013; 8:369-82. [PMID: 23985741 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2013.145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Revised: 07/17/2013] [Accepted: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The alphaproteobacterial family Beijerinckiaceae contains generalists that grow on a wide range of substrates, and specialists that grow only on methane and methanol. We investigated the evolution of this family by comparing the genomes of the generalist organotroph Beijerinckia indica, the facultative methanotroph Methylocella silvestris and the obligate methanotroph Methylocapsa acidiphila. Highly resolved phylogenetic construction based on universally conserved genes demonstrated that the Beijerinckiaceae forms a monophyletic cluster with the Methylocystaceae, the only other family of alphaproteobacterial methanotrophs. Phylogenetic analyses also demonstrated a vertical inheritance pattern of methanotrophy and methylotrophy genes within these families. Conversely, many lateral gene transfer (LGT) events were detected for genes encoding carbohydrate transport and metabolism, energy production and conversion, and transcriptional regulation in the genome of B. indica, suggesting that it has recently acquired these genes. A key difference between the generalist B. indica and its specialist methanotrophic relatives was an abundance of transporter elements, particularly periplasmic-binding proteins and major facilitator transporters. The most parsimonious scenario for the evolution of methanotrophy in the Alphaproteobacteria is that it occurred only once, when a methylotroph acquired methane monooxygenases (MMOs) via LGT. This was supported by a compositional analysis suggesting that all MMOs in Alphaproteobacteria methanotrophs are foreign in origin. Some members of the Beijerinckiaceae subsequently lost methanotrophic functions and regained the ability to grow on multicarbon energy substrates. We conclude that B. indica is a recidivist multitroph, the only known example of a bacterium having completely abandoned an evolved lifestyle of specialized methanotrophy.
Collapse
|
32
|
Deng Y, Cui X, Lüke C, Dumont MG. Aerobic methanotroph diversity in Riganqiao peatlands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2013; 5:566-574. [PMID: 23864571 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2013] [Revised: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The Zoige Plateau is characterized by its high altitude, low latitude and low annual mean temperature of approximately 1°C and is a major source of atmospheric methane in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Methanotrophs play an important role in the global cycling of CH4, but the diversity, identity and activity of methanotrophs in this region are poorly characterized. Soils were collected from hummocks and hollows in the Riganqiao peatland and the methanotroph community was analysed by qPCR and sequencing methane monooxygenase (pmoA and mmoX) genes. The pmoA genes ranged between 10(7) and 10(8) copies g(-1) fresh soil, with a somewhat greater abundance in hummocks than hollows. The pmoA genes were analysed by amplicon pyrosequencing and the mmoX genes by cloning and sequencing. Methylocystis species were found to be the most abundant methanotrophs, but numerous clades were present including three novel pmoA and three novel mmoX clusters. There were differences between the methanotroph communities in the hummocks and hollows, with the most significant being an increased abundance of uncultivated type Ib methanotrophs in the hollows. The results indicate that aerobic methanotrophs are abundant in Riganqiao peatland and include previously undetected clades in this geographically isolated and distinctive environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongcui Deng
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
33
|
Ho A, Kerckhof FM, Luke C, Reim A, Krause S, Boon N, Bodelier PLE. Conceptualizing functional traits and ecological characteristics of methane-oxidizing bacteria as life strategies. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2013; 5:335-45. [PMID: 23754714 DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2012.00370.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2012] [Revised: 07/06/2012] [Accepted: 07/15/2012] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) possess the ability to use methane for energy generation and growth, thereby, providing a key ecosystem service that is highly relevant to the regulation of the global climate. MOB subgroups have different responses to key environmental controls, reflecting on their functional traits. Their unique features (C1-metabolism, unique lipids and congruence between the 16S rRNA and pmoA gene phylogeny) have facilitated numerous environmental studies, which in combination with the availability of cultured representatives, yield the most comprehensive ecological picture of any known microbial functional guild. Here, we focus on the broad MOB subgroups (type I and type II MOB), and aim to conceptualize MOB functional traits and observational characteristics derived primarily from these environmental studies to be interpreted as microbial life strategies. We focus on the functional traits, and the conditions under which these traits will render different MOB subgroups a selective advantage. We hypothesize that type I and type II MOB generally have distinct life strategies, enabling them to predominate under different conditions and maintain functionality. The ecological characteristics implicated in their adopted life strategies are discussed, and incorporated into the Competitor-Stress tolerator-Ruderal functional classification framework as put forward for plant communities. In this context, type I MOB can broadly be classified as competitor-ruderal while type II MOB fit more within the stress tolerator categories. Finally, we provide an outlook on MOB applications by exemplifying two approaches where their inferred life strategies could be exploited thereby, putting MOB into the context of microbial resource management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Ho
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Krause S, Meima-Franke M, Hefting MM, Bodelier PLE. Spatial patterns of methanotrophic communities along a hydrological gradient in a riparian wetland. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2013; 86:59-70. [PMID: 23397906 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Revised: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 02/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial communities display a variety of biogeographical patterns mainly driven by large-scale environmental gradients. Here, we analysed the spatial distribution of methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) and methane oxidation in a strongly fluctuating environment. We investigated whether the spatial variability of the MOB community can be explained by an environmental gradient and whether this changes with different plot sizes. We applied a pmoA-specific microarray to detect MOB, measured methane oxidation, methane emissions and soil properties. All variables were measured in a 10 × 10 m, 1 × 1 m and 20 × 20 cm plot and interpreted using a geostatistical approach. Methane oxidation as well as MOB displayed spatial patterns reflected in the underlying flooding gradient. Overlapping and contrasting spatial patterns for type I and type II MOB suggested different ecological life strategies. With smaller plot size, the environmental gradient could not explain the variability in the data and local factors became more important. In conclusion, environmental gradients can generally explain variability in microbial spatial patterns; however, we think that this does not contribute to a mechanistic explanation for microbial diversity because the relevant scales for microorganisms are much smaller than those normally measured.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sascha Krause
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Abstract
The methanotrophic potential in sewage treatment sludge was investigated. We detected a diverse aerobic methanotrophic community that potentially plays a significant role in mitigating methane emission in this environment. The results suggest that community structure was determined by conditions specific to the processes in a sewage treatment plant.
Collapse
|
36
|
Jagadevan S, Semrau JD. Priority pollutant degradation by the facultative methanotroph, Methylocystis strain SB2. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2012; 97:5089-96. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-012-4310-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2012] [Revised: 07/08/2012] [Accepted: 07/14/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
|
37
|
Khadem AF, Pol A, Wieczorek AS, Jetten MSM, Op den Camp HJM. Metabolic Regulation of "Ca. Methylacidiphilum Fumariolicum" SolV Cells Grown Under Different Nitrogen and Oxygen Limitations. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:266. [PMID: 22848206 PMCID: PMC3404531 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aerobic methanotrophic bacteria can use methane as their sole energy source. The discovery of “Ca. Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum” strain SolV and other verrucomicrobial methanotrophs has revealed that the ability of bacteria to oxidize CH4 is much more diverse than has previously been assumed in terms of ecology, phylogeny, and physiology. A remarkable characteristic of the methane-oxidizing Verrucomicrobia is their extremely acidophilic phenotype, growing even below pH 1. In this study we used RNA-Seq to analyze the metabolic regulation of “Ca. M. fumariolicum” SolV cells growing at μmax in batch culture or under nitrogen fixing or oxygen limited conditions in chemostats, all at pH 2. The analysis showed that two of the three pmoCAB operons each encoding particulate methane monoxygenases were differentially expressed, probably regulated by the available oxygen. The hydrogen produced during N2 fixation is apparently recycled as demonstrated by the upregulation of the genes encoding a Ni/Fe-dependent hydrogenase. These hydrogenase genes were also upregulated under low oxygen conditions. Handling of nitrosative stress was shown by the expression of the nitric oxide reductase encoding genes norB and norC under all conditions tested, the upregulation of nitrite reductase nirK under oxygen limitation and of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase hao in the presence of ammonium. Unraveling the gene regulation of carbon and nitrogen metabolism helps to understand the underlying physiological adaptations of strain SolV in view of the harsh conditions of its natural ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad F Khadem
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University Nijmegen Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Duhaime MB, Deng L, Poulos BT, Sullivan MB. Towards quantitative metagenomics of wild viruses and other ultra-low concentration DNA samples: a rigorous assessment and optimization of the linker amplification method. Environ Microbiol 2012; 14:2526-37. [PMID: 22713159 PMCID: PMC3466414 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02791.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Metagenomics generates and tests hypotheses about dynamics and mechanistic drivers in wild populations, yet commonly suffers from insufficient (< 1 ng) starting genomic material for sequencing. Current solutions for amplifying sufficient DNA for metagenomics analyses include linear amplification for deep sequencing (LADS), which requires more DNA than is normally available, linker-amplified shotgun libraries (LASLs), which is prohibitively low throughput, and whole-genome amplification, which is significantly biased and thus non-quantitative. Here, we adapt the LASL approach to next generation sequencing by offering an alternate polymerase for challenging samples, developing a more efficient sizing step, integrating a 'reconditioning PCR' step to increase yield and minimize late-cycle PCR artefacts, and empirically documenting the quantitative capability of the optimized method with both laboratory isolate and wild community viral DNA. Our optimized linker amplification method requires as little as 1 pg of DNA and is the most precise and accurate available, with G + C content amplification biases less than 1.5-fold, even for complex samples as diverse as a wild virus community. While optimized here for 454 sequencing, this linker amplification method can be used to prepare metagenomics libraries for sequencing with next-generation platforms, including Illumina and Ion Torrent, the first of which we tested and present data for here.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa B Duhaime
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Belova SE, Kulichevskaya IS, Bodelier PLE, Dedysh SN. Methylocystis bryophila sp. nov., a facultatively methanotrophic bacterium from acidic Sphagnum peat, and emended description of the genus Methylocystis (ex Whittenbury et al. 1970) Bowman et al. 1993. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2012; 63:1096-1104. [PMID: 22707532 DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.043505-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel species is proposed for two facultatively methanotrophic representatives of the genus Methylocystis, strains H2s(T) and S284, which were isolated from an acidic (pH 4.3) Sphagnum peat-bog lake (Teufelssee, Germany) and an acidic (pH 3.8) peat bog (European North Russia), respectively. Cells of strains H2s(T) and S284 are aerobic, Gram-negative, non-motile, curved coccoids or short rods that contain an intracytoplasmic membrane system typical of type-II methanotrophs. They possess both a soluble and a particulate methane monooxygenase (MMO); the latter is represented by two isozymes, pMMO1 and pMMO2. The preferred growth substrates are methane and methanol. In the absence of C1 substrates, however, these methanotrophs are capable of slow growth on acetate. Atmospheric nitrogen is fixed by means of an aerotolerant nitrogenase. Strains H2s(T) and S284 grow between pH 4.2 and 7.6 (optimum pH 6.0-6.5) and at 8-37 °C (optimum 25-30 °C). The major fatty acids are C18 : 1ω8c, C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 1ω7c; the major quinone is Q-8. The DNA G+C content is 62.0-62.3 mol%. Strains H2s(T) and S284 share identical 16S rRNA gene sequences, which displayed 96.6-97.3 % similarity to sequences of other taxonomically characterized members of the genus Methylocystis. Therefore, strains H2s(T) and S284 are classified as members of a novel species, for which the name Methylocystis bryophila sp. nov. is proposed; strain H2s(T) ( = DSM 21852(T) = VKM B-2545(T)) is the type strain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana E Belova
- S. N. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117312, Russia
| | - Irina S Kulichevskaya
- S. N. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117312, Russia
| | - Paul L E Bodelier
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), PO Box 50, 6700AB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Svetlana N Dedysh
- S. N. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117312, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Erikstad HA, Jensen S, Keen TJ, Birkeland NK. Differential expression of particulate methane monooxygenase genes in the verrucomicrobial methanotroph 'Methylacidiphilum kamchatkense' Kam1. Extremophiles 2012; 16:405-9. [PMID: 22488571 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-012-0439-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2011] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Methane monooxygenases (MMOs) are oxygen-dependent enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of methane to methanol in the methanotrophic bacteria. The thermoacidophilic verrucomicrobial methanotroph 'Methylacidiphilum kamchatkense' Kam1 contains three complete and phylogenetically distinct copies of the pmoCAB gene cluster apparently organized as operons, each encoding all three subunits of particulate MMO (pMMO), and a truncated pmoCA cluster encoding only two of the subunits. Two of the clusters are present as a tandem array, but the other clusters occur in isolation. Here, the expression of these clusters has been assessed using the four pmoA genes as targets in reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR analysis. One of the pmoA genes, designated pmoA2, is at least 35-fold more strongly transcribed than the other pmoA copies. Growth at suboptimal temperature and pH conditions did not significantly change the transcription pattern, indicating that the pmoCAB2 cluster encodes the functional pMMO under methane-fuelled growth conditions. During growth on methanol, expression of pmoA2 was reduced approximately tenfold as compared to growth on methane, suggesting a role for the alternative carbon substrates in gene regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helge-André Erikstad
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, 5020, Bergen, Norway
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Kolb S, Horn MA. Microbial CH(4) and N(2)O Consumption in Acidic Wetlands. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:78. [PMID: 22403579 PMCID: PMC3291872 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2011] [Accepted: 02/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Acidic wetlands are global sources of the atmospheric greenhouse gases methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O). Consumption of both atmospheric gases has been observed in various acidic wetlands, but information on the microbial mechanisms underlying these phenomena is scarce. A substantial amount of CH(4) is consumed in sub soil by aerobic methanotrophs at anoxic-oxic interfaces (e.g., tissues of Sphagnum mosses, rhizosphere of vascular plant roots). Methylocystis-related species are likely candidates that are involved in the consumption of atmospheric CH(4) in acidic wetlands. Oxygen availability regulates the activity of methanotrophs of acidic wetlands. Other parameters impacting on the methanotroph-mediated CH(4) consumption have not been systematically evaluated. N(2)O is produced and consumed by microbial denitrification, thus rendering acidic wetlands as temporary sources or sinks for N(2)O. Denitrifier communities in such ecosystems are diverse, and largely uncultured and/or new, and environmental factors that control their consumption activity are unresolved. Analyses of the composition of N(2)O reductase genes in acidic wetlands suggest that acid-tolerant Proteobacteria have the potential to mediate N(2)O consumption in such soils. Thus, the fragmented current state of knowledge raises open questions concerning methanotrophs and denitrifiers that consume atmospheric CH(4) and N(2)O in acidic wetlands.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Kolb
- Department of Ecological Microbiology, University of BayreuthBayreuth, Germany
| | - Marcus A. Horn
- Department of Ecological Microbiology, University of BayreuthBayreuth, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Pester M, Knorr KH, Friedrich MW, Wagner M, Loy A. Sulfate-reducing microorganisms in wetlands - fameless actors in carbon cycling and climate change. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:72. [PMID: 22403575 PMCID: PMC3289269 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2011] [Accepted: 02/11/2012] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Freshwater wetlands are a major source of the greenhouse gas methane but at the same time can function as carbon sink. Their response to global warming and environmental pollution is one of the largest unknowns in the upcoming decades to centuries. In this review, we highlight the role of sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) in the intertwined element cycles of wetlands. Although regarded primarily as methanogenic environments, biogeochemical studies have revealed a previously hidden sulfur cycle in wetlands that can sustain rapid renewal of the small standing pools of sulfate. Thus, dissimilatory sulfate reduction, which frequently occurs at rates comparable to marine surface sediments, can contribute up to 36–50% to anaerobic carbon mineralization in these ecosystems. Since sulfate reduction is thermodynamically favored relative to fermentative processes and methanogenesis, it effectively decreases gross methane production thereby mitigating the flux of methane to the atmosphere. However, very little is known about wetland SRM. Molecular analyses using dsrAB [encoding subunit A and B of the dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase] as marker genes demonstrated that members of novel phylogenetic lineages, which are unrelated to recognized SRM, dominate dsrAB richness and, if tested, are also abundant among the dsrAB-containing wetland microbiota. These discoveries point toward the existence of so far unknown SRM that are an important part of the autochthonous wetland microbiota. In addition to these numerically dominant microorganisms, a recent stable isotope probing study of SRM in a German peatland indicated that rare biosphere members might be highly active in situ and have a considerable stake in wetland sulfate reduction. The hidden sulfur cycle in wetlands and the fact that wetland SRM are not well represented by described SRM species explains their so far neglected role as important actors in carbon cycling and climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Pester
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Vienna Ecology Center, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna Wien, Austria
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Ho A, Lüke C, Cao Z, Frenzel P. Ageing well: methane oxidation and methane oxidizing bacteria along a chronosequence of 2000 years. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2011; 3:738-43. [PMID: 23761364 DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2011.00292.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world's growing population. While the area planted to wetland rice is expected to increase further, virtually nothing is known about the long-term development of the respective microbial communities, and how these might influence biogeochemistry. Focusing on methane oxidizing bacteria, we studied a chronosequence of paddy fields in China aged 50-2000 years. Potential methanotrophic activity increased substantially with age of soil. Community composition was relatively similar in all fields. However, growth and activity of one particular subgroup of methanotrophs correlated to soil age suggesting an intricate abiotic control on methanotrophs evolving with time. Our results demonstrate that continuous rice agriculture does not only shape the microbial community, but also modifies the micro-environment in a way enabling faster growth and higher activity of selected populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Ho
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany. Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008 Nanjing, China
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Wieczorek AS, Drake HL, Kolb S. Organic acids and ethanol inhibit the oxidation of methane by mire methanotrophs. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2011; 77:28-39. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01080.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
|
45
|
Tavormina PL, Orphan VJ, Kalyuzhnaya MG, Jetten MSM, Klotz MG. A novel family of functional operons encoding methane/ammonia monooxygenase-related proteins in gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2011; 3:91-100. [PMID: 23761236 DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2010.00192.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Genomes of alphaproteobacterial and verrucomicrobial methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) encode sequence-divergent copies of particulate methane monooxygenase [pMMO = (PmoABC); pmoCAB]. In contrast, sequenced gammaproteobacterial MOB (Gamma-MOB) genomes contain single or multiple near-identical copies of pmoCAB operons. In betaproteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (Beta-AOB), near-identical amoCAB operons encode ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), a homologue of pMMO. Here, we report that Gamma-MOB in the genera Methylomonas, Methylobacter and Methylomicrobium also encode a sequence-divergent particulate monooxygenase (pXMO). Whereas all known genes encoding pMMO or AMO cluster in the order 'CAB', the genes encoding pXMO are uniquely organized in the non-canonical form 'pxmABC.' Steady state pxm mRNA was detected in cultures of Methylomonas sp. as well as in freshwater creek sediment samples, demonstrating that pxm genes are expressed in culture and in situ. Inclusion of PxmA and PxmB proteins in phylogenetic analyses of the Pmo/Amo protein superfamilies created trifurcated trees with three major clades: (i) Pmo of Alpha- and Gamma-MOB and Amo of Gamma-AOB; (ii) Amo of Beta-AOB, Pmo of putative ethane-oxidizing Gamma-MOB and Pxm of Gamma-MOB; and (iii) verrucomicrobial Pmo and Amo of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea. These data support but do not prove the hypothesis that oxygen-dependent methane and ammonia monooxygenases evolved from a substrate-promiscuous ancestor after horizontal transfer while being integrated into the catabolic contexts of their extant hosts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia L Tavormina
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Box 355014, Seattle, WA 98115, USA. Department of Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Department of Biology, University of Louisville, 139 Life Sciences Building, Louisville, KY 40218, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Ma K, Lu Y. Regulation of microbial methane production and oxidation by intermittent drainage in rice field soil. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2010; 75:446-56. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.01018.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
|
47
|
Enrichment and identification of methane-oxidizing bacteria by using down-flow hanging sponge bioreactors under low methane concentration. ANN MICROBIOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s13213-010-0171-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
|
48
|
Recovery of methanotrophs from disturbance: population dynamics, evenness and functioning. ISME JOURNAL 2010; 5:750-8. [PMID: 20981115 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2010.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity is claimed to be essential for ecosystem functioning, but is threatened by anthropogenic disturbances. Prokaryotes have been assumed to be functionally redundant and virtually inextinguishable. However, recent work indicates that microbes may well be sensitive to environmental disturbance. Focusing on methane-oxidizing bacteria as model organisms, we simulated disturbance-induced mortality by mixing native with sterilized paddy soil in two ratios, 1:4 and 1:40, representing moderate and severe die-offs. Disturbed microcosms were compared with an untreated control. Recovery of activity and populations was followed over 4 months by methane uptake measurements, pmoA-qPCR, pmoA-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and a pmoA-based diagnostic microarray. Diversity and evenness of methanotrophs decreased in disturbed microcosms, but functioning was not compromised. We consistently observed distinctive temporal shifts between type I and type II methanotrophs, and a rapid population growth leading to even higher cell numbers comparing disturbed microcosms with the control. Overcompensating mortality suggested that population size in the control was limited by competition with other bacteria. Overall, methanotrophs showed a remarkable ability to compensate for die-offs.
Collapse
|
49
|
Iguchi H, Yurimoto H, Sakai Y. Soluble and particulate methane monooxygenase gene clusters of the type I methanotroph Methylovulum miyakonense HT12. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2010; 312:71-6. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2010.02101.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
|
50
|
Kravchenko IK, Kizilova AK, Bykova SA, Men’ko EV, Gal’chenko V. Molecular analysis of high-affinity methane-oxidizing enrichment cultures isolated from a forest biocenosis and agrocenoses. Microbiology (Reading) 2010. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026261710010145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
|