Characterizing Regulation of Metabolism inGeobacter sulfurreducensthrough Genome-Wide Expression Data and Sequence Analysis

Enhancing electrical outputs of the fuel cells with Geobacter sulferreducens by overexpressing nanowire proteins

Protein nanowires are critical electroactive components for electron transfer of Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilm. To determine the applicability of the nanowire proteins in improving bioelectricity production, their genes including pilA, omcZ, omcS and omcT were overexpressed in G. sulfurreducens. The voltage outputs of the constructed strains were higher than that of the control strain with the empty vector (0.470-0.578 vs. 0.355 V) in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). As a result, the power density of the constructed strains (i.e. 1.39-1.58 W m^-2 ) also increased by 2.62- to 2.97-fold as compared to that of the control strain. Overexpression of nanowire proteins also improved biofilm formation on electrodes with increased protein amount and thickness of biofilms. The normalized power outputs of the constructed strains were 0.18-0.20 W g^-1 that increased by 74% to 93% from that of the control strain. Bioelectrochemical analyses further revealed that the biofilms and MFCs with the constructed strains had stronger electroactivity and smaller internal resistance, respectively. Collectively, these results demonstrate for the first time that overexpression of nanowire proteins increases the biomass and electroactivity of anode-attached microbial biofilms. Moreover, this study provides a new way for enhancing the electrical outputs of MFCs.

Specialization of the Reiterated Copies of the Heterodimeric Integration Host Factor Genes in Geobacter sulfurreducens

Integration host factor (IHF) is a widely distributed small heterodimeric protein member of the bacterial Nucleoid-Associated Proteins (NAPs), implicated in multiple DNA regulatory processes. IHF recognizes a specific DNA sequence and induces a large bend of the nucleic acid. IHF function has been mainly linked with the regulation of RpoN-dependent promoters, where IHF commonly recognizes a DNA sequence between the enhancer-binding region and the promoter, facilitating a close contact between the upstream bound activator and the promoter bound, RNA polymerase. In most proteobacteria, the genes encoding IHF subunits (ihfA and ihfB) are found in a single copy. However, in some Deltaproteobacteria, like Geobacter sulfurreducens, those genes are duplicated. To date, the functionality of IHF reiterated encoding genes is unknown. In this work, we achieved the functional characterization of the ihfA-1, ihfA-2, ihfB-1, and ihfB-2 from G. sulfurreducens. Unlike the ΔihfA-2 or ΔihfB-1 strains, single gene deletion in ihfA-1 or ihfB-2, provokes an impairment in fumarate and Fe(III) citrate reduction. Accordingly, sqRT-PCR experiments showed that ihfA-1 and ihfB-2 were expressed at higher levels than ihfA-2 and ihfB-1. In addition, RNA-Seq analysis of the ΔihfA-1 and ΔihfB-2 strains revealed a total of 89 and 122 differentially expressed genes, respectively. Furthermore, transcriptional changes in 25 genes were shared in both mutant strains. Among these genes, we confirmed the upregulation of the pilA-repressor, GSU1771, and downregulation of the triheme-cytochrome (pgcA) and the aconitate hydratase (acnA) genes by RT-qPCR. EMSA experiments also demonstrated the direct binding of IHF to the upstream promoter regions of GSU1771, pgcA and acnA. PilA changes in ΔihfA-1 and ΔihfB-2 strains were also verified by immunoblotting. Additionally, heme-staining of subcellular fractions in ΔihfA-1 and ΔihfB-2 strains revealed a remarkable deficit of c-type cytochromes. Overall, our data indicate that at least during fumarate and Fe(III) citrate reduction, the functional IHF regulator is likely assembled by the products of ihfA-1 and ihfB-2. Also, a role of IHF controlling expression of multiple genes (other than RpoN-dependent) affects G. sulfurreducens physiology and extracellular electron transfer.

Enhanced Growth of Pilin-Deficient Geobacter sulfurreducens Mutants in Carbon Poor and Electron Donor Limiting Conditions

Geobacter sulfurreducens pili enable extracellular electron transfer and play a role in secretion of c-type cytochromes such as OmcZ. PilA-deficient mutants of G. sulfurreducens have previously been shown to accumulate cytochromes within their membranes. This cytochrome retaining phenotype allowed for enhanced growth of PilA-deficient mutants in electron donor and carbon-limited conditions where formate and fumarate are provided as the sole electron donor and acceptor with no supplementary carbon source. Conversely, wild-type G. sulfurreducens, which has normal secretion of cytochromes, has comparative limited growth in these conditions. This growth is further impeded for OmcZ-deficient and OmcS-deficient mutants. A PilB-deficient mutant which prevents pilin production but allows for secretion of OmcZ had moderate growth in these conditions, indicating a role for cytochrome localization to enabling survival in the electron donor and carbon-limited conditions. To determine which pathways enhanced growth using formate, Sequential Window Acquisition of all Theoretical Mass Spectra mass spectrometry (SWATH-MS) proteomics of formate adapted PilA-deficient mutants and acetate grown wild type was performed. PilA-deficient mutants had an overall decrease in tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes and significant upregulation of electron transport chain associated proteins including many c-type cytochromes and [NiFe]-hydrogenases. Whole genome sequencing of the mutants shows strong convergent evolution and emergence of genetic subpopulations during adaptation to growth on formate. The results described here suggest a role for membrane constrained c-type cytochromes to the enhancement of survival and growth in electron donor and carbon-limited conditions.

Changes in phosphorylation of adenosine phosphate and redox state of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) in Geobacter sulfurreducens in response to electron acceptor and anode potential variation

Geobacter sulfurreducens is one of the dominant bacterial species found in biofilms growing on anodes in bioelectrochemical systems. The intracellular concentrations of reduced and oxidized forms of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NADH and NAD(+), respectively) and nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH and NADP(+), respectively) as well as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) were measured in G. sulfurreducens using fumarate, Fe(III)-citrate, or anodes poised at different potentials (110, 10, -90, and -190 mV (vs. SHE)) as the electron acceptor. The ratios of CNADH/CNAD+ (0.088±0.022) and CNADPH/CNADP+ (0.268±0.098) were similar under all anode potentials tested and with Fe(III)-citrate (reduced extracellularly). Both ratios significantly increased with fumarate as the electron acceptor (0.331±0.094 for NAD and 1.96±0.37 for NADP). The adenylate energy charge (the fraction of phosphorylation in intracellular adenosine phosphates) was maintained near 0.47 under almost all conditions. Anode-growing biofilms demonstrated a significantly higher molar ratio of ATP/ADP relative to suspended cultures grown on fumarate or Fe(III)-citrate. These results provide evidence that the cellular location of reduction and not the redox potential of the electron acceptor controls the intracellular redox potential in G. sulfurreducens and that biofilm growth alters adenylate phosphorylation.

Anaerobic degradation of aromatic amino acids by the hyperthermophilic archaeon Ferroglobus placidus

Ferroglobus placidus was discovered to oxidize completely the aromatic amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan when Fe(III) oxide was provided as an electron acceptor. This property had not been reported previously for a hyperthermophilic archaeon. It appeared that F. placidus follows a pathway for phenylalanine and tryptophan degradation similar to that of mesophilic nitrate-reducing bacteria, Thauera aromatica and Aromatoleum aromaticum EbN1. Phenylacetate, 4-hydroxyphenylacetate and indole-3-acetate were formed during anaerobic degradation of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, respectively. Candidate genes for enzymes involved in the anaerobic oxidation of phenylalanine to phenylacetate (phenylalanine transaminase, phenylpyruvate decarboxylase and phenylacetaldehyde : ferredoxin oxidoreductase) were identified in the F. placidus genome. In addition, transcription of candidate genes for the anaerobic phenylacetate degradation, benzoyl-CoA degradation and glutaryl-CoA degradation pathways was significantly upregulated in microarray and quantitative real-time-PCR studies comparing phenylacetate-grown cells with acetate-grown cells. These results suggested that the general strategies for anaerobic degradation of aromatic amino acids are highly conserved amongst bacteria and archaea living in both mesophilic and hyperthermophilic environments. They also provided insights into the diverse metabolism of Archaeoglobaceae species living in hyperthermophilic environments.

Going wireless: Fe(III) oxide reduction without pili by Geobacter sulfurreducens strain JS-1

Previous studies have suggested that the conductive pili of Geobacter sulfurreducens are essential for extracellular electron transfer to Fe(III) oxides and for optimal long-range electron transport through current-producing biofilms. The KN400 strain of G. sulfurreducens reduces poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxide more rapidly than the more extensively studied DL-1 strain. Deletion of the gene encoding PilA, the structural pilin protein, in strain KN400 inhibited Fe(III) oxide reduction. However, low rates of Fe(III) reduction were detected after extended incubation (>30 days) in the presence of Fe(III) oxide. After seven consecutive transfers, the PilA-deficient strain adapted to reduce Fe(III) oxide as fast as the wild type. Microarray, whole-genome resequencing, proteomic, and gene deletion studies indicated that this adaptation was associated with the production of larger amounts of the c-type cytochrome PgcA, which was released into the culture medium. It is proposed that the extracellular cytochrome acts as an electron shuttle, promoting electron transfer from the outer cell surface to Fe(III) oxides. The adapted PilA-deficient strain competed well with the wild-type strain when both were grown together on Fe(III) oxide. However, when 50% of the culture medium was replaced with fresh medium every 3 days, the wild-type strain outcompeted the adapted strain. A possible explanation for this is that the necessity to produce additional PgcA, to replace the PgcA being continually removed, put the adapted strain at a competitive disadvantage, similar to the apparent selection against electron shuttle-producing Fe(III) reducers in many anaerobic soils and sediments. Despite increased extracellular cytochrome production, the adapted PilA-deficient strain produced low levels of current, consistent with the concept that long-range electron transport through G. sulfurreducens biofilms is more effective via pili.

New insights into Dehalococcoides mccartyi metabolism from a reconstructed metabolic network-based systems-level analysis of D. mccartyi transcriptomes

Organohalide respiration, mediated by Dehalococcoides mccartyi, is a useful bioremediation process that transforms ground water pollutants and known human carcinogens such as trichloroethene and vinyl chloride into benign ethenes. Successful application of this process depends on the fundamental understanding of the respiration and metabolism of D. mccartyi. Reductive dehalogenases, encoded by rdhA genes of these anaerobic bacteria, exclusively catalyze organohalide respiration and drive metabolism. To better elucidate D. mccartyi metabolism and physiology, we analyzed available transcriptomic data for a pure isolate (Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain 195) and a mixed microbial consortium (KB-1) using the previously developed pan-genome-scale reconstructed metabolic network of D. mccartyi. The transcriptomic data, together with available proteomic data helped confirm transcription and expression of the majority genes in D. mccartyi genomes. A composite genome of two highly similar D. mccartyi strains (KB-1 Dhc) from the KB-1 metagenome sequence was constructed, and operon prediction was conducted for this composite genome and other single genomes. This operon analysis, together with the quality threshold clustering analysis of transcriptomic data helped generate experimentally testable hypotheses regarding the function of a number of hypothetical proteins and the poorly understood mechanism of energy conservation in D. mccartyi. We also identified functionally enriched important clusters (13 for strain 195 and 11 for KB-1 Dhc) of co-expressed metabolic genes using information from the reconstructed metabolic network. This analysis highlighted some metabolic genes and processes, including lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, and transport that potentially play important roles in organohalide respiration. Overall, this study shows the importance of an organism's metabolic reconstruction in analyzing various "omics" data to obtain improved understanding of the metabolism and physiology of the organism.

The underling mechanism of bacterial TetR/AcrR family transcriptional repressors

Bacteria transcriptional regulators are classified by their functional and sequence similarities. Member of the TetR/AcrR family is two-domain proteins including an N-terminal HTH DNA-binding motif and a C-terminal ligand recognition domain. The C-terminal ligand recognition domain can recognize the very same compounds as their target transporters transferred. TetRs act as chemical sensors to monitor both the cellular environmental dynamics and their regulated genes underlying many events, such as antibiotics production, osmotic stress, efflux pumps, multidrug resistance, metabolic modulation, and pathogenesis. Compounds targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis ethR represent promising novel antibiotic potentiater. TetR-mediated multidrug efflux pumps regulation might be good target candidate for the discovery of better new antibiotics against drug resistance.

Transcriptomic and genetic analysis of direct interspecies electron transfer

The possibility that metatranscriptomic analysis could distinguish between direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) and H2 interspecies transfer (HIT) in anaerobic communities was investigated by comparing gene transcript abundance in cocultures in which Geobacter sulfurreducens was the electron-accepting partner for either Geobacter metallireducens, which performs DIET, or Pelobacter carbinolicus, which relies on HIT. Transcript abundance for G. sulfurreducens uptake hydrogenase genes was 7-fold lower in cocultures with G. metallireducens than in cocultures with P. carbinolicus, consistent with DIET and HIT, respectively, in the two cocultures. Transcript abundance for the pilus-associated cytochrome OmcS, which is essential for DIET but not for HIT, was 240-fold higher in the cocultures with G. metallireducens than in cocultures with P. carbinolicus. The pilin gene pilA was moderately expressed despite a mutation that might be expected to repress pilA expression. Lower transcript abundance for G. sulfurreducens genes associated with acetate metabolism in the cocultures with P. carbinolicus was consistent with the repression of these genes by H2 during HIT. Genes for the biogenesis of pili and flagella and several c-type cytochrome genes were among the most highly expressed in G. metallireducens. Mutant strains that lacked the ability to produce pili, flagella, or the outer surface c-type cytochrome encoded by Gmet_2896 were not able to form cocultures with G. sulfurreducens. These results demonstrate that there are unique gene expression patterns that distinguish DIET from HIT and suggest that metatranscriptomics may be a promising route to investigate interspecies electron transfer pathways in more-complex environments.

Evaluation of a genome-scale in silico metabolic model for Geobacter metallireducens by using proteomic data from a field biostimulation experiment

Accurately predicting the interactions between microbial metabolism and the physical subsurface environment is necessary to enhance subsurface energy development, soil and groundwater cleanup, and carbon management. This study was an initial attempt to confirm the metabolic functional roles within an in silico model using environmental proteomic data collected during field experiments. Shotgun global proteomics data collected during a subsurface biostimulation experiment were used to validate a genome-scale metabolic model of Geobacter metallireducens-specifically, the ability of the metabolic model to predict metal reduction, biomass yield, and growth rate under dynamic field conditions. The constraint-based in silico model of G. metallireducens relates an annotated genome sequence to the physiological functions with 697 reactions controlled by 747 enzyme-coding genes. Proteomic analysis showed that 180 of the 637 G. metallireducens proteins detected during the 2008 experiment were associated with specific metabolic reactions in the in silico model. When the field-calibrated Fe(III) terminal electron acceptor process reaction in a reactive transport model for the field experiments was replaced with the genome-scale model, the model predicted that the largest metabolic fluxes through the in silico model reactions generally correspond to the highest abundances of proteins that catalyze those reactions. Central metabolism predicted by the model agrees well with protein abundance profiles inferred from proteomic analysis. Model discrepancies with the proteomic data, such as the relatively low abundances of proteins associated with amino acid transport and metabolism, revealed pathways or flux constraints in the in silico model that could be updated to more accurately predict metabolic processes that occur in the subsurface environment.

Phylogenetic classification of diverse LysR-type transcriptional regulators of a model prokaryote Geobacter sulfurreducens

The protein family of LysR-type transcriptional regulators (LTTRs) is highly abundant among prokaryotes. We analyzed 10,145 non-redundant microbial sequences with homology to eight LysR family regulators of a model prokaryote, Geobacter sulfurreducens, and employed phylogenetic tree inference for LTTR classification. We also analyzed the arrangement of genome clusters containing G. sulfurreducens LTTR genes and searched for LTTR regulatory motifs, suggesting likely regulatory targets of G. sulfurreducens LTTRs. This is the first study to date providing a detailed classification of LTTRs in the deltaproteobacterial family Geobacteraceae.

Use of an uncertainty analysis for genome-scale models as a prediction tool for microbial growth processes in subsurface environments

The integration of genome-scale, constraint-based models of microbial cell function into simulations of contaminant transport and fate in complex groundwater systems is a promising approach to help characterize the metabolic activities of microorganisms in natural environments. In constraint-based modeling, the specific uptake flux rates of external metabolites are usually determined by Michaelis-Menten kinetic theory. However, extensive data sets based on experimentally measured values are not always available. In this study, a genome-scale model of Pseudomonas putida was used to study the key issue of uncertainty arising from the parametrization of the influx of two growth-limiting substrates: oxygen and toluene. The results showed that simulated growth rates are highly sensitive to substrate affinity constants and that uncertainties in specific substrate uptake rates have a significant influence on the variability of simulated microbial growth. Michaelis-Menten kinetic theory does not, therefore, seem to be appropriate for descriptions of substrate uptake processes in the genome-scale model of P. putida. Microbial growth rates of P. putida in subsurface environments can only be accurately predicted if the processes of complex substrate transport and microbial uptake regulation are sufficiently understood in natural environments and if data-driven uptake flux constraints can be applied.

Genome-scale analysis of anaerobic benzoate and phenol metabolism in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Ferroglobus placidus

Insight into the mechanisms for the anaerobic metabolism of aromatic compounds by the hyperthermophilic archaeon Ferroglobus placidus is expected to improve understanding of the degradation of aromatics in hot (>80° C) environments and to identify enzymes that might have biotechnological applications. Analysis of the F. placidus genome revealed genes predicted to encode enzymes homologous to those previously identified as having a role in benzoate and phenol metabolism in mesophilic bacteria. Surprisingly, F. placidus lacks genes for an ATP-independent class II benzoyl-CoA (coenzyme A) reductase (BCR) found in all strictly anaerobic bacteria, but has instead genes coding for a bzd-type ATP-consuming class I BCR, similar to those found in facultative bacteria. The lower portion of the benzoate degradation pathway appears to be more similar to that found in the phototroph Rhodopseudomonas palustris, than the pathway reported for all heterotrophic anaerobic benzoate degraders. Many of the genes predicted to be involved in benzoate metabolism were found in one of two gene clusters. Genes for phenol carboxylation proceeding through a phenylphosphate intermediate were identified in a single gene cluster. Analysis of transcript abundance with a whole-genome microarray and quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that most of the genes predicted to be involved in benzoate or phenol metabolism had higher transcript abundance during growth on those substrates vs growth on acetate. These results suggest that the general strategies for benzoate and phenol metabolism are highly conserved between microorganisms living in moderate and hot environments, and that anaerobic metabolism of aromatic compounds might be analyzed in a wide range of environments with similar molecular targets.

Transcriptional analysis of a Dehalococcoides-containing microbial consortium reveals prophage activation

Chlorinated solvents are among the most prevalent groundwater contaminants in the industrialized world. Biodegradation with Dehalococcoides-containing mixed cultures is an effective remediation technology. To elucidate transcribed genes in a Dehalococcoides-containing mixed culture, a shotgun metagenome microarray was created and used to investigate gene transcription during vinyl chloride (VC) dechlorination and during starvation (no chlorinated compounds) by a microbial enrichment culture called KB-1. In both treatment conditions, methanol was amended as an electron donor. Subsequently, spots were sequenced that contained the genes most differentially transcribed between the VC-degrading and methanol-only conditions, as well as spots with the highest intensities. Sequencing revealed that during VC degradation Dehalococcoides genes involved in transcription, translation, metabolic energy generation, and amino acid and lipid metabolism and transport were overrepresented in the transcripts compared to the average Dehalococcoides genome. KB-1 rdhA14 (vcrA) was the only reductive dehalogenase homologous (RDH) gene with higher transcript levels during VC degradation, while multiple RDH genes had higher transcript levels in the absence of VC. Numerous hypothetical genes from Dehalococcoides also had higher transcript levels in methanol-only treatments, indicating that many uncharacterized proteins are involved in cell maintenance in the absence of chlorinated substrates. In addition, microarray results prompted biological experiments confirming that electron acceptor limiting conditions activated a Dehalococcoides prophage. Transcripts from Spirochaetes, Chloroflexi, Geobacter, and methanogens demonstrate the importance of non-Dehalococcoides organisms to the culture, and sequencing of identified shotgun clones of interest provided information for follow-on targeted studies.

Genome diversity of the TetR family of transcriptional regulators in a metal-reducing bacterial family Geobacteraceae and other microbial species

Members of the TetR family of bacterial transcriptional regulators affect expression of genes whose products are involved in a variety of important functions, including osmotic stress, catabolic pathways, homeostasis, biosynthesis of antibiotics, expression of efflux pumps, multidrug resistance, and virulence of pathogenic bacteria. We used genome sequence information to carry out phylogenetic classification of 864 TetR family members with a special focus on TetR regulators in Geobacteraceae, an environmentally important family of delta-Proteobacteria. The genome of Geobacter sulfurreducens, a model representative of Geobacteraceae, contains nine genes from the tetR family. Several of these genes are located immediately upstream of operons encoding functionally important c-type cytochromes. Computational analyses identified the presence of conserved promoters and other regulatory binding sites upstream of several G. sulfurreducens tetR genes. This suggests the possibility of an intermediary role of TetR family proteins in Geobacteraceae in regulatory cascades involving a variety of sigma factors. In order to understand the role of the TetR regulatory family in Geobacteraceae, we have inferred phylogenetic relationships among the Geobacteraceae TetR proteins and their homologs in other microbial species.

Direct coupling of a genome-scale microbial in silico model and a groundwater reactive transport model

The activity of microorganisms often plays an important role in dynamic natural attenuation or engineered bioremediation of subsurface contaminants, such as chlorinated solvents, metals, and radionuclides. To evaluate and/or design bioremediated systems, quantitative reactive transport models are needed. State-of-the-art reactive transport models often ignore the microbial effects or simulate the microbial effects with static growth yield and constant reaction rate parameters over simulated conditions, while in reality microorganisms can dynamically modify their functionality (such as utilization of alternative respiratory pathways) in response to spatial and temporal variations in environmental conditions. Constraint-based genome-scale microbial in silico models, using genomic data and multiple-pathway reaction networks, have been shown to be able to simulate transient metabolism of some well studied microorganisms and identify growth rate, substrate uptake rates, and byproduct rates under different growth conditions. These rates can be identified and used to replace specific microbially-mediated reaction rates in a reactive transport model using local geochemical conditions as constraints. We previously demonstrated the potential utility of integrating a constraint-based microbial metabolism model with a reactive transport simulator as applied to bioremediation of uranium in groundwater. However, that work relied on an indirect coupling approach that was effective for initial demonstration but may not be extensible to more complex problems that are of significant interest (e.g., communities of microbial species and multiple constraining variables). Here, we extend that work by presenting and demonstrating a method of directly integrating a reactive transport model (FORTRAN code) with constraint-based in silico models solved with IBM ILOG CPLEX linear optimizer base system (C library). The models were integrated with BABEL, a language interoperability tool. The modeling system is designed in such a way that constraint-based models targeting different microorganisms or competing organism communities can be easily plugged into the system. Constraint-based modeling is very costly given the size of a genome-scale reaction network. To save computation time, a binary tree is traversed to examine the concentration and solution pool generated during the simulation in order to decide whether the constraint-based model should be called. We also show preliminary results from the integrated model including a comparison of the direct and indirect coupling approaches and evaluated the ability of the approach to simulate field experiment.

In situ to in silico and back: elucidating the physiology and ecology of Geobacter spp. using genome-scale modelling

There is a wide diversity of unexplored metabolism encoded in the genomes of microorganisms that have an important environmental role. Genome-scale metabolic modelling enables the individual reactions that are encoded in annotated genomes to be organized into a coherent whole, which can then be used to predict metabolic fluxes that will optimize cell function under a range of conditions. In this Review, we summarize a series of studies in which genome-scale metabolic modelling of Geobacter spp. has resulted in an in-depth understanding of their central metabolism and ecology. A similar iterative modelling and experimental approach could accelerate elucidation of the physiology and ecology of other microorganisms inhabiting a diversity of environments, and could guide optimization of the practical applications of these species.

Transcriptome of Geobacter uraniireducens growing in uranium-contaminated subsurface sediments

To learn more about the physiological state of Geobacter species living in subsurface sediments, heat-sterilized sediments from a uranium-contaminated aquifer in Rifle, Colorado, were inoculated with Geobacter uraniireducens, a pure culture representative of the Geobacter species that predominates during in situ uranium bioremediation at this site. Whole-genome microarray analysis comparing sediment-grown G. uraniireducens with cells grown in defined culture medium indicated that there were 1084 genes that had higher transcript levels during growth in sediments. Thirty-four c-type cytochrome genes were upregulated in the sediment-grown cells, including several genes that are homologous to cytochromes that are required for optimal Fe(III) and U(VI) reduction by G. sulfurreducens. Sediment-grown cells also had higher levels of transcripts, indicative of such physiological states as nitrogen limitation, phosphate limitation and heavy metal stress. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR showed that many of the metabolic indicator genes that appeared to be upregulated in sediment-grown G. uraniireducens also showed an increase in expression in the natural community of Geobacter species present during an in situ uranium bioremediation field experiment at the Rifle site. These results demonstrate that it is feasible to monitor gene expression of a microorganism growing in sediments on a genome scale and that analysis of the physiological status of a pure culture growing in subsurface sediments can provide insights into the factors controlling the physiology of natural subsurface communities.