Desulfotomaculum tongense sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacterium isolated from a hydrothermal vent sediment collected from the Tofua Arc in the Tonga Trench

Interaction between Microbes, Minerals, and Fluids in Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Systems

The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the late 1970s widened the limits of life and habitability. The mixing of oxidizing seawater and reduction of hydrothermal fluids create a chemical disequilibrium that is exploited by chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea to harness energy by converting inorganic carbon into organic biomass. Due to the rich variety of chemical sources and steep physico-chemical gradients, a large array of microorganisms thrive in these extreme environments, which includes but are not restricted to chemolithoautotrophs, heterotrophs, and mixotrophs. Past research has revealed the underlying relationship of these microbial communities with the subsurface geology and hydrothermal geochemistry. Endolithic microbial communities at the ocean floor catalyze a number of redox reactions through various metabolic activities. Hydrothermal chimneys harbor Fe-reducers, sulfur-reducers, sulfide and H2-oxidizers, methanogens, and heterotrophs that continuously interact with the basaltic, carbonate, or ultramafic basement rocks for energy-yielding reactions. Here, we briefly review the global deep-sea hydrothermal systems, microbial diversity, and microbe–mineral interactions therein to obtain in-depth knowledge of the biogeochemistry in such a unique and geologically critical subseafloor environment.

Desulfomarina profundi gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel mesophilic, hydrogen-oxidizing, sulphate-reducing chemolithoautotroph isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney

A novel mesophilic, strictly anaerobic, chemolithoautotrophic sulphate-reducing bacterium, designated strain KT2^T, was isolated from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney at the Suiyo Seamount in the Izu-Bonin Arc. Strain KT2^T grew at 25-40 °C (optimum 35 °C) and pH 5.5-7.0 (optimum 6.6) in the presence of 25-45 g l^-1 NaCl (optimum 30 g l^-1). Growth occurred with molecular hydrogen as the electron donor and sulphate, thiosulphate, and sulphite as the electron acceptors. The isolate utilized CO₂ as the sole carbon source for chemolithoautotrophic growth on H₂. Glycerol, succinate, fumarate, malate, glutamate, or casamino acids could serve as an alternative electron donor in the presence of CO₂. Malate, citrate, glutamate, and casamino acids were used as fermentative substrates for weak growth. The G+C content of genomic DNA was 46.1 %. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain KT2^T is a member of the family Desulfobulbaceae, showing a sequence similarity of 94.3 % with Desulforhopalus singaporensis. Phylogenomic analysis based on concatenated 156 single-copy marker genes confirmed the same topology as the 16S rRNA gene phylogeny. The ANI and AAI values between strain KT2^T and related genera of the family Desulfobulbaceae were 65.6-68.6 % and 53.1-62.9 %. Based on the genomic, molecular, and physiological characteristics, strain KT2^T represents a novel genus and species within the family Desulfobulbaceae, for which the name Desulfomarina profundi gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed, with KT2^T (=JCM 34118^T = DSM 111364^T) as the type strain.

Diversity and Activity of Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes in Kamchatka Hot Springs

Microbial communities of the Kamchatka Peninsula terrestrial hot springs were studied using radioisotopic and cultural approaches, as well as by the amplification and sequencing of dsrB and 16S rRNA genes fragments. Radioisotopic experiments with 35S-labeled sulfate showed that microbial communities of the Kamchatka hot springs are actively reducing sulfate. Both the cultivation experiments and the results of dsrB and 16S rRNA genes fragments analyses indicated the presence of microorganisms participating in the reductive part of the sulfur cycle. It was found that sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) belonging to Desulfobacterota, Nitrospirota and Firmicutes phyla inhabited neutral and slightly acidic hot springs, while bacteria of phylum Thermodesulofobiota preferred moderately acidic hot springs. In high-temperature acidic springs sulfate reduction was mediated by archaea of the phylum Crenarchaeota, chemoorganoheterotrophic representatives of genus Vulcanisaeta being the most probable candidates. The 16S rRNA taxonomic profiling showed that in most of the studied communities SRP was present only as a minor component. Only in one microbial community, the representatives of genus Vulcanisaeta comprised a significant group. Thus, in spite of comparatively low sulfate concentrations in terrestrial hot springs of the Kamchatka, phylogenetically and metabolically diverse groups of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes are operating there coupling carbon and sulfur cycles in these habitats.

Microorganisms from deep-sea hydrothermal vents

With a rich variety of chemical energy sources and steep physical and chemical gradients, hydrothermal vent systems offer a range of habitats to support microbial life. Cultivation-dependent and independent studies have led to an emerging view that diverse microorganisms in deep-sea hydrothermal vents live their chemolithoautotrophic, heterotrophic, or mixotrophic life with versatile metabolic strategies. Biogeochemical processes are mediated by microorganisms, and notably, processes involving or coupling the carbon, sulfur, hydrogen, nitrogen, and metal cycles in these unique ecosystems. Here, we review the taxonomic and physiological diversity of microbial prokaryotic life from cosmopolitan to endemic taxa and emphasize their significant roles in the biogeochemical processes in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. According to the physiology of the targeted taxa and their needs inferred from meta-omics data, the media for selective cultivation can be designed with a wide range of physicochemical conditions such as temperature, pH, hydrostatic pressure, electron donors and acceptors, carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and growth factors. The application of novel cultivation techniques with real-time monitoring of microbial diversity and metabolic substrates and products are also recommended.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-020-00086-4.

Microbial Diversity in Deep-Subsurface Hot Brines of Northwest Poland: from Community Structure to Isolate Characteristics

Deep-subsurface hot brines in northwest Poland, extracted through boreholes reaching 1.6 and 2.6 km below the ground surface, were microbiologically investigated using culture-independent and culture-dependent methods. The high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons showed a very low diversity of bacterial communities, which were dominated by phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes Bacterial genera potentially involved in sulfur oxidation and nitrate reduction (Halothiobacillus and Methylobacterium) prevailed in both waters over the sulfate reducers ("Candidatus Desulforudis" and Desulfotomaculum). Only one archaeal taxon, affiliated with the order Thermoplasmatales, was detected in analyzed samples. Bacterial isolates obtained from these deep hot brines were closely related to Bacillus paralicheniformis based on the 16S rRNA sequence similarity. However, genomic and physiological analyses made for one of the isolates, Bacillus paralicheniformis strain TS6, revealed the existence of more diverse metabolic pathways than those of its moderate-temperature counterpart. These specific traits may be associated with the ecological adaptations to the extreme habitat, which suggest that some lineages of B. paralicheniformis are halothermophilic.IMPORTANCE Deep-subsurface aquifers, buried thousands of meters down the Earth's crust, belong to the most underexplored microbial habitats. Although a few studies revealed the existence of microbial life at the depths, the knowledge about the microbial life in the deep hydrosphere is still scarce due to the limited access to such environments. Studying the subsurface microbiome provides unique information on microbial diversity, community structure, and geomicrobiological processes occurring under extreme conditions of the deep subsurface. Our study shows that low-diversity microbial assemblages in subsurface hot brines were dominated by the bacteria involved in biogeochemical cycles of sulfur and nitrogen. Based on genomic and physiological analyses, we found that the Bacillus paralicheniformis isolate obtained from the brine under study differed from the mesophilic species in the presence of specific adaptations to harsh environmental conditions. We indicate that some lineages of B. paralicheniformis are halothermophilic, which was not previously reported.

Advances in heavy metal removal by sulfate-reducing bacteria

Industrial development has led to generation of large volumes of wastewater containing heavy metals, which need to be removed before the wastewater is released into the environment. Chemical and electrochemical methods are traditionally applied to treat this type of wastewater. These conventional methods have several shortcomings, such as secondary pollution and cost. Bioprocesses are gradually gaining popularity because of their high selectivities, low costs, and reduced environmental pollution. Removal of heavy metals by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is an economical and effective alternative to conventional methods. The limitations of and advances in SRB activity have not been comprehensively reviewed. In this paper, recent advances from laboratory studies in heavy metal removal by SRB were reported. Firstly, the mechanism of heavy metal removal by SRB is introduced. Then, the factors affecting microbial activity and metal removal efficiency are elucidated and discussed in detail. In addition, recent advances in selection of an electron donor, enhancement of SRB activity, and improvement of SRB tolerance to heavy metals are reviewed. Furthermore, key points for future studies of the SRB process are proposed.

Historical Factors Associated With Past Environments Influence the Biogeography of Thermophilic Endospores in Arctic Marine Sediments

Selection by the local, contemporary environment plays a prominent role in shaping the biogeography of microbes. However, the importance of historical factors in microbial biogeography is more debatable. Historical factors include past ecological and evolutionary circumstances that may have influenced present-day microbial diversity, such as dispersal and past environmental conditions. Diverse thermophilic sulfate-reducing Desulfotomaculum are present as dormant endospores in marine sediments worldwide where temperatures are too low to support their growth. Therefore, they are dispersed to here from elsewhere, presumably a hot, anoxic habitat. While dispersal through ocean currents must influence their distribution in cold marine sediments, it is not clear whether even earlier historical factors, related to the source habitat where these organisms were once active, also have an effect. We investigated whether these historical factors may have influenced the diversity and distribution of thermophilic endospores by comparing their diversity in 10 Arctic fjord surface sediments. Although community composition varied spatially, clear biogeographic patterns were only evident at a high level of taxonomic resolution (>97% sequence similarity of the 16S rRNA gene) achieved with oligotyping. In particular, the diversity and distribution of oligotypes differed for the two most prominent OTUs (defined using a standard 97% similarity cutoff). One OTU was dominated by a single ubiquitous oligotype, while the other OTU consisted of ten more spatially localized oligotypes that decreased in compositional similarity with geographic distance. These patterns are consistent with differences in historical factors that occurred when and where the taxa were once active, prior to sporulation. Further, the influence of history on biogeographic patterns was only revealed by analyzing microdiversity within OTUs, suggesting that populations within standard OTU-level groupings do not necessarily share a common ecological and evolutionary history.

Review of Desulfotomaculum species and proposal of the genera Desulfallas gen. nov., Desulfofundulus gen. nov., Desulfofarcimen gen. nov. and Desulfohalotomaculum gen. nov

The genus Desulfotomaculumis a heterogeneous group of spore-forming sulfate-reducing bacteria. The type species of the genus is Desulfotomaculum nigrificans (Approved Lists 1980) emend. Visser et al. 2014. The results of phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the genus Desulfotomaculum already has lost the clustering monophyly and was segregated into some distinct groups with low sequence similarity. Major features of the type strains in these groups were compared, and four novel genera, Desulfallas gen. nov., Desulfofundulus gen. nov., Desulfofarcimen gen. nov. and Desulfohalotomaculum gen. nov. were proposed to accommodate species transferred from the genus Desulfotomaculum.

Distribution of thermophilic endospores in a temperate estuary indicate that dispersal history structures sediment microbial communities

Endospores of thermophilic bacteria are found in cold and temperate sediments where they persist in a dormant state. As inactive endospores that cannot grow at the low ambient temperatures, they are akin to tracer particles in cold sediments, unaffected by factors normally governing microbial biogeography (e.g., selection, drift, mutation). This makes thermophilic endospores ideal model organisms for studying microbial biogeography since their spatial distribution can be directly related to their dispersal history. To assess dispersal histories of estuarine bacteria, thermophilic endospores were enriched from sediments along a freshwater‐to‐marine transect of the River Tyne in high temperature incubations (50°C). Dispersal histories for 75 different taxa indicated that the majority of estuarine endospores were of terrestrial origin; most closely related to bacteria from warm habitats associated with industrial activity. A subset of the taxa detected were marine derived, with close relatives from hot deep marine biosphere habitats. These patterns are consistent with the sources of sediment in the River Tyne being predominantly terrestrial in origin. The results point to microbial communities in estuarine and marine sediments being structured by bi‐directional currents, terrestrial run‐off and industrial effluent as vectors of passive dispersal and immigration.

Desulfotomaculum aquiferis sp. nov. and Desulfotomaculum profundi sp. nov., isolated from a deep natural gas storage aquifer

Two novel strictly anaerobic bacteria, strains Bs105T and Bs107T, were isolated from a deep aquifer-derived hydrocarbonoclastic community. The cells were rod-shaped, not motile and had terminal spores. Phylogenetic affiliation and physiological properties revealed that these isolates belong to two novel species of the genus Desulfotomaculum. Optimal growth temperatures for strains Bs105T and Bs107T were 42 and 45 °C, respectively. The estimated G+C content of the genomic DNA was 42.9 and 48.7 mol%. For both strains, the major cellular fatty acid was palmitate (C16 : 0). Specific carbon fatty acid signatures of Gram-positive bacteria (iso-C17 : 0) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (C17 : 0cyc) were also detected. An insertion was revealed in one of the two 16S rRNA gene copies harboured by strain Bs107T. Similar insertions have previously been highlighted among moderately thermophilic species of the genus Desulfotomaculum. Both strains shared the ability to oxidize aromatic acids (Bs105T: hydroquinone, acetophenone, para-toluic acid, 2-phenylethanol, trans-cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, benzoic acid 4-hydroxybutyl ester; Bs107T: ortho-toluic acid, benzoic acid 4-hydroxybutyl ester). The names Desulfotomaculum aquiferis sp. nov. and Desulfotomaculum profundi sp. nov. are proposed for the type strains Bs105T (=DSM 24088T=JCM 31386T) and Bs107T (=DSM 24093T=JCM 31387T).

Sediment bacterial communities associated with anaerobic biodegradation of bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. Biodegradation is a major way to clean up the BPA pollution in sediments. However, information on the effective BPA biodegradation in anaerobic sediments is still lacking. The present study investigated the biodegradation potential of BPA in river sediment under nitrate- or sulfate-reducing conditions. After 120-day incubation, a high removal of BPA (93 or 89%) was found in sediment microcosms (amended with 50 mg kg(-1) BPA) under these two anaerobic conditions. Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis indicated that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Actinobacteria were the major bacterial groups in BPA-degrading sediments. The shift in bacterial community structure could occur with BPA biodegradation.

List of new names and new combinations previously effectively, but not validly, published

The purpose of this announcement is to effect the valid publication of the following effectively published new names and new combinations under the procedure described in the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision). Authors and other individuals wishing to have new names and/or combinations included in future lists should send a covering letter, a copy of, or a link to the published paper and electronic copies of certificates of deposit from at least two culture collections in different countries to the IJSEM Editorial Office (ijsem@sgm.ac.uk) for confirmation that all of the other requirements for valid publication have been met. It is also a requirement of IJSEM and the ICSP that authors of new species, new subspecies and new combinations provide evidence that types are deposited in two recognized culture collections in two different countries. It should be noted that the date of valid publication of these new names and combinations is the date of publication of this list, not the date of the original publication of the names and combinations. The authors of the new names and combinations are as given below. Inclusion of a name on these lists validates the publication of the name and thereby makes it available in the nomenclature of prokaryotes. The inclusion of a name on this list is not to be construed as taxonomic acceptance of the taxon to which the name is applied. Indeed, some of these names may, in time, be shown to be synonyms, or the organisms may be transferred to another genus, thus necessitating the creation of a new combination.