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Havlena ZE, Hose LD, DuChene HR, Baker GM, Powell JD, Labrado AL, Brunner B, Jones DS. Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA. GEOBIOLOGY 2024; 22:e12594. [PMID: 38700397 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Lehman Caves is an extensively decorated high desert cave that represents one of the main tourist attractions in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Although traditionally considered a water table cave, recent studies identified abundant speleogenetic features consistent with a hypogenic and, potentially, sulfuric acid origin. Here, we characterized white mineral deposits in the Gypsum Annex (GA) passage to determine whether these secondary deposits represent biogenic minerals formed during sulfuric acid corrosion and explored microbial communities associated with these and other mineral deposits throughout the cave. Powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) showed that, while most white mineral deposits from the GA contain gypsum, they also contain abundant calcite, silica, and other phases. Gypsum and carbonate-associated sulfate isotopic values of these deposits are variable, with δ34SV-CDT between +9.7‰ and +26.1‰, and do not reflect depleted values typically associated with replacement gypsum formed during sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Petrographic observations show that the sulfates likely co-precipitated with carbonate and SiO2 phases. Taken together, these data suggest that the deposits resulted from later-stage meteoric events and not during an initial episode of sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Most sedimentary and mineral deposits in Lehman Caves have very low microbial biomass, with the exception of select areas along the main tour route that have been impacted by tourist traffic. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that microbial communities in GA sediments are distinct from those in other parts of the cave. The microbial communities that inhabit these oligotrophic secondary mineral deposits include OTUs related to known ammonia-oxidizing Nitrosococcales and Thaumarchaeota, as well as common soil taxa such as Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria. This study reveals microbial and mineralogical diversity in a previously understudied cave and expands our understanding of the geomicrobiology of desert hypogene cave systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoë E Havlena
- Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
| | - Louise D Hose
- Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | | | | | - J Douglas Powell
- Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Ely Ranger District, Nevada, USA
| | - Amanda L Labrado
- The Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, The University of Texas El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Benjamin Brunner
- Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences, The University of Texas El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Daniel S Jones
- Earth and Environmental Science, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico, USA
- National Cave and Karst Research Institute, Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA
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2
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Valentin-Alvarado LE, Fakra SC, Probst AJ, Giska JR, Jaffe AL, Oltrogge LM, West-Roberts J, Rowland J, Manga M, Savage DF, Greening C, Baker BJ, Banfield JF. Autotrophic biofilms sustained by deeply sourced groundwater host diverse bacteria implicated in sulfur and hydrogen metabolism. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:15. [PMID: 38273328 PMCID: PMC10811913 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01704-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biofilms in sulfide-rich springs present intricate microbial communities that play pivotal roles in biogeochemical cycling. We studied chemoautotrophically based biofilms that host diverse CPR bacteria and grow in sulfide-rich springs to investigate microbial controls on biogeochemical cycling. RESULTS Sulfide springs biofilms were investigated using bulk geochemical analysis, genome-resolved metagenomics, and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) at room temperature and 87 K. Chemolithotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, including Thiothrix and Beggiatoa, dominate the biofilms, which also contain CPR Gracilibacteria, Absconditabacteria, Saccharibacteria, Peregrinibacteria, Berkelbacteria, Microgenomates, and Parcubacteria. STXM imaging revealed ultra-small cells near the surfaces of filamentous bacteria that may be CPR bacterial episymbionts. STXM and NEXAFS spectroscopy at carbon K and sulfur L2,3 edges show that filamentous bacteria contain protein-encapsulated spherical elemental sulfur granules, indicating that they are sulfur oxidizers, likely Thiothrix. Berkelbacteria and Moranbacteria in the same biofilm sample are predicted to have a novel electron bifurcating group 3b [NiFe]-hydrogenase, putatively a sulfhydrogenase, potentially linked to sulfur metabolism via redox cofactors. This complex could potentially contribute to symbioses, for example, with sulfur-oxidizing bacteria such as Thiothrix that is based on cryptic sulfur cycling. One Doudnabacteria genome encodes adjacent sulfur dioxygenase and rhodanese genes that may convert thiosulfate to sulfite. We find similar conserved genomic architecture associated with CPR bacteria from other sulfur-rich subsurface ecosystems. CONCLUSIONS Our combined metagenomic, geochemical, spectromicroscopic, and structural bioinformatics analyses of biofilms growing in sulfide-rich springs revealed consortia that contain CPR bacteria and sulfur-oxidizing Proteobacteria, including Thiothrix, and bacteria from a new family within Beggiatoales. We infer roles for CPR bacteria in sulfur and hydrogen cycling. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis E Valentin-Alvarado
- Graduate Group in Microbiology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Sirine C Fakra
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Alexander J Probst
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Environmental Metagenomics, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Chemistry,, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jonathan R Giska
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Cleaner Air Oregon Program, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland, USA
| | - Alexander L Jaffe
- Graduate Group in Microbiology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Luke M Oltrogge
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Jacob West-Roberts
- Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Joel Rowland
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Earth and Env. Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Michael Manga
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141, Essen, Germany
| | - David F Savage
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Chris Greening
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Brett J Baker
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, USA
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas, Austin, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Marine Science, University of Texas, Austin, USA.
- Energy Geoscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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3
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Aronson HS, Clark CE, LaRowe DE, Amend JP, Polerecky L, Macalady JL. Sulfur disproportionating microbial communities in a dynamic, microoxic-sulfidic karst system. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:791-803. [PMID: 37721188 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Biogeochemical sulfur cycling in sulfidic karst systems is largely driven by abiotic and biological sulfide oxidation, but the fate of elemental sulfur (S0 ) that accumulates in these systems is not well understood. The Frasassi Cave system (Italy) is intersected by a sulfidic aquifer that mixes with small quantities of oxygen-rich meteoric water, creating Proterozoic-like conditions and supporting a prolific ecosystem driven by sulfur-based chemolithoautotrophy. To better understand the cycling of S0 in this environment, we examined the geochemistry and microbiology of sediments underlying widespread sulfide-oxidizing mats dominated by Beggiatoa. Sediment populations were dominated by uncultivated relatives of sulfur cycling chemolithoautotrophs related to Sulfurovum, Halothiobacillus, Thiofaba, Thiovirga, Thiobacillus, and Desulfocapsa, as well as diverse uncultivated anaerobic heterotrophs affiliated with Bacteroidota, Anaerolineaceae, Lentimicrobiaceae, and Prolixibacteraceae. Desulfocapsa and Sulfurovum populations accounted for 12%-26% of sediment 16S rRNA amplicon sequences and were closely related to isolates which carry out autotrophic S0 disproportionation in pure culture. Gibbs energy (∆Gr ) calculations revealed that S0 disproportionation under in situ conditions is energy yielding. Microsensor profiles through the mat-sediment interface showed that Beggiatoa mats consume dissolved sulfide and oxygen, but a net increase in acidity was only observed in the sediments below. Together, these findings suggest that disproportionation is an important sink for S0 generated by microbial sulfide oxidation in this oxygen-limited system and may contribute to the weathering of carbonate rocks and sediments in sulfur-rich environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi S Aronson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Christian E Clark
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Douglas E LaRowe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jan P Amend
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Lubos Polerecky
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jennifer L Macalady
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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Nosalova L, Mekadim C, Mrazek J, Pristas P. Thiothrix and Sulfurovum genera dominate bacterial mats in Slovak cold sulfur springs. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2023; 18:72. [PMID: 37730677 PMCID: PMC10512639 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00527-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Microbiota of sulfur-rich environments has been extensively studied due to the biotechnological potential of sulfur bacteria, or as a model of ancient life. Cold terrestrial sulfur springs are less studied compared to sulfur-oxidizing microbiota of hydrothermal vents, volcanic environments, or soda lakes. Despite that, several studies suggested that sulfur springs harbor diverse microbial communities because of the unique geochemical conditions of upwelling waters. In this study, the microbiota of five terrestrial sulfur springs was examined using a 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. The clear dominance of the Proteobacteria and Campylobacterota phyla of cold sulfur springs microbiota was observed. Contrary to that, the microbiota of the hot sulfur spring was dominated by the Aquificota and Firmicutes phylum respectively. Sulfur-oxidizing genera constituted a dominant part of the microbial populations with the Thiothrix and Sulfurovum genera identified as the core microbiota of cold sulfur terrestrial springs in Slovakia. Additionally, the study emphasizes that sulfur springs in Slovakia support unique, poorly characterized bacterial communities of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Nosalova
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Srobarova 2, Kosice, 041 54, Slovakia
| | - Chahrazed Mekadim
- Laboratory of Anaerobic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, Prague, 1083, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Mrazek
- Laboratory of Anaerobic Microbiology, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Videnska, Prague, 1083, 14220, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Pristas
- Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Srobarova 2, Kosice, 041 54, Slovakia.
- Institute of Animal Physiology, Centre of Biosciences, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Soltesovej 4-6, Kosice, 040 01, Slovakia.
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5
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Bargiela R, Korzhenkov AA, McIntosh OA, Toshchakov SV, Yakimov MM, Golyshin PN, Golyshina OV. Evolutionary patterns of archaea predominant in acidic environment. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2023; 18:61. [PMID: 37464403 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00518-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Archaea of the order Thermoplasmatales are widely distributed in natural acidic areas and are amongst the most acidophilic prokaryotic organisms known so far. These organisms are difficult to culture, with currently only six genera validly published since the discovery of Thermoplasma acidophilum in 1970. Moreover, known great diversity of uncultured Thermoplasmatales represents microbial dark matter and underlines the necessity of efforts in cultivation and study of these archaea. Organisms from the order Thermoplasmatales affiliated with the so-called "alphabet-plasmas", and collectively dubbed "E-plasma", were the focus of this study. These archaea were found predominantly in the hyperacidic site PM4 of Parys Mountain, Wales, UK, making up to 58% of total metagenomic reads. However, these archaea escaped all cultivation attempts. RESULTS Their genome-based metabolism revealed its peptidolytic potential, in line with the physiology of the previously studied Thermoplasmatales isolates. Analyses of the genome and evolutionary history reconstruction have shown both the gain and loss of genes, that may have contributed to the success of the "E-plasma" in hyperacidic environment compared to their community neighbours. Notable genes among them are involved in the following molecular processes: signal transduction, stress response and glyoxylate shunt, as well as multiple copies of genes associated with various cellular functions; from energy production and conversion, replication, recombination, and repair, to cell wall/membrane/envelope biogenesis and archaella production. History events reconstruction shows that these genes, acquired by putative common ancestors, may determine the evolutionary and functional divergences of "E-plasma", which is much more developed than other representatives of the order Thermoplasmatales. In addition, the ancestral hereditary reconstruction strongly indicates the placement of Thermogymnomonas acidicola close to the root of the Thermoplasmatales. CONCLUSIONS This study has analysed the metagenome-assembled genome of "E-plasma", which denotes the basis of their predominance in Parys Mountain environmental microbiome, their global ubiquity, and points into the right direction of further cultivation attempts. The results suggest distinct evolutionary trajectories of organisms comprising the order Thermoplasmatales, which is important for the understanding of their evolution and lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Bargiela
- School of Natural Sciences and Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | | | - Owen A McIntosh
- School of Natural Sciences and Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Stepan V Toshchakov
- Kurchatov Center for Genome Research, NRC Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Peter N Golyshin
- School of Natural Sciences and Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Olga V Golyshina
- School of Natural Sciences and Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.
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6
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Bornemann TLV, Esser SP, Stach TL, Burg T, Probst AJ. uBin: A manual refining tool for genomes from metagenomes. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:1077-1083. [PMID: 36764661 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Resolving bacterial and archaeal genomes from metagenomes has revolutionized our understanding of Earth's biomes yet producing high-quality genomes from assembled fragments has been an ever-standing problem. While automated binning software and their combination produce prokaryotic bins in high throughput, their manual refinement has been slow, sometimes difficult or missing entirely facilitating error propagation in public databases. Here, we present uBin, a GUI-based, standalone bin refiner that runs on all major operating platforms and was additionally designed for educational purposes. When applied to the public CAMI dataset, refinement of bins using GC content, coverage and taxonomy was able to improve 78.9% of bins by decreasing their contamination. We also applied the bin refiner as a standalone binner to public metagenomes from the International Space Station and demonstrate the recovery of near-complete genomes, whose replication indices indicate the active proliferation of microbes in Earth's lower orbit. uBin is an easy to instal software for bin refinement, binning of simple metagenomes and communication of metagenomic results to other scientists and in classrooms. The software and its helper scripts are open source and available under https://github.com/ProbstLab/uBin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till L V Bornemann
- Environmental Metagenomics, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Sarah P Esser
- Environmental Metagenomics, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Tom L Stach
- Environmental Metagenomics, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Tim Burg
- Independent Researcher, Im Acker 59, Koblenz, Germany
| | - Alexander J Probst
- Environmental Metagenomics, Research Center One Health Ruhr of the University Alliance Ruhr, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
- Centre of Water and Environmental Research (ZWU), University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
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7
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Nosalova L, Piknova M, Kolesarova M, Pristas P. Cold Sulfur Springs-Neglected Niche for Autotrophic Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1436. [PMID: 37374938 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of unicellular life, dissimilation reactions of autotrophic sulfur bacteria have been a crucial part of the biogeochemical sulfur cycle on Earth. A wide range of sulfur oxidation states is reflected in the diversity of metabolic pathways used by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. This metabolically and phylogenetically diverse group of microorganisms inhabits a variety of environments, including extreme environments. Although they have been of interest to microbiologists for more than 150 years, meso- and psychrophilic chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing microbiota are less studied compared to the microbiota of hot springs. Several recent studies suggested that cold sulfur waters harbor unique, yet not described, bacterial taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Nosalova
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, 041 54 Kosice, Slovakia
| | - Maria Piknova
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, 041 54 Kosice, Slovakia
| | - Mariana Kolesarova
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, 041 54 Kosice, Slovakia
| | - Peter Pristas
- Centre of Biosciences, Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 040 01 Kosice, Slovakia
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Zhu HZ, Jiang CY, Liu SJ. Microbial roles in cave biogeochemical cycling. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:950005. [PMID: 36246268 PMCID: PMC9554484 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.950005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Among fundamental research questions in subterranean biology, the role of subterranean microbiomes playing in key elements cycling is a top-priority one. Karst caves are widely distributed subsurface ecosystems, and cave microbes get more and more attention as they could drive cave evolution and biogeochemical cycling. Research have demonstrated the existence of diverse microbes and their participance in biogeochemical cycling of elements in cave environments. However, there are still gaps in how these microbes sustain in caves with limited nutrients and interact with cave environment. Cultivation of novel cave bacteria with certain functions is still a challenging assignment. This review summarized the role of microbes in cave evolution and mineral deposition, and intended to inspire further exploration of microbial performances on C/N/S biogeocycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Zhen Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources and Environmental Microbiology Research Center, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng-Ying Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources and Environmental Microbiology Research Center, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shuang-Jiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources and Environmental Microbiology Research Center, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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9
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Liu R, Shan Y, Xi S, Zhang X, Sun C. A deep-sea sulfate-reducing bacterium generates zero-valent sulfur via metabolizing thiosulfate. MLIFE 2022; 1:257-271. [PMID: 38818226 PMCID: PMC10989961 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Zero-valent sulfur (ZVS) is a crucial intermediate in the sulfur geobiochemical circulation and is widespread in deep-sea cold seeps. Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are thought to be the major contributors to the formation of ZVS. However, ZVS production mediated by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) has rarely been reported. In this study, we isolated and cultured a typical SRB designated Oceanidesulfovibrio marinus CS1 from deep-sea cold seep sediment in the South China Sea. We show that O. marinus CS1 forms ZVS in the medium supplemented with thiosulfate. Proteomic and protein activity assays revealed that thiosulfate reductase (PhsA) and the sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (SQR) played key roles in driving ZVS formation in O. marinus CS1. During this process, thiosulfate firstly was reduced by PhsA to form sulfide, then sulfide was oxidized by SQR to produce ZVS. The expressions of PhsA and SQR were significantly upregulated when O. marinus CS1 was cultured in a deep-sea cold seep, strongly indicating that strain CS1 might form ZVS in the deep-sea environment. Notably, homologs of phsA and sqr were widely identified from microbes living in sediments of deep-sea cold seep in the South China Sea by the metagenomic analysis. We thus propose that SRB containing phsA and sqr genes potentially contribute to the formation of ZVS in deep-sea cold seep environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Liu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine BiologyCenter of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and TechnologyQingdaoChina
- Center of Ocean Mega‐Science, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
| | - Yeqi Shan
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine BiologyCenter of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and TechnologyQingdaoChina
- Center of Ocean Mega‐Science, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
- College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Shichuan Xi
- Center of Ocean Mega‐Science, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
- College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and EnvironmentCenter of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
| | - Xin Zhang
- Center of Ocean Mega‐Science, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and EnvironmentCenter of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
| | - Chaomin Sun
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine BiologyCenter of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and TechnologyQingdaoChina
- Center of Ocean Mega‐Science, Chinese Academy of SciencesQingdaoChina
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Gorbunov MY, Khlopko YA, Kataev VY, Umanskaya MV. Bacterial Diversity in Attached Communities of a Cold High-Sulfide Water Body in European Russia. Microbiology (Reading) 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026261722010040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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11
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Jurado V, D'Angeli I, Martin-Pozas T, Cappelletti M, Ghezzi D, Gonzalez-Pimentel JL, Cuezva S, Miller AZ, Fernandez-Cortes A, De Waele J, Sanchez-Moral S, Saiz-Jimenez C. Dominance of Arcobacter in the white filaments from the thermal sulfidic spring of Fetida Cave (Apulia, southern Italy). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 800:149465. [PMID: 34391144 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The thermal spring of Fetida Cave, a still active sulfuric acid cave opening at sea level and located in Santa Cesarea Terme, southeastern Salento (Apulia region, Southern Italy) hosts abundant floating white filaments. The white filaments were mainly composed of sulfur crystals surrounded by microbial mass of the phyla Epsilonbacteraeota, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Patescibacteria. The most abundant genus in the white filaments collected from the waters in the innermost part of the cave dominated by sulfidic exhalations was Arcobacter. This abundance can be related to the higher concentration of sulfide dissolved in water, and low oxygen and pH values. Conversely, lower Arcobacter abundances were obtained in the filaments collected in the entrance and middle part of the cave, where sulfidic water mixes with seawater, as the cave is subjected to tides and the mixing of fresh (continental) with marine water. The geochemical analysis of water and atmospheric gases confirmed these environmental constraints. In fact, the highest concentrations of H2S in the air and water were recorded closest to the spring upwelling in the innermost part of the cave, and the lowest ones near the cave entrance. The metabolic versatility of Arcobacter might provide a competitive advantage in the colonization of water bodies characterized by high sulfide, low oxygen, and dynamic fluid movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valme Jurado
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ilenia D'Angeli
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Martina Cappelletti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBit), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniele Ghezzi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBit), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; Laboratory of NanoBiotechnology, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Soledad Cuezva
- Departamento de Geologia, Geografia y Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alcala de Henares, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Ana Zelia Miller
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Jo De Waele
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
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12
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Emerging Ecotone and Microbial Community of a Sulfidic Spring in the Reka River near Škocjanske Jame, Slovenia. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13120655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During long periods with no precipitation, a sulfidic spring (Smrdljivec) appears in the dry bed of the Reka River before sinking into the karst underground. The study characterizes the area’s geological setting, development of microbial communities and an ecotone, and impact on the vulnerable karst ecosystem. Geological mapping of the area, stable isotopic analyses, field measurements, and physico-chemical and toxicity analyses were applied to elucidate the environmental conditions. The spring’s microbial diversity was assessed using cultivation methods, microscopy, and metagenomics. Sulfur compounds in the spring probably originate from coal layers in the vicinity. Metagenomic analyses revealed 175 distinct operational taxonomic units in spring water and biofilms. Proteobacteria predominated in developed biofilms, and a “core” microbiome was represented by methylotrophs, including Methylobacter, Methylomonas, and Methylotenera. Diatoms represented an important component of biofilm biomass. A combination of environmental factors and climatic conditions allows the formation and accessibility of emerging biodiversity hotspots and ecotones. Details of their dynamic nature, global impact, and distribution should be highlighted further and given more protection.
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13
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Flood BE, Louw DC, Van der Plas AK, Bailey JV. Giant sulfur bacteria (Beggiatoaceae) from sediments underlying the Benguela upwelling system host diverse microbiomes. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258124. [PMID: 34818329 PMCID: PMC8612568 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to their lithotrophic metabolisms, morphological complexity and conspicuous appearance, members of the Beggiatoaceae have been extensively studied for more than 100 years. These bacteria are known to be primarily sulfur-oxidizing autotrophs that commonly occur in dense mats at redox interfaces. Their large size and the presence of a mucous sheath allows these cells to serve as sites of attachment for communities of other microorganisms. But little is known about their individual niche preferences and attached microbiomes, particularly in marine environments, due to a paucity of cultivars and their prevalence in habitats that are difficult to access and study. Therefore, in this study, we compare Beggiatoaceae strain composition, community composition, and geochemical profiles collected from sulfidic sediments at four marine stations off the coast of Namibia. To elucidate community members that were directly attached and enriched in both filamentous Beggiatoaceae, namely Ca. Marithioploca spp. and Ca. Maribeggiatoa spp., as well as non-filamentous Beggiatoaceae, Ca. Thiomargarita spp., the Beggiatoaceae were pooled by morphotype for community analysis. The Beggiatoaceae samples collected from a highly sulfidic site were enriched in strains of sulfur-oxidizing Campylobacterota, that may promote a more hospitable setting for the Beggiatoaceae, which are known to have a lower tolerance for high sulfide to oxygen ratios. We found just a few host-specific associations with the motile filamentous morphotypes. Conversely, we detected 123 host specific enrichments with non-motile chain forming Beggiatoaceae. Potential metabolisms of the enriched strains include fermentation of host sheath material, syntrophic exchange of H2 and acetate, inorganic sulfur metabolism, and nitrite oxidation. Surprisingly, we did not detect any enrichments of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria as previously suggested and postulate that less well-studied anaerobic ammonium oxidation pathways may be occurring instead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beverly E. Flood
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Deon C. Louw
- National Marine Information and Research Centre, Swakopmund, Namibia
| | | | - Jake V. Bailey
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
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14
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Extremophilic Microorganisms in Central Europe. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9112326. [PMID: 34835450 PMCID: PMC8620676 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Extremophiles inhabit a wide variety of environments. Here we focus on extremophiles in moderate climates in central Europe, and particularly in Slovenia. Although multiple types of stress often occur in the same habitat, extremophiles are generally combined into groups according to the main stressor to which they are adapted. Several types of extremophiles, e.g., oligotrophs, are well represented and diverse in subsurface environments and karst regions. Psychrophiles thrive in ice caves and depressions with eternal snow and ice, with several globally distributed snow algae and psychrophilic bacteria that have been discovered in alpine glaciers. However, this area requires further research. Halophiles thrive in salterns while thermophiles inhabit thermal springs, although there is little data on such microorganisms in central Europe, despite many taxa being found globally. This review also includes the potential use of extremophiles in biotechnology and bioremediation applications.
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15
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Veshareh MJ, Dolfing J, Nick HM. Importance of thermodynamics dependent kinetic parameters in nitrate-based souring mitigation studies. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 206:117673. [PMID: 34624655 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Souring is the unwanted formation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) by sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM) in sewer systems and seawater flooded oil reservoirs. Nitrate treatment (NT) is one of the major methods to alleviate souring: The mechanism of souring remediation by NT is stimulation of nitrate reducing microorganisms (NRM) that depending on the nitrate reduction pathway can outcompete SRM for common electron donors, or oxidize sulfide to sulfate. However, some nitrate reduction pathways may challenge the efficacy of NT. Therefore, a precise understanding of souring rate, nitrate reduction rate and pathways is crucial for efficient souring management. Here, we investigate the necessity of incorporating two thermodynamic dependent kinetic parameters, namely, the growth yield (Y), and FT, a parameter related to the minimum catabolic energy production required by cells to utilize a given catabolic reaction. We first show that depending on physiochemical conditions, Y and FT for SRM change significantly in the range of [0-0.4] mole biomass per mole electron donor and [0.0006-0.5], respectively, suggesting that these parameters should not be considered constant and that it is important to couple souring models with thermodynamic models. Then, we highlight this further by showing an experimental dataset that can be modeled very well by considering variable FT. Next, we show that nitrate based lithotrophic sulfide oxidation to sulfate (lNRM3) is the dominant nitrate reduction pathway. Then, arguing that thermodynamics would suggest that S° consumption should proceed faster than S0 production, we infer that the reason for frequently observed S0 accumulation is its low solubility. Last, we suggest that nitrate based souring treatment will suffer less from S0 accumulation if we (i) act early, (ii) increase temperature and (iii) supplement stoichiometrically sufficient nitrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moein Jahanbani Veshareh
- Danish Hydrocarbon Research and Technology Centre, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Jan Dolfing
- Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Hamidreza M Nick
- Danish Hydrocarbon Research and Technology Centre, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
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16
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Cron B, Macalady JL, Cosmidis J. Organic Stabilization of Extracellular Elemental Sulfur in a Sulfurovum-Rich Biofilm: A New Role for Extracellular Polymeric Substances? Front Microbiol 2021; 12:720101. [PMID: 34421879 PMCID: PMC8377587 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.720101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This work shines light on the role of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) in the formation and preservation of elemental sulfur biominerals produced by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. We characterized elemental sulfur particles produced within a Sulfurovum-rich biofilm in the Frasassi Cave System (Italy). The particles adopt spherical and bipyramidal morphologies, and display both stable (α-S8) and metastable (β-S8) crystal structures. Elemental sulfur is embedded within a dense matrix of EPS, and the particles are surrounded by organic envelopes rich in amide and carboxylic groups. Organic encapsulation and the presence of metastable crystal structures are consistent with elemental sulfur organomineralization, i.e., the formation and stabilization of elemental sulfur in the presence of organics, a mechanism that has previously been observed in laboratory studies. This research provides new evidence for the important role of microbial EPS in mineral formation in the environment. We hypothesize that the extracellular organics are used by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria for the stabilization of elemental sulfur minerals outside of the cell wall as a store of chemical energy. The stabilization of energy sources (in the form of a solid electron acceptor) in biofilms is a potential new role for microbial EPS that requires further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandi Cron
- Salish Sea Research Center, Northwest Indian College, Bellingham, WA, United States
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Macalady
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Julie Cosmidis
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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17
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Wang S, Jiang L, Hu Q, Cui L, Zhu B, Fu X, Lai Q, Shao Z, Yang S. Characterization of Sulfurimonas hydrogeniphila sp. nov., a Novel Bacterium Predominant in Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents and Comparative Genomic Analyses of the Genus Sulfurimonas. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:626705. [PMID: 33717015 PMCID: PMC7952632 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.626705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria of the genus Sulfurimonas within the class Campylobacteria are predominant in global deep-sea hydrothermal environments and widespread in global oceans. However, only few bacteria of this group have been isolated, and their adaptations for these extreme environments remain poorly understood. Here, we report a novel mesophilic, hydrogen- and sulfur-oxidizing bacterium, strain NW10T, isolated from a deep-sea sulfide chimney of Northwest Indian Ocean.16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain NW10T was most closely related to the vent species Sulfurimonas paralvinellae GO25T with 95.8% similarity, but ANI and DDH values between two strains were only 19.20 and 24.70%, respectively, indicating that strain NW10 represents a novel species. Phenotypic characterization showed strain NW10T is an obligate chemolithoautotroph utilizing thiosulfate, sulfide, elemental sulfur, or molecular hydrogen as energy sources, and molecular oxygen, nitrate, or elemental sulfur as electron acceptors. Moreover, hydrogen supported a better growth than reduced sulfur compounds. During thiosulfate oxidation, the strain can produce extracellular sulfur of elemental α-S8 with an unknown mechanism. Polyphasic taxonomy results support that strain NW10T represents a novel species of the genus Sulfurimonas, and named as Sulfurimonas hydrogeniphila sp. nov. Genome analyses revealed its diverse energy metabolisms driving carbon fixation via rTCA cycling, including pathways of sulfur/hydrogen oxidation, coupled oxygen/sulfur respiration and denitrification. Comparative analysis of the 11 available genomes from Sulfurimonas species revealed that vent bacteria, compared to marine non-vent strains, possess unique genes encoding Type V Sqr, Group II, and Coo hydrogenase, and are selectively enriched in genes related to signal transduction and inorganic ion transporters. These phenotypic and genotypic features of vent Sulfurimonas may explain their thriving in hydrothermal environments and help to understand the ecological role of Sulfurimonas bacteria in hydrothermal ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Wang
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Lijing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Qitao Hu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Liang Cui
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
| | - Bitong Zhu
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xiaoteng Fu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Qiliang Lai
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Zongze Shao
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Xiamen, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, China
| | - Suping Yang
- Department of Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China
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18
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Meziti A, Nikouli E, Hatt JK, Konstantinidis KT, Kormas KA. Time series metagenomic sampling of the Thermopyles, Greece, geothermal springs reveals stable microbial communities dominated by novel sulfur-oxidizing chemoautotrophs. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:3710-3726. [PMID: 33350070 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Geothermal springs are essentially unaffected by environmental conditions aboveground as they are continuously supplied with subsurface water with little variability in chemistry. Therefore, changes in their microbial community composition and function, especially over a long period, are expected to be limited but this assumption has not yet been rigorously tested. Toward closing this knowledge gap, we applied whole metagenome sequencing to 17 water samples collected between 2010 and 2016 from the Thermopyles sulfur-rich geothermal springs in central Greece. As revealed by 16S rRNA gene fragments recovered in the metagenomes, Epsilonproteobacteria-related operational taxonomic units (OTUs) dominated most samples and grouping of samples based on OTU abundances exhibited no apparent seasonal pattern. Similarities between samples regarding functional gene content were high, with all samples sharing >70% similarity in functional pathways. These community-wide patterns were further confirmed by analysis of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), which showed that novel species and genera of the chemoautotrophic Campylobacterales order dominated the springs. These MAGs carried different pathways for thiosulfate or sulfide oxidation coupled to carbon fixation pathways. Overall, our study showed that even in the long term, functions of microbial communities in a moderately hot terrestrial spring remain stable, presumably driving the corresponding stability in community structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Meziti
- Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos, 38446, Greece.,School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - E Nikouli
- Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos, 38446, Greece.,School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - J K Hatt
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - K T Konstantinidis
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ford Environmental Science and Technology Building, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Ford Environmental Sciences and Technology Building, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - K A Kormas
- Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Environment, University of Thessaly, Volos, 38446, Greece
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19
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Distaso MA, Bargiela R, Brailsford FL, Williams GB, Wright S, Lunev EA, Toshchakov SV, Yakimov MM, Jones DL, Golyshin PN, Golyshina OV. High Representation of Archaea Across All Depths in Oxic and Low-pH Sediment Layers Underlying an Acidic Stream. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:576520. [PMID: 33329440 PMCID: PMC7716880 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.576520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Parys Mountain or Mynydd Parys (Isle of Anglesey, United Kingdom) is a mine-impacted environment, which accommodates a variety of acidophilic organisms. Our previous research of water and sediments from one of the surface acidic streams showed a high proportion of archaea in the total microbial community. To understand the spatial distribution of archaea, we sampled cores (0-20 cm) of sediment and conducted chemical analyses and taxonomic profiling of microbiomes using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing in different core layers. The taxonomic affiliation of sequencing reads indicated that archaea represented between 6.2 and 54% of the microbial community at all sediment depths. Majority of archaea were associated with the order Thermoplasmatales, with the most abundant group of sequences being clustered closely with the phylotype B_DKE, followed by "E-plasma," "A-plasma," other yet uncultured Thermoplasmatales with Ferroplasma and Cuniculiplasma spp. represented in minor proportions. Thermoplasmatales were found at all depths and in the whole range of chemical conditions with their abundance correlating with sediment Fe, As, Cr, and Mn contents. The bacterial microbiome component was largely composed in all layers of sediment by members of the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Nitrospirae, Firmicutes, uncultured Chloroflexi (AD3 group), and Acidobacteria. This study has revealed a high abundance of Thermoplasmatales in acid mine drainage-affected sediment layers and pointed at these organisms being the main contributors to carbon, and probably to iron and sulfur cycles in this ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A. Distaso
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca L. Brailsford
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Gwion B. Williams
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel Wright
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Evgenii A. Lunev
- Institute of Living Systems, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | | | - Michail M. Yakimov
- Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology, CNR, Messina, Italy
| | - David L. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Peter N. Golyshin
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Olga V. Golyshina
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
- Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
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20
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Abstract
A unique environment at Borup Fiord Pass is characterized by a sulfur-enriched glacial ecosystem in the low-temperature Canadian High Arctic. BFP represents one of the best terrestrial analog sites for studying icy, sulfur-rich worlds outside our own, such as Europa and Mars. The site also allows investigation of sulfur-based microbial metabolisms in cold environments here on Earth. Here, we report whole-genome sequencing data that suggest that sulfur cycling metabolisms at BFP are more widely used across bacterial taxa than predicted. From our analyses, the metabolic capability of sulfur oxidation among multiple community members appears likely due to functional redundancy present in their genomes. Functional redundancy, with respect to sulfur-oxidation at the BFP sulfur-ice environment, may indicate that this dynamic ecosystem hosts microorganisms that are able to use multiple sulfur electron donors alongside other metabolic pathways, including those for carbon and nitrogen. Biological sulfur cycling in polar, low-temperature ecosystems is an understudied phenomenon in part due to difficulty of access and the dynamic nature of glacial environments. One such environment where sulfur cycling is known to play an important role in microbial metabolisms is located at Borup Fiord Pass (BFP) in the Canadian High Arctic. Here, transient springs emerge from ice near the terminus of a glacier, creating a large area of proglacial aufeis (spring-derived ice) that is often covered in bright yellow/white sulfur, sulfate, and carbonate mineral precipitates accompanied by a strong odor of hydrogen sulfide. Metagenomic sequencing of samples from multiple sites and of various sample types across the BFP glacial system produced 31 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) that were queried for sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon cycling/metabolism genes. An abundance of sulfur cycling genes was widespread across the isolated MAGs and sample metagenomes taxonomically associated with the bacterial classes Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria and Campylobacteria (formerly the Epsilonproteobacteria). This corroborates previous research from BFP implicating Campylobacteria as the primary class responsible for sulfur oxidation; however, data reported here suggested putative sulfur oxidation by organisms in both the alphaproteobacterial and gammaproteobacterial classes that was not predicted by previous work. These findings indicate that in low-temperature, sulfur-based environments, functional redundancy may be a key mechanism that microorganisms use to enable coexistence whenever energy is limited and/or focused by redox chemistry. IMPORTANCE A unique environment at Borup Fiord Pass is characterized by a sulfur-enriched glacial ecosystem in the low-temperature Canadian High Arctic. BFP represents one of the best terrestrial analog sites for studying icy, sulfur-rich worlds outside our own, such as Europa and Mars. The site also allows investigation of sulfur-based microbial metabolisms in cold environments here on Earth. Here, we report whole-genome sequencing data that suggest that sulfur cycling metabolisms at BFP are more widely used across bacterial taxa than predicted. From our analyses, the metabolic capability of sulfur oxidation among multiple community members appears likely due to functional redundancy present in their genomes. Functional redundancy, with respect to sulfur-oxidation at the BFP sulfur-ice environment, may indicate that this dynamic ecosystem hosts microorganisms that are able to use multiple sulfur electron donors alongside other metabolic pathways, including those for carbon and nitrogen.
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21
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Zhang J, Liu R, Xi S, Cai R, Zhang X, Sun C. A novel bacterial thiosulfate oxidation pathway provides a new clue about the formation of zero-valent sulfur in deep sea. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:2261-2274. [PMID: 32457501 PMCID: PMC7608252 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0684-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Zero-valent sulfur (ZVS) has been shown to be a major sulfur intermediate in the deep-sea cold seep of the South China Sea based on our previous work, however, the microbial contribution to the formation of ZVS in cold seep has remained unclear. Here, we describe a novel thiosulfate oxidation pathway discovered in the deep-sea cold seep bacterium Erythrobacter flavus 21–3, which provides a new clue about the formation of ZVS. Electronic microscopy, energy-dispersive, and Raman spectra were used to confirm that E. flavus 21–3 effectively converts thiosulfate to ZVS. We next used a combined proteomic and genetic method to identify thiosulfate dehydrogenase (TsdA) and thiosulfohydrolase (SoxB) playing key roles in the conversion of thiosulfate to ZVS. Stoichiometric results of different sulfur intermediates further clarify the function of TsdA in converting thiosulfate to tetrathionate (−O3S–S–S–SO3−), SoxB in liberating sulfone from tetrathionate to form ZVS and sulfur dioxygenases (SdoA/SdoB) in oxidizing ZVS to sulfite under some conditions. Notably, homologs of TsdA, SoxB, and SdoA/SdoB widely exist across the bacteria including in Erythrobacter species derived from different environments. This strongly indicates that this novel thiosulfate oxidation pathway might be frequently used by microbes and plays an important role in the biogeochemical sulfur cycle in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Rui Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Shichuan Xi
- College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment & Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Ruining Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,College of Earth Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment & Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Chaomin Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology & Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China. .,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China. .,Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
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22
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Moulana A, Anderson RE, Fortunato CS, Huber JA. Selection Is a Significant Driver of Gene Gain and Loss in the Pangenome of the Bacterial Genus Sulfurovum in Geographically Distinct Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents. mSystems 2020; 5:e00673-19. [PMID: 32291353 PMCID: PMC7159903 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00673-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial genomes have highly variable gene content, and the evolutionary history of microbial populations is shaped by gene gain and loss mediated by horizontal gene transfer and selection. To evaluate the influence of selection on gene content variation in hydrothermal vent microbial populations, we examined 22 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) (70 to 97% complete) from the ubiquitous vent Epsilonbacteraeota genus Sulfurovum that were recovered from two deep-sea hydrothermal vent regions, Axial Seamount in the northeastern Pacific Ocean (13 MAGs) and the Mid-Cayman Rise in the Caribbean Sea (9 MAGs). Genes involved in housekeeping functions were highly conserved across Sulfurovum lineages. However, genes involved in environment-specific functions, and in particular phosphate regulation, were found mostly in Sulfurovum genomes from the Mid-Cayman Rise in the low-phosphate Atlantic Ocean environment, suggesting that nutrient limitation is an important selective pressure for these bacteria. Furthermore, genes that were rare within the pangenome were more likely to undergo positive selection than genes that were highly conserved in the pangenome, and they also appeared to have experienced gene-specific sweeps. Our results suggest that selection is a significant driver of gene gain and loss for dominant microbial lineages in hydrothermal vents and highlight the importance of factors like nutrient limitation in driving microbial adaptation and evolution.IMPORTANCE Microbes can alter their gene content through the gain and loss of genes. However, there is some debate as to whether natural selection or neutral processes play a stronger role in molding the gene content of microbial genomes. In this study, we examined variation in gene content for the Epsilonbacteraeota genus Sulfurovum from deep-sea hydrothermal vents, which are dynamic habitats known for extensive horizontal gene transfer within microbial populations. Our results show that natural selection is a strong driver of Sulfurovum gene content and that nutrient limitation in particular has shaped the Sulfurovum genome, leading to differences in gene content between ocean basins. Our results also suggest that recently acquired genes undergo stronger selection than genes that were acquired in the more distant past. Overall, our results highlight the importance of natural selection in driving the evolution of microbial populations in these dynamic habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alief Moulana
- Biology Department, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rika E Anderson
- Biology Department, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Julie A Huber
- Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
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Cron B, Henri P, Chan CS, Macalady JL, Cosmidis J. Elemental Sulfur Formation by Sulfuricurvum kujiense Is Mediated by Extracellular Organic Compounds. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2710. [PMID: 31827465 PMCID: PMC6890823 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Elemental sulfur [S(0)] is a central and ecologically important intermediate in the sulfur cycle, which can be used by a wide diversity of microorganisms that gain energy from its oxidation, reduction, or disproportionation. S(0) is formed by oxidation of reduced sulfur species, which can be chemically or microbially mediated. A variety of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria can biomineralize S(0), either intracellularly or extracellularly. The details and mechanisms of extracellular S(0) formation by bacteria have been in particular understudied so far. An important question in this respect is how extracellular S(0) minerals can be formed and remain stable in the environment outside of their thermodynamic stability domain. It was recently discovered that S(0) minerals could be formed and stabilized by oxidizing sulfide in the presence of dissolved organic compounds, a process called S(0) organomineralization. S(0) particles formed through this mechanism possess specific signatures such as morphologies that differ from that of their inorganically precipitated counterparts, encapsulation within an organic envelope, and metastable crystal structures (presence of the monoclinic β- and γ-S8 allotropes). Here, we investigated S(0) formation by the chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing and nitrate-reducing bacterium Sulfuricurvum kujiense (Epsilonproteobacteria). We performed a thorough characterization of the S(0) minerals produced extracellularly in cultures of this microorganism, and showed that they present all the specific signatures (morphology, association with organics, and crystal structures) of organomineralized S(0). Using "spent medium" experiments, we furthermore demonstrated that soluble extracellular compounds produced by S. kujiense are necessary to form and stabilize S(0) minerals outside of the cells. This study provides the first experimental evidence of the importance of organomineralization in microbial S(0) formation. The prevalence of organomineralization in extracellular S(0) precipitation by other sulfur bacteria remains to be investigated, and the biological role of this mechanism is still unclear. However, we propose that sulfur-oxidizing bacteria could use soluble organics to stabilize stores of bioavailable S(0) outside the cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandi Cron
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Pauline Henri
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Clara S Chan
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Jennifer L Macalady
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Julie Cosmidis
- Department of Geosciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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D'Angeli IM, Ghezzi D, Leuko S, Firrincieli A, Parise M, Fiorucci A, Vigna B, Addesso R, Baldantoni D, Carbone C, Miller AZ, Jurado V, Saiz-Jimenez C, De Waele J, Cappelletti M. Geomicrobiology of a seawater-influenced active sulfuric acid cave. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0220706. [PMID: 31393920 PMCID: PMC6687129 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetida Cave is an active sulfuric acid cave influenced by seawater, showing abundant microbial communities that organize themselves under three main different morphologies: water filaments, vermiculations and moonmilk deposits. These biofilms/deposits have different cave distribution, pH, macro- and microelement and mineralogical composition, carbon and nitrogen content. In particular, water filaments and vermiculations had circumneutral and slightly acidic pH, respectively, both had abundant organic carbon and high microbial diversity. They were rich in macro- and microelements, deriving from mineral dissolution, and, in the case of water filaments, from seawater composition. Vermiculations had different color, partly associated with their mineralogy, and unusual minerals probably due to trapping capacities. Moonmilk was composed of gypsum, poor in organic matter, had an extremely low pH (0-1) and low microbial diversity. Based on 16S rRNA gene analysis, the microbial composition of the biofilms/deposits included autotrophic taxa associated with sulfur and nitrogen cycles and biomineralization processes. In particular, water filaments communities were characterized by bacterial taxa involved in sulfur oxidation and reduction in aquatic, aphotic, microaerophilic/anoxic environments (Campylobacterales, Thiotrichales, Arenicellales, Desulfobacterales, Desulforomonadales) and in chemolithotrophy in marine habitats (Oceanospirillales, Chromatiales). Their biodiversity was linked to the morphology of the water filaments and their collection site. Microbial communities within vermiculations were partly related to their color and showed high abundance of unclassified Betaproteobacteria and sulfur-oxidizing Hydrogenophilales (including Sulfuriferula), and Acidiferrobacterales (including Sulfurifustis), sulfur-reducing Desulfurellales, and ammonia-oxidizing Planctomycetes and Nitrospirae. The microbial community associated with gypsum moonmilk showed the strong dominance (>60%) of the archaeal genus Thermoplasma and lower abundance of chemolithotrophic Acidithiobacillus, metal-oxidizing Metallibacterium, Sulfobacillus, and Acidibacillus. This study describes the geomicrobiology of water filaments, vermiculations and gypsum moonmilk from Fetida Cave, providing insights into the microbial taxa that characterize each morphology and contribute to biogeochemical cycles and speleogenesis of this peculiar seawater-influenced sulfuric acid cave.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilenia M D'Angeli
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniele Ghezzi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Stefan Leuko
- DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology, Köln, Germany
| | - Andrea Firrincieli
- School of Environmental and Forest Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Mario Parise
- Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Adriano Fiorucci
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Bartolomeo Vigna
- Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering, Polytechnic University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Rosangela Addesso
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "Adolfo Zambelli", University of Salerno, Fisciano (SA), Italy
| | - Daniela Baldantoni
- Department of Chemistry and Biology "Adolfo Zambelli", University of Salerno, Fisciano (SA), Italy
| | - Cristina Carbone
- DISTAV, Department of Geological, Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Valme Jurado
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Jo De Waele
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Martina Cappelletti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Ihara H, Hori T, Aoyagi T, Hosono H, Takasaki M, Katayama Y. Stratification of Sulfur Species and Microbial Community in Launched Marine Sediment by an Improved Sulfur-Fractionation Method and 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing. Microbes Environ 2019; 34:199-205. [PMID: 31189771 PMCID: PMC6594742 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me18153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
With a focus on marine sediment launched by the tsunami accompanying the Great East Japan Earthquake, we examined the vertical (i.e., depths of 0–2, 2–10, and 10–20 mm) profiles of reduced inorganic sulfur species and microbial community using a newly improved sulfur-fractionation method and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. S0 accumulated at the largest quantities at a depth of 2–10 mm, while the reduced forms of sulfur, such as iron(II) sulfide and pyrite, were abundant below 2 mm of the sediment. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) related to chemolithotrophically sulfur-oxidizing Sulfurimonas denitrificans and Sulfurimonas autotrophica were only predominant at 2–10 mm, suggesting the involvement of these OTUs in the oxidation of sulfide to S0. In addition, Desulfocapsa sulfexigens, which is capable of chemolithotrophically disproportionating S0, prevailed at the same depth, indicating that accumulated S0 was converted to sulfate and sulfide. Although no significant differences were observed in sulfate concentrations across the depths examined, specific species of chemoorganotrophic sulfate reducers, i.e., Desulfotignum toluenicum and Desulfosalsimonas propionicica, showed significantly higher abundance at a depth of 2–10 mm than at the other depths examined. Organic matter potentially generated from sulfur oxidation and disproportionation may have served as the carbon source for the growth of these sulfate reducers. The present results demonstrated that sulfur oxidizers, a sulfur disproportionator, and sulfate reducers played vital roles in sulfur cycling with S0 as the key inorganic sulfur species in the oxic-anoxic boundary layer of the launched marine sediment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideyuki Ihara
- United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.,Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
| | - Tomoyuki Hori
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
| | - Tomo Aoyagi
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
| | - Hiroki Hosono
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
| | - Mitsuru Takasaki
- Department of Food and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Ishinomaki Senshu University
| | - Yoko Katayama
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
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Gulliver D, Lipus D, Ross D, Bibby K. Insights into microbial community structure and function from a shallow, simulated CO 2 -leakage aquifer demonstrate microbial selection and adaptation. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2019; 11:338-351. [PMID: 29984552 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Geological carbon storage is likely to be a part of a comprehensive strategy to minimize the atmospheric release of carbon dioxide (CO2 ), raising concerns that injected CO2 will leak into overlying freshwater aquifers. CO2(aq) leakage may impact the dominant microbial community responsible for important ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, metal cycling and carbon conversion. Here, we examined the impact of an experimental in situ CO2 -leakage on a freshwater aquifer microbial community. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated lower microbial diversity in freshwater wells with CO2 concentrations above 1.15 g l-1 . Metagenomic sequencing and population genome binning were used to evaluate the metabolic potential of microbial populations across four CO2 exposed samples and one control sample. Population genome binning resulted in the recovery and annotation of three metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). Two of the MAGs, most closely related to Curvibacter and Sulfuricurvum, had the functional capacity for CO2 utilization via carbon fixation coupled to sulfur and iron oxidation. The third draft genome was an Archaea, most closely related to Methanoregula, characterized by the metabolic potential for methanogenesis. Together, these findings show that CO2 leakage in a freshwater aquifer poses a strong selection, driving both microbial community structure and metabolic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Djuna Gulliver
- National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Daniel Lipus
- National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | - Daniel Ross
- National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- AECOM, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Kyle Bibby
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
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Labrado AL, Brunner B, Bernasconi SM, Peckmann J. Formation of Large Native Sulfur Deposits Does Not Require Molecular Oxygen. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:24. [PMID: 30740094 PMCID: PMC6355691 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Large native (i.e., elemental) sulfur deposits can be part of caprock assemblages found on top of or in lateral position to salt diapirs and as stratabound mineralization in gypsum and anhydrite lithologies. Native sulfur is formed when hydrocarbons come in contact with sulfate minerals in presence of liquid water. The prevailing model for native sulfur formation in such settings is that sulfide produced by sulfate-reducing bacteria is oxidized to zero-valent sulfur in presence of molecular oxygen (O2). Although possible, such a scenario is problematic because: (1) exposure to oxygen would drastically decrease growth of microbial sulfate-reducing organisms, thereby slowing down sulfide production; (2) on geologic timescales, excess supply with oxygen would convert sulfide into sulfate rather than native sulfur; and (3) to produce large native sulfur deposits, enormous amounts of oxygenated water would need to be brought in close proximity to environments in which ample hydrocarbon supply sustains sulfate reduction. However, sulfur stable isotope data from native sulfur deposits emplaced at a stage after the formation of the host rocks indicate that the sulfur was formed in a setting with little solute exchange with the ambient environment and little supply of dissolved oxygen. We deduce that there must be a process for the formation of native sulfur in absence of an external oxidant for sulfide. We hypothesize that in systems with little solute exchange, sulfate-reducing organisms, possibly in cooperation with other anaerobic microbial partners, drive the formation of native sulfur deposits. In order to cope with sulfide stress, microbes may shift from harmful sulfide production to non-hazardous native sulfur production. We propose four possible mechanisms as a means to form native sulfur: (1) a modified sulfate reduction process that produces sulfur compounds with an intermediate oxidation state, (2) coupling of sulfide oxidation to methanogenesis that utilizes methylated compounds, acetate or carbon dioxide, (3) ammonium oxidation coupled to sulfate reduction, and (4) sulfur comproportionation of sulfate and sulfide. We show these reactions are thermodynamically favorable and especially useful in environments with multiple stressors, such as salt and dissolved sulfide, and provide evidence that microbial species functioning in such environments produce native sulfur. Integrating these insights, we argue that microbes may form large native sulfur deposits in absence of light and external oxidants such as O2, nitrate, and metal oxides. The existence of such a process would not only explain enigmatic occurrences of native sulfur in the geologic record, but also provide an explanation for cryptic sulfur and carbon cycling beneath the seabed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L. Labrado
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Benjamin Brunner
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | | | - Jörn Peckmann
- Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und Nachhaltigkeit, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Trivedi CB, Lau GE, Grasby SE, Templeton AS, Spear JR. Low-Temperature Sulfidic-Ice Microbial Communities, Borup Fiord Pass, Canadian High Arctic. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1622. [PMID: 30087659 PMCID: PMC6066561 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A sulfur-dominated supraglacial spring system found at Borup Fiord Pass (BFP), Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, is a unique sulfur-on-ice system expressed along the toe of a glacier. BFP has an intermittent flowing, subsurface-derived, glacial spring that creates a large white-yellow icing (aufeis) that extends down-valley. Over field campaigns in 2014, 2016, and 2017, numerous samples were collected and analyzed for both microbial community composition and aqueous geochemistry. Samples were collected from multiple site types: spring discharge fluid, aufeis (spring-derived ice), melt pools with sedimented cryoconite material, and mineral precipitate scrapings, to probe how microbial communities differed between site types in a dynamic freeze/thaw sulfur-rich system. Dissolved sulfate varied between 0.07 and 11.6 mM and was correlated with chloride concentrations, where the fluids were saltiest among spring fluids. The highest sulfate samples exhibited high dissolved sulfide values between 0.22 and 2.25 mM. 16S rRNA gene sequencing from melt pool and aufeis samples from the 2014 campaign were highly abundant in operational taxonomic units (OTUs) closely related to sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms (SOM; Sulfurimonas, Sulfurovum, and Sulfuricurvum). Subsequent sampling 2 weeks later had fewer SOMs and showed an increased abundance of the genus Flavobacterium. Desulfocapsa, an organism that specializes in the disproportionation of inorganic sulfur compounds was also found. Samples from 2016 and 2017 revealed that microorganisms present were highly similar in community composition to 2014 samples, primarily echoed by the continued presence of Flavobacterium sp. Results suggest that while there may be acute events where sulfur cycling organisms dominate, a basal community structure appears to dominate over time and site type. These results further enhance our knowledge of low-temperature sulfur systems on Earth, and help to guide the search for potential life on extraterrestrial worlds, such as Europa, where similar low-temperature sulfur-rich conditions may exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B. Trivedi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
| | - Graham E. Lau
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | | | - Alexis S. Templeton
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - John R. Spear
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, United States
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Sulfurovum denitrificans sp. nov., an obligately chemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing epsilonproteobacterium isolated from a hydrothermal field. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2018; 68:2183-2187. [DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
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Barriuso J, Martínez MJ. In Silico Analysis of the Quorum Sensing Metagenome in Environmental Biofilm Samples. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1243. [PMID: 29930547 PMCID: PMC6000730 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Quorum sensing (QS) is a sophisticated cell to cell signaling mechanism mediated by small diffusible molecules called “autoinducers.” This phenomenon is well studied in bacteria, where different QS systems are described that differ between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. However, a common system to these groups was discovered, the autoinducer 2. QS has implications in biofilm formation, where the application of metagenomic techniques to study these phenomena may be useful to understand the communication networks established by the different components of the community, and to discover new targets for microbial control. Here we present an in silico screening of QS proteins in all publicly available biofilm metagenomes from the JGI database. We performed sequence, conserved motifs, phylogenetic, and three-dimensional structure analyses of the candidates, resulting in an effective strategy to search QS proteins in metagenomes sequences. The number of QS proteins present in each sample, and its phylogenetic affiliation, was clearly related to the bacterial diversity and the origin of the biofilm. The samples isolated from natural habitats presented clear differences with those from artificial habitats. Interesting findings have been made in the abundance of LuxR-like proteins finding an unbalanced ratio between the synthases and the receptor proteins in Bacteroidetes bacteria, pointing out the existence of “cheaters” in this group. Moreover, we have shown the presence of the LuxI/R QS system in bacteria from the Nitrospira taxonomic group. Finally, some undescribed proteins from the HdtS family have been found in Gamma-proteobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Barriuso
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - María J Martínez
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
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Rastelli E, Corinaldesi C, Dell'Anno A, Tangherlini M, Martorelli E, Ingrassia M, Chiocci FL, Lo Martire M, Danovaro R. High potential for temperate viruses to drive carbon cycling in chemoautotrophy-dominated shallow-water hydrothermal vents. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:4432-4446. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Rastelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences; Polytechnic University of Marche; Ancona 60131 Italy
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale; Naples 80121 Italy
| | - Cinzia Corinaldesi
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences; Polytechnic University of Marche; Ancona 60131 Italy
| | - Antonio Dell'Anno
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences; Polytechnic University of Marche; Ancona 60131 Italy
| | - Michael Tangherlini
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences; Polytechnic University of Marche; Ancona 60131 Italy
| | - Eleonora Martorelli
- Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering; Italian National Research Council; Rome Italy
| | - Michela Ingrassia
- Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering; Italian National Research Council; Rome Italy
- Department of Earth Science; University of Rome Sapienza; Rome Italy
| | - Francesco L. Chiocci
- Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering; Italian National Research Council; Rome Italy
- Department of Earth Science; University of Rome Sapienza; Rome Italy
| | - Marco Lo Martire
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences; Polytechnic University of Marche; Ancona 60131 Italy
| | - Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences; Polytechnic University of Marche; Ancona 60131 Italy
- Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn; Villa Comunale; Naples 80121 Italy
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Zecchin S, Corsini A, Martin M, Cavalca L. Influence of water management on the active root-associated microbiota involved in arsenic, iron, and sulfur cycles in rice paddies. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 101:6725-6738. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-017-8382-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Smith DA, Sessions AL, Dawson KS, Dalleska N, Orphan VJ. Rapid quantification and isotopic analysis of dissolved sulfur species. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2017; 31:791-803. [PMID: 28249106 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.7846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Dissolved sulfur species are of significant interest, both as important substrates for microbial activities and as key intermediaries in biogeochemical cycles. Species of intermediate oxidation state such as sulfite, thiosulfate, and thiols are of particular interest but are notoriously difficult to analyze, because of low concentrations and rapid oxidation during storage and analysis. METHODS Dissolved sulfur species are reacted with monobromobimane which yields a fluorescent bimane derivative that is stable to oxidation. Separation by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) on a C18 column yields baseline resolution of analytes in under 5 min. Fluorescence detection (380 nm excitation, 480 nm emission) provides highly selective and sensitive quantitation, and Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (TOF-MS) is used to quantify isotopic abundance, providing the ability to detect stable isotope tracers (either 33 S or 34 S). RESULTS Sulfite, thiosulfate, methanethiol, and bisulfide were quantified with on-column detection limits of picomoles (μM concentrations). Other sulfur species with unshared electrons are also amenable to analysis. TOF-MS detection of 34 S enrichment was accurate and precise to within 0.6% (relative) when sample and standard had similar isotope ratios, and was able to detect enrichments as small as 0.01 atom%. Accuracy was validated by comparison to isotope-ratio mass spectrometry. Four example applications are provided to demonstrate the utility of this method. CONCLUSIONS Derivatization of aqueous sulfur species with bromobimane is easily accomplished in the field, and protects analytes from oxidation during storage. UPLC separation with fluorescence detection provides low-μM detection limits. Using high-resolution TOF-MS, accurate detection of as little as 0.01% 34 S label incorporation into multiple species is feasible. This provides a useful new analytical window into microbial sulfur cycling. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek A Smith
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Alex L Sessions
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Katherine S Dawson
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Nathan Dalleska
- Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
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Sharrar AM, Flood BE, Bailey JV, Jones DS, Biddanda BA, Ruberg SA, Marcus DN, Dick GJ. Novel Large Sulfur Bacteria in the Metagenomes of Groundwater-Fed Chemosynthetic Microbial Mats in the Lake Huron Basin. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:791. [PMID: 28533768 PMCID: PMC5421297 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about large sulfur bacteria (LSB) that inhabit sulfidic groundwater seeps in large lakes. To examine how geochemically relevant microbial metabolisms are partitioned among community members, we conducted metagenomic analysis of a chemosynthetic microbial mat in the Isolated Sinkhole, which is in a deep, aphotic environment of Lake Huron. For comparison, we also analyzed a white mat in an artesian fountain that is fed by groundwater similar to Isolated Sinkhole, but that sits in shallow water and is exposed to sunlight. De novo assembly and binning of metagenomic data from these two communities yielded near complete genomes and revealed representatives of two families of LSB. The Isolated Sinkhole community was dominated by novel members of the Beggiatoaceae that are phylogenetically intermediate between known freshwater and marine groups. Several of these Beggiatoaceae had 16S rRNA genes that contained introns previously observed only in marine taxa. The Alpena fountain was dominated by populations closely related to Thiothrix lacustris and an SM1 euryarchaeon known to live symbiotically with Thiothrix spp. The SM1 genomic bin contained evidence of H2-based lithoautotrophy. Genomic bins of both the Thiothrix and Beggiatoaceae contained genes for sulfur oxidation via the rDsr pathway, H2 oxidation via Ni-Fe hydrogenases, and the use of O2 and nitrate as electron acceptors. Mats at both sites also contained Deltaproteobacteria with genes for dissimilatory sulfate reduction (sat, apr, and dsr) and hydrogen oxidation (Ni-Fe hydrogenases). Overall, the microbial mats at the two sites held low-diversity microbial communities, displayed evidence of coupled sulfur cycling, and did not differ largely in their metabolic potentials, despite the environmental differences. These results show that groundwater-fed communities in an artesian fountain and in submerged sinkholes of Lake Huron are a rich source of novel LSB, associated heterotrophic and sulfate-reducing bacteria, and archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Sharrar
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann ArborMI, USA
| | - Beverly E Flood
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA
| | - Jake V Bailey
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA
| | - Daniel S Jones
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA.,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, MinneapolisMN, USA
| | - Bopaiah A Biddanda
- Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, MuskegonMI, USA
| | - Steven A Ruberg
- NOAA-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Ann ArborMI, USA
| | - Daniel N Marcus
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann ArborMI, USA
| | - Gregory J Dick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann ArborMI, USA
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Cosmidis J, Templeton AS. Self-assembly of biomorphic carbon/sulfur microstructures in sulfidic environments. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12812. [PMID: 27628108 PMCID: PMC5027620 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In natural and laboratory-based environments experiencing sustained counter fluxes of sulfide and oxidants, elemental sulfur (S0)—a key intermediate in the sulfur cycle—can commonly accumulate. S0 is frequently invoked as a biomineralization product generated by enzymatic oxidation of hydrogen sulfide and polysulfides. Here we show the formation of S0 encapsulated in nanometre to micrometre-scale tubular and spherical organic structures that self-assemble in sulfide gradient environments in the absence of any direct biological activity. The morphology and composition of these carbon/sulfur microstructures so closely resemble microbial cellular and extracellular structures that new caution must be applied to the interpretation of putative microbial biosignatures in the fossil record. These reactions between sulfide and organic matter have important implications for our understanding of S0 mineralization processes and sulfur interactions with organic carbon in the environment. They furthermore provide a new pathway for the synthesis of carbon-sulfur nanocomposites for energy storage technologies. Organic materials mineralized with sulfur are considered to be a product of biological activity in natural environments and the fossil record. Here, Cosmidis and Templeton show that sulfide can abiotically drive the self-assembly of organic carbon microstructures mineralized with elemental sulfur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Cosmidis
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
| | - Alexis S Templeton
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
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Rossmassler K, Hanson TE, Campbell BJ. Diverse sulfur metabolisms from two subterranean sulfidic spring systems. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2016; 363:fnw162. [DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnw162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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Abstract
A census is typically carried out for people across a range of geographical levels; however, microbial ecologists have implemented a molecular census of bacteria and archaea by sequencing their 16S rRNA genes. We assessed how well the census of full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences is proceeding in the context of recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies because full-length sequences are typically used as references for classification of the short sequences generated by newer technologies. Among the 1,411,234 and 53,546 full-length bacterial and archaeal sequences, 94.5% and 95.1% of the bacterial and archaeal sequences, respectively, belonged to operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that have been observed more than once. Although these metrics suggest that the census is approaching completion, 29.2% of the bacterial and 38.5% of the archaeal OTUs have been observed more than once. Thus, there is still considerable diversity to be explored. Unfortunately, the rate of new full-length sequences has been declining, and new sequences are primarily being deposited by a small number of studies. Furthermore, sequences from soil and aquatic environments, which are known to be rich in bacterial diversity, represent only 7.8 and 16.5% of the census, while sequences associated with host-associated environments represent 55.0% of the census. Continued use of traditional approaches and new technologies such as single-cell genomics and short-read assembly are likely to improve our ability to sample rare OTUs if it is possible to overcome this sampling bias. The success of ongoing efforts to use short-read sequencing to characterize archaeal and bacterial communities requires that researchers strive to expand the depth and breadth of this census. The biodiversity contained within the bacterial and archaeal domains dwarfs that of the eukaryotes, and the services these organisms provide to the biosphere are critical. Surprisingly, we have done a relatively poor job of formally tracking the quality of the biodiversity as represented in full-length 16S rRNA genes. By understanding how this census is proceeding, it is possible to suggest the best allocation of resources for advancing the census. We found that the ongoing effort has done an excellent job of sampling the most abundant organisms but struggles to sample the rarer organisms. Through the use of new sequencing technologies, we should be able to obtain full-length sequences from these rare organisms. Furthermore, we suggest that by allocating more resources to sampling environments known to have the greatest biodiversity, we will be able to make significant advances in our characterization of archaeal and bacterial diversity.
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Starke R, Keller A, Jehmlich N, Vogt C, Richnow HH, Kleinsteuber S, von Bergen M, Seifert J. Pulsed (13)C2-Acetate Protein-SIP Unveils Epsilonproteobacteria as Dominant Acetate Utilizers in a Sulfate-Reducing Microbial Community Mineralizing Benzene. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2016; 71:901-11. [PMID: 26846217 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-016-0731-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
In a benzene-degrading and sulfate-reducing syntrophic consortium, a clostridium affiliated to the genus Pelotomaculum was previously described to ferment benzene while various sulfate-reducing Deltaproteobacteria and a member of the Epsilonproteobacteria were supposed to utilize acetate and hydrogen as key metabolites derived from benzene fermentation. However, the acetate utilization network within this community was not yet unveiled. In this study, we performed a pulsed (13)C2-acetate protein stable isotope probing (protein-SIP) approach continuously spiking low amounts of acetate (10 μM per day) in addition to the ongoing mineralization of unlabeled benzene. Metaproteomics revealed high abundances of Clostridiales followed by Syntrophobacterales, Desulfobacterales, Desulfuromonadales, Desulfovibrionales, Archaeoglobales, and Campylobacterales. Pulsed acetate protein-SIP results indicated that members of the Campylobacterales, the Syntrophobacterales, the Archaeoglobales, the Clostridiales, and the Desulfobacterales were linked to acetate utilization in descending abundance. The Campylobacterales revealed the fastest and highest (13)C incorporation. Previous experiments suggested that the activity of the Campylobacterales was not essential for anaerobic benzene degradation in the investigated community. However, these organisms were consistently detected in various hydrocarbon-degrading and sulfate-reducing consortia enriched from the same aquifer. Here, we demonstrate that this member of the Campylobacterales is the dominant acetate utilizer in the benzene-degrading microbial consortium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Starke
- Institute for Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Emil-Wolff-Str. 6-10, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
- Department of Proteomics, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nico Jehmlich
- Department of Proteomics, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Carsten Vogt
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hans H Richnow
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sabine Kleinsteuber
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin von Bergen
- Department of Proteomics, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Metabolomics, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jana Seifert
- Institute for Animal Science, University of Hohenheim, Emil-Wolff-Str. 6-10, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany.
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Canfora L, Vendramin E, Vittori Antisari L, Lo Papa G, Dazzi C, Benedetti A, Iavazzo P, Adamo P, Jungblut AD, Pinzari F. Compartmentalization of gypsum and halite associated with cyanobacteria in saline soil crusts. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2016; 92:fiw080. [PMID: 27090760 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiw080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The interface between biological and geochemical components in the surface crust of a saline soil was investigated using X-ray diffraction, and variable pressure scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Mineral compounds such as halite and gypsum were identified crystallized around filaments of cyanobacteria. A total of 92 genera were identified from the bacterial community based on 16S gene pyrosequencing analysis. The occurrence of the gypsum crystals, their shapes and compartmentalization suggested that they separated NaCl from the immediate microenvironment of the cyanobacteria, and that some cyanobacteria and communities of sulfur bacteria may had a physical control over the distinctive halite and gypsum structures produced. This suggests that cyanobacteria might directly or indirectly promote the formation of a protective envelope made of calcium and sulfur-based compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loredana Canfora
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per lo studio delle relazioni tra Pianta e Suolo, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Vendramin
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per la Frutticoltura, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Lo Papa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy
| | - Carmelo Dazzi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy
| | - Anna Benedetti
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per lo studio delle relazioni tra Pianta e Suolo, Rome, Italy
| | - Pietro Iavazzo
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Paola Adamo
- Dipartimento di Agraria, Università di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Anne D Jungblut
- Natural History Museum, Life Sciences Department, London, UK
| | - Flavia Pinzari
- Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per lo studio delle relazioni tra Pianta e Suolo, Rome, Italy Natural History Museum, Life Sciences Department, London, UK
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Connectivity to the surface determines diversity patterns in subsurface aquifers of the Fennoscandian shield. ISME JOURNAL 2016; 10:2447-58. [PMID: 27022994 PMCID: PMC5030689 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2016.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Little research has been conducted on microbial diversity deep under the Earth's surface. In this study, the microbial communities of three deep terrestrial subsurface aquifers were investigated. Temporal community data over 6 years revealed that the phylogenetic structure and community dynamics were highly dependent on the degree of isolation from the earth surface biomes. The microbial community at the shallow site was the most dynamic and was dominated by the sulfur-oxidizing genera Sulfurovum or Sulfurimonas at all-time points. The microbial community in the meteoric water filled intermediate aquifer (water turnover approximately every 5 years) was less variable and was dominated by candidate phylum OD1. Metagenomic analysis of this water demonstrated the occurrence of key genes for nitrogen and carbon fixation, sulfate reduction, sulfide oxidation and fermentation. The deepest water mass (5000 year old waters) had the lowest taxon richness and surprisingly contained Cyanobacteria. The high relative abundance of phylogenetic groups associated with nitrogen and sulfur cycling, as well as fermentation implied that these processes were important in these systems. We conclude that the microbial community patterns appear to be shaped by the availability of energy and nutrient sources via connectivity to the surface or from deep geological processes.
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Keller AH, Schleinitz KM, Starke R, Bertilsson S, Vogt C, Kleinsteuber S. Metagenome-Based Metabolic Reconstruction Reveals the Ecophysiological Function of Epsilonproteobacteria in a Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Sulfidic Aquifer. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1396. [PMID: 26696999 PMCID: PMC4674564 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The population genome of an uncultured bacterium assigned to the Campylobacterales (Epsilonproteobacteria) was reconstructed from a metagenome dataset obtained by whole-genome shotgun pyrosequencing. Genomic DNA was extracted from a sulfate-reducing, m-xylene-mineralizing enrichment culture isolated from groundwater of a benzene-contaminated sulfidic aquifer. The identical epsilonproteobacterial phylotype has previously been detected in toluene- or benzene-mineralizing, sulfate-reducing consortia enriched from the same site. Previous stable isotope probing (SIP) experiments with 13C6-labeled benzene suggested that this phylotype assimilates benzene-derived carbon in a syntrophic benzene-mineralizing consortium that uses sulfate as terminal electron acceptor. However, the type of energy metabolism and the ecophysiological function of this epsilonproteobacterium within aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading consortia and in the sulfidic aquifer are poorly understood. Annotation of the epsilonproteobacterial population genome suggests that the bacterium plays a key role in sulfur cycling as indicated by the presence of an sqr gene encoding a sulfide quinone oxidoreductase and psr genes encoding a polysulfide reductase. It may gain energy by using sulfide or hydrogen/formate as electron donors. Polysulfide, fumarate, as well as oxygen are potential electron acceptors. Auto- or mixotrophic carbon metabolism seems plausible since a complete reductive citric acid cycle was detected. Thus the bacterium can thrive in pristine groundwater as well as in hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifers. In hydrocarbon-contaminated sulfidic habitats, the epsilonproteobacterium may generate energy by coupling the oxidation of hydrogen or formate and highly abundant sulfide with the reduction of fumarate and/or polysulfide, accompanied by efficient assimilation of acetate produced during fermentation or incomplete oxidation of hydrocarbons. The highly efficient assimilation of acetate was recently demonstrated by a pulsed 13C2-acetate protein SIP experiment. The capability of nitrogen fixation as indicated by the presence of nif genes may provide a selective advantage in nitrogen-depleted habitats. Based on this metabolic reconstruction, we propose acetate capture and sulfur cycling as key functions of Epsilonproteobacteria within the intermediary ecosystem metabolism of hydrocarbon-rich sulfidic sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas H Keller
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Leipzig, Germany ; Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kathleen M Schleinitz
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Leipzig, Germany
| | - Robert Starke
- Department of Proteomics, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Bertilsson
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Limnology and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Carsten Vogt
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sabine Kleinsteuber
- Department of Environmental Microbiology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Leipzig, Germany
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Han Y, Perner M. The globally widespread genus Sulfurimonas: versatile energy metabolisms and adaptations to redox clines. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:989. [PMID: 26441918 PMCID: PMC4584964 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Sulfurimonas species are commonly isolated from sulfidic habitats and numerous 16S rRNA sequences related to Sulfurimonas species have been identified in chemically distinct environments, such as hydrothermal deep-sea vents, marine sediments, the ocean's water column, and terrestrial habitats. In some of these habitats, Sulfurimonas have been demonstrated to play an important role in chemoautotrophic processes. Sulfurimonas species can grow with a variety of electron donors and acceptors, which may contribute to their widespread distribution. Multiple copies of one type of enzyme (e.g., sulfide:quinone reductases and hydrogenases) may play a pivotal role in Sulfurimonas' flexibility to colonize disparate environments. Many of these genes appear to have been acquired through horizontal gene transfer which has promoted adaptations to the distinct habitats. Here we summarize Sulfurimonas' versatile energy metabolisms and link their physiological properties to their global distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mirjam Perner
- Molecular Biology of Microbial Consortia, Biocenter Klein Flottbek, University of HamburgHamburg, Germany
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