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Chen Y, Dong X, Sun Z, Xu C, Zhang X, Qin S, Geng W, Cao H, Zhai B, Li X, Wu N. Potential coupling of microbial methane, nitrogen, and sulphur cycling in the Okinawa Trough cold seep sediments. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0349023. [PMID: 38690913 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03490-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The Okinawa Trough (OT) is a back-arc basin with a wide distribution of active cold seep systems. However, our understanding of the metabolic function of microbial communities in the cold seep sediments of the OT remains limited. In this study, we investigated the vertical profiles of functional genes involved in methane, nitrogen, and sulphur cycling in the cold seep sediments of the OT. Furthermore, we explored the possible coupling mechanisms between these biogeochemical cycles. The study revealed that the majority of genes associated with the nitrogen and sulphur cycles were most abundant in the surface sediment layers. However, only the key genes responsible for sulphur disproportionation (sor), nitrogen fixation (nifDKH), and methane metabolism (mcrABG) were more prevalent within sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ). Significant positive correlations (P < 0.05) were observed between functional genes involved in sulphur oxidation, thiosulphate disproportionation with denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), as well as between AOM/methanogenesis and nitrogen fixation, and between sulphur disproportionation and AOM. A genome of Filomicrobium (class Alphaproteobacteria) has demonstrated potential in chemoautotrophic activities, particularly in coupling DNRA and denitrification with sulphur oxidation. Additionally, the characterized sulfate reducers such as Syntrophobacterales have been found to be capable of utilizing nitrate as an electron acceptor. The predominant methanogenic/methanotrophic groups in the OT sediments were identified as H2-dependent methylotrophic methanogens (Methanomassiliicoccales and Methanofastidiosales) and ANME-1a. This study offered a thorough understanding of microbial ecosystems in the OT cold seep sediments, emphasizing their contribution to nutrient cycling.IMPORTANCEThe Okinawa Trough (OT) is a back-arc basin formed by extension within the continental lithosphere behind the Ryukyu Trench arc system. Cold seeps are widespread in the OT. While some studies have explored microbial communities in OT cold seep sediments, their metabolic potential remains largely unknown. In this study, we used metagenomic analysis to enhance comprehension of the microbial community's role in nutrient cycling and proposed hypotheses on the coupling process and mechanisms involved in biogeochemical cycles. It was revealed that multiple metabolic pathways can be performed by a single organism or microbes that interact with each other to carry out various biogeochemical cycling. This data set provided a genomic road map on microbial nutrient cycling in OT sediment microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Chen
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiyang Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhilei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Cuiling Xu
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Xilin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Shuangshuang Qin
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Wei Geng
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Hong Cao
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Bin Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuecheng Li
- China Offshore Fugro Geosolutions (Shenzhen)Co.Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Nengyou Wu
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
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Jiang Q, Jing H, Li X, Wan Y, Chou IM, Hou L, Dong H, Niu Y, Gao D. Active pathways of anaerobic methane oxidization in deep-sea cold seeps of the South China Sea. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0250523. [PMID: 37916811 PMCID: PMC10715046 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02505-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Cold seeps occur in continental margins worldwide and are deep-sea oases. Anaerobic oxidation of methane is an important microbial process in the cold seeps and plays an important role in regulating methane content. This study elucidates the diversity and potential activities of major microbial groups in dependent anaerobic methane oxidation and sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation processes and provides direct evidence for the occurrence of nitrate-/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (Nr-/N-DAMO) as a previously overlooked microbial methane sink in the hydrate-bearing sediments of the South China Sea. This study provides direct evidence for occurrence of Nr-/N-DAMO as an important methane sink in the deep-sea cold seeps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyun Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hongmei Jing
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
- HKUST-CAS Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Xuegong Li
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Ye Wan
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - I-Ming Chou
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Lijun Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Costal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongpo Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Costal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhui Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Costal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dengzhou Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Costal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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Zhang T, He W, Liang Q, Zheng F, Xiao X, Zeng Z, Zhou J, Yao W, Chen H, Zhu Y, Zhao J, Zheng Y, Zhang C. Lipidomic diversity and proxy implications of archaea from cold seep sediments of the South China Sea. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1241958. [PMID: 37954235 PMCID: PMC10635418 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1241958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cold seeps on the continental margins are characterized by intense microbial activities that consume a large portion of methane by anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) through anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Although ANMEs are known to contain unique ether lipids that may have an important function in marine carbon cycling, their full lipidomic profiles and functional distribution in particular cold-seep settings are still poorly characterized. Here, we combined the 16S rRNA gene sequencing and lipidomic approaches to analyze archaeal communities and their lipids in cold seep sediments with distinct methane supplies from the South China Sea. The archaeal community was dominated by ANME-1 in the moderate seepage area with strong methane emission. Low seepage area presented higher archaeal diversity covering Lokiarchaeia, Bathyarchaeia, and Thermoplasmata. A total of 55 core lipids (CLs) and intact polar lipids (IPLs) of archaea were identified, which included glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), hydroxy-GDGTs (OH-GDGTs), archaeol (AR), hydroxyarchaeol (OH-AR), and dihydroxyarchaeol (2OH-AR). Diverse polar headgroups constituted the archaeal IPLs. High concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) with depleted δ13CDIC and high methane index (MI) values based on both CLs (MICL) and IPLs (MIIPL) indicate that ANMEs were active in the moderate seepage area. The ANME-2 and ANME-3 clades were characterized by enhanced glycosidic and phosphoric diether lipids production, indicating their potential role in coupling carbon and phosphurus cycling in cold seep ecosystems. ANME-1, though representing a smaller proportion of total archaea than ANME-2 and ANME-3 in the low seepage area, showed a positive correlation with MIIPL, indicating a different mechanism contributing to the IPL-GDGT pool. This also suggests that MIIPL could be a sensitive index to trace AOM activities performed by ANME-1. Overall, our study expands the understanding of the archaeal lipid composition in the cold seep and improves the application of MI using intact polar lipids that potentially link to extent ANME activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhang
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Gas Hydrate Exploration and Development, Guangzhou, China
- East China Sea Ecological Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei He
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qianyong Liang
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Gas Hydrate Exploration and Development, Guangzhou, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Fengfeng Zheng
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xi Xiao
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Gas Hydrate Exploration and Development, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyu Zeng
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jingzhuo Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Coal Processing and Efficient Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
| | - Wenyong Yao
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Haodong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanqing Zhu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Shanghai Sheshan National Geophysical Observatory, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Zheng
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chuanlun Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
- Shanghai Sheshan National Geophysical Observatory, Shanghai, China
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Rodriguez JAP, Wilhelm MB, Travis B, Kargel JS, Zarroca M, Berman DC, Cohen J, Baker V, Lopez A, Buckner D. Exploring the evidence of Middle Amazonian aquifer sedimentary outburst residues in a Martian chaotic terrain. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17524. [PMID: 37853014 PMCID: PMC10584912 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39060-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The quest for past Martian life hinges on locating surface formations linked to ancient habitability. While Mars' surface is considered to have become cryogenic ~3.7 Ga, stable subsurface aquifers persisted long after this transition. Their extensive collapse triggered megafloods ~3.4 Ga, and the resulting outflow channel excavation generated voluminous sediment eroded from the highlands. These materials are considered to have extensively covered the northern lowlands. Here, we show evidence that a lacustrine sedimentary residue within Hydraotes Chaos formed due to regional aquifer upwelling and ponding into an interior basin. Unlike the northern lowland counterparts, its sedimentary makeup likely consists of aquifer-expelled materials, offering a potential window into the nature of Mars' subsurface habitability. Furthermore, the lake's residue's estimated age is ~1.1 Ga (~3.2 Ga post-peak aquifer drainage during the Late Hesperian), enhancing the prospects for organic matter preservation. This deposit's inferred fine-grained composition, coupled with the presence of coexisting mud volcanoes and diapirs, suggest that its source aquifer existed within abundant subsurface mudstones, water ice, and evaporites, forming part of the region's extremely ancient (~ 4 Ga) highland stratigraphy. Our numerical models suggest that magmatically induced phase segregation within these materials generated enormous water-filled chambers. The meltwater, originating from varying thermally affected mudstone depths, could have potentially harbored diverse biosignatures, which could have become concentrated within the lake's sedimentary residue. Thus, we propose that Hydraotes Chaos merits priority consideration in future missions aiming to detect Martian biosignatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Alexis P Rodriguez
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719-2395, USA.
- External Geodynamics and Hydrogeology Group, Department of Geology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
| | | | - Bryan Travis
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719-2395, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Kargel
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719-2395, USA
| | - Mario Zarroca
- External Geodynamics and Hydrogeology Group, Department of Geology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel C Berman
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719-2395, USA
| | - Jacob Cohen
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Victor Baker
- Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - Anthony Lopez
- Planetary Science Institute, 1700 East Fort Lowell Road, Suite 106, Tucson, AZ, 85719-2395, USA
| | - Denise Buckner
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
- University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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Murali R, Yu H, Speth DR, Wu F, Metcalfe KS, Crémière A, Laso-Pèrez R, Malmstrom RR, Goudeau D, Woyke T, Hatzenpichler R, Chadwick GL, Connon SA, Orphan VJ. Physiological potential and evolutionary trajectories of syntrophic sulfate-reducing bacterial partners of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002292. [PMID: 37747940 PMCID: PMC10553843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Sulfate-coupled anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is performed by multicellular consortia of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) in obligate syntrophic partnership with sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Diverse ANME and SRB clades co-associate but the physiological basis for their adaptation and diversification is not well understood. In this work, we used comparative metagenomics and phylogenetics to investigate the metabolic adaptation among the 4 main syntrophic SRB clades (HotSeep-1, Seep-SRB2, Seep-SRB1a, and Seep-SRB1g) and identified features associated with their syntrophic lifestyle that distinguish them from their non-syntrophic evolutionary neighbors in the phylum Desulfobacterota. We show that the protein complexes involved in direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) from ANME to the SRB outer membrane are conserved between the syntrophic lineages. In contrast, the proteins involved in electron transfer within the SRB inner membrane differ between clades, indicative of convergent evolution in the adaptation to a syntrophic lifestyle. Our analysis suggests that in most cases, this adaptation likely occurred after the acquisition of the DIET complexes in an ancestral clade and involve horizontal gene transfers within pathways for electron transfer (CbcBA) and biofilm formation (Pel). We also provide evidence for unique adaptations within syntrophic SRB clades, which vary depending on the archaeal partner. Among the most widespread syntrophic SRB, Seep-SRB1a, subclades that specifically partner ANME-2a are missing the cobalamin synthesis pathway, suggestive of nutritional dependency on its partner, while closely related Seep-SRB1a partners of ANME-2c lack nutritional auxotrophies. Our work provides insight into the features associated with DIET-based syntrophy and the adaptation of SRB towards it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranjani Murali
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Hang Yu
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Daan R. Speth
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fabai Wu
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kyle S. Metcalfe
- Department of Plant and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Antoine Crémière
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
| | - Rafael Laso-Pèrez
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rex R. Malmstrom
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Department of Energy, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Danielle Goudeau
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Department of Energy, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Department of Energy, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Grayson L. Chadwick
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
- Department of Plant and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Stephanie A. Connon
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
| | - Victoria J. Orphan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, Unites Stated of America
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Baloza M, Henkel S, Kasten S, Holtappels M, Molari M. The Impact of Sea Ice Cover on Microbial Communities in Antarctic Shelf Sediments. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1572. [PMID: 37375074 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The area around the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) is facing rapid climatic and environmental changes, with so far unknown impacts on the benthic microbial communities of the continental shelves. In this study, we investigated the impact of contrasting sea ice cover on microbial community compositions in surface sediments from five stations along the eastern shelf of the AP using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Redox conditions in sediments with long ice-free periods are characterized by a prevailing ferruginous zone, whereas a comparatively broad upper oxic zone is present at the heavily ice-covered station. Low ice cover stations were highly dominated by microbial communities of Desulfobacterota (mostly Sva1033, Desulfobacteria, and Desulfobulbia), Myxococcota, and Sva0485, whereas Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and NB1-j prevail at the heavy ice cover station. In the ferruginous zone, Sva1033 was the dominant member of Desulfuromonadales for all stations and, along with eleven other taxa, showed significant positive correlations with dissolved Fe concentrations, suggesting a significant role in iron reduction or an ecological relationship with iron reducers. Our results indicate that sea ice cover and its effect on organic carbon fluxes are the major drivers for changes in benthic microbial communities, favoring potential iron reducers at stations with increased organic matter fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa Baloza
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Faculty 2 Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, Leobener Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Susann Henkel
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Sabine Kasten
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Klagenfurter Str., 28359 Bremen, Germany
- MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Moritz Holtappels
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Massimiliano Molari
- HGF-MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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Karaseva NP, Rimskaya-Korsakova NN, Kokarev VN, Simakov MI, Smirnov RV, Gantsevich MM, Malakhov VV. Distribution of Siboglinids (Annelida, Siboglinidae) in the Laptev Sea and Adjacent Areas of the Arctic Basin. DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE USSR, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES SECTIONS 2023; 509:124-127. [PMID: 37208580 DOI: 10.1134/s0012496623700217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity in the Laptev Sea was assessed for gutless marine worms of the family Siboglinidae (Annelida), whose metabolism is provided by symbiotic bacteria that oxidize hydrogen sulfide and methane. Seven siboglinid species were found within the geographical boundaries of the Laptev Sea, and another species was found in an adjacent sector of the Arctic Basin. The largest number of finds and the greatest biological diversity of siboglinids were observed in the eastern part of the Laptev Sea in a field of numerous methane flares. One find was made in the estuary area of the Lena River at a depth of 25 m. A possible association of siboglinids with methane seepage areas is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - V N Kokarev
- Faculty of Biological Sciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Bodø, Norway
| | - M I Simakov
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - R V Smirnov
- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
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Composition and Metabolic Potential of Fe(III)-Reducing Enrichment Cultures of Methanotrophic ANME-2a Archaea and Associated Bacteria. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11030555. [PMID: 36985129 PMCID: PMC10052568 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11030555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The key microbial group involved in anaerobic methane oxidation is anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME). From a terrestrial mud volcano, we enriched a microbial community containing ANME-2a, using methane as an electron donor, Fe(III) oxide (ferrihydrite) as an electron acceptor, and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate as an electron shuttle. Ferrihydrite reduction led to the formation of a black, highly magnetic precipitate. A significant relative abundance of ANME-2a in batch cultures was observed over five subsequent transfers. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that, in addition to ANME-2a, two bacterial taxa belonging to uncultured Desulfobulbaceae and Anaerolineaceae were constantly present in all enrichments. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of ANME-2a contained a complete set of genes for methanogenesis and numerous genes of multiheme c-type cytochromes (MHC), indicating the capability of methanotrophs to transfer electrons to metal oxides or to a bacterial partner. One of the ANME MAGs encoded respiratory arsenate reductase (Arr), suggesting the potential for a direct coupling of methane oxidation with As(V) reduction in the single microorganism. The same MAG also encoded uptake [NiFe] hydrogenase, which is uncommon for ANME-2. The MAG of uncultured Desulfobulbaceae contained genes of dissimilatory sulfate reduction, a Wood–Ljungdahl pathway for autotrophic CO2 fixation, hydrogenases, and 43 MHC. We hypothesize that uncultured Desulfobulbaceae is a bacterial partner of ANME-2a, which mediates extracellular electron transfer to Fe(III) oxide.
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Biogeochemical Activity of Methane-Related Microbial Communities in Bottom Sediments of Cold Seeps of the Laptev Sea. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11020250. [PMID: 36838215 PMCID: PMC9964916 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Bottom sediments at methane discharge sites of the Laptev Sea shelf were investigated. The rates of microbial methanogenesis and methane oxidation were measured, and the communities responsible for these processes were analyzed. Methane content in the sediments varied from 0.9 to 37 µmol CH4 dm-3. Methane carbon isotopic composition (δ13C-CH4) varied from -98.9 to -77.6‱, indicating its biogenic origin. The rates of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis were low (0.4-5.0 nmol dm-3 day-1). Methane oxidation rates varied from 0.4 to 1.2 µmol dm-3 day-1 at the seep stations. Four lineages of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) (1, 2a-2b, 2c, and 3) were found in the deeper sediments at the seep stations along with sulfate-reducing Desulfobacteriota. The ANME-2a-2b clade was predominant among ANME. Aerobic ammonium-oxidizing Crenarchaeota (family Nitrosopumilaceae) predominated in the upper sediments along with heterotrophic Actinobacteriota and Bacteroidota, and mehtanotrophs of the classes Alphaproteobacteria (Methyloceanibacter) and Gammaproteobacteria (families Methylophilaceae and Methylomonadaceae). Members of the genera Sulfurovum and Sulfurimonas occurred in the sediments of the seep stations. Mehtanotrophs of the classes Alphaproteobacteria (Methyloceanibacter) and Gammaproteobacteria (families Methylophilaceae and Methylomonadaceae) occurred in the sediments of all stations. The microbial community composition was similar to that of methane seep sediments from geographically remote areas of the global ocean.
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Nagarajan V, Tsai HC, Chen JS, Koner S, Kumar RS, Chao HC, Hsu BM. Systematic assessment of mineral distribution and diversity of microbial communities and its interactions in the Taiwan subduction zone of mud volcanoes. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 216:114536. [PMID: 36228688 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Mud volcanoes are the most dynamic and unstable sedimentary structures in the areas of tectonic compression like the subduction zones. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the distribution of minerals as well as diversity, abundance and metabolic potential of the microbial communities of major mud volcanic groups across Taiwan namely Chu-kou Fault (CKF), Gu-ting-keng Anticline (GTKA), Chi-shan Fault (CSF), and Longitudinal Valley Fault (LVF). The mud volcano fluids recorded relatively higher Na and Cl contents than the other elements, particularly in the CKF and GTKA groups. The highest microbial diversity and richness were observed in the CSF group, followed by the GTKA group, whereas the lowest microbial diversity was observed in the CKF and LVF groups. Proteobacteria were common in all the sampling sites, except WST-7 and WST-H (Wu-Shan-Ting) of the CSF group, which were abundant in Chloroflexi. The halophilic genus Alterococcus was abundant in the Na-and Cl-rich CL-A sites of the CKF group. Sulfurovum was dominant in the CLHS (Chung-Lun hot spring) site of the CKF group and was positively correlated with sulfur/thiosulfate respiration, which might have resulted in a higher expression of these pathways in the respective group. Aerobic methane-oxidizing microbial communities, such as Methylobacter, Methylomicrobium, Methylomonas, and Methylosoma, constituted a dominant part of the LVF and CSF groups, except for the YNH-A and YNH-B (Yang-Nyu-Hu) sites. The WST-7 and JS sites were abundant in both methane-producing and methane-oxidizing microbial communities. The LGH-F1 (Lei-Gong-Huo) site was dominated by both methanotrophic and methylotrophic genera, such as Methylomicrobium and Methylophaga, respectively. Methylotrophy, methanotrophs, and hydrocarbon-degrading pathways were more abundant in the LVF and CSF groups but not in the remaining groups. The results of this study extend our knowledge of the diversity, abundance, and metabolic functions of prokaryotes in major terrestrial mud volcanoes in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viji Nagarajan
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Chi Tsai
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Sheng Chen
- Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Suprokash Koner
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan; Department of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Rajendran Senthil Kumar
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Chun Chao
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Mu Hsu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan; Centre for Innovative on Aging Society, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi County, Taiwan.
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Jiang Q, Jing H, Liu H, Du M. Biogeographic distributions of microbial communities associated with anaerobic methane oxidation in the surface sediments of deep-sea cold seeps in the South China Sea. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1060206. [PMID: 36620029 PMCID: PMC9822730 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1060206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold seeps are oasis for the microbes in the deep-sea ecosystems, and various cold seeps are located along the northern slope of the South China Sea (SCS). However, by far most microbial ecological studies were limited to specific cold seep in the SCS, and lack of comparison between different regions. Here, the surface sediments (0-4 cm) from the Site F/Haima cold seeps and the Xisha trough in the SCS were used to elucidate the biogeography of microbial communities, with particular interest in the typical functional groups involved in the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) process. Distinct microbial clusters corresponding to the three sampling regions were formed, and significantly higher gene abundance of functional groups were present in the cold seeps than the trough. This biogeographical distribution could be explained by the geochemical characteristics of sediments, such as total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), nitrate (NO3 -), total sulfur (TS) and carbon to nitrogen ratios (C/N). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that mcrA and pmoA genotypes were closely affiliated with those from wetland and mangroves, where denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) process frequently occurred; and highly diversified dsrB genotypes were revealed as well. In addition, significantly higher relative abundance of NC10 group was found in the Xisha trough, suggesting that nitrite-dependent DAMO (N-DAMO) process was more important in the hydrate-bearing trough, although its potential ecological contribution to AOM deserves further investigation. Our study also further demonstrated the necessity of combining functional genes and 16S rRNA gene to obtain a comprehensive picture of the population shifts of natural microbial communities among different oceanic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuyun Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study Under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hongmei Jing
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study Under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China,HKUST-CAS Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China,*Correspondence: Hongmei Jing,
| | - Hao Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study Under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Mengran Du
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study Under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
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Characterization of archaeal and bacterial communities thriving in methane-seeping on-land mud volcanoes, Niigata, Japan. Int Microbiol 2022; 26:191-204. [PMID: 36329310 DOI: 10.1007/s10123-022-00288-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Submarine mud volcanoes (MVs) have attracted significant interest in the scientific community for obtaining clues on the subsurface biosphere. On-land MVs, which are much less focused in this context, are equally important, and they may even provide insights also for astrobiology of extraterrestrial mud volcanism. Hereby, we characterized microbial communities of two active methane-seeping on-land MVs, Murono and Kamou, in central Japan. 16S rRNA gene profiling of those sites recovered the dominant archaeal sequences affiliated with methanogens. Anaerobic methanotrophs (ANME), with the subgroups ANME-1b and ANME-3, were recovered only from the Murono site albeit a greatly reduced relative abundance in the community compared to those of typical submarine MVs. The bacterial sequences affiliated to Caldatribacteriota JS1 were recovered from both sites; on the other hand, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) of Desulfobulbaceae was recovered only from the Murono site. The major difference of on-land MVs from submarine MVs is that the high concentrations of sulfate are not always introduced to the subsurface from above. In addition, the XRD analysis of Murono shows the absence of sulfate-, sulfur-related mineral. Therefore, we hypothesize one scenario of ANME-1b and ANME-3 thriving at the depth of the Murono site independently from SRB, which is similar to the situations reported in some other methane-seeping sites with a sulfate-depleted condition. We note that previous investigations speculate that the erupted materials from Murono and Kamou originate from the Miocene marine strata. The fact that SRB (Desulfobulbaceae) capable of associating with ANME-3 was recovered from the Murono site presents an alternative scenario: the old sea-related juvenile water somehow worked as the source of additional sulfur-related components for the SRB-ANME syntrophic consortium forming at a deeper zone of the site. However, the reason for the differences between Murono and Kamou is still unknown, and this requires further investigation.
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Vulcano F, Hahn CJ, Roerdink D, Dahle H, Reeves EP, Wegener G, Steen IH, Stokke R. Phylogenetic and functional diverse ANME-1 thrive in Arctic hydrothermal vents. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6747120. [PMID: 36190327 PMCID: PMC9576274 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The methane-rich areas, the Loki's Castle vent field and the Jan Mayen vent field at the Arctic Mid Ocean Ridge (AMOR), host abundant niches for anaerobic methane-oxidizers, which are predominantly filled by members of the ANME-1. In this study, we used a metagenomic-based approach that revealed the presence of phylogenetic and functional different ANME-1 subgroups at AMOR, with heterogeneous distribution. Based on a common analysis of ANME-1 genomes from AMOR and other geographic locations, we observed that AMOR subgroups clustered with a vent-specific ANME-1 group that occurs solely at vents, and with a generalist ANME-1 group, with a mixed environmental origin. Generalist ANME-1 are enriched in genes coding for stress response and defense strategies, suggesting functional diversity among AMOR subgroups. ANME-1 encode a conserved energy metabolism, indicating strong adaptation to sulfate-methane-rich sediments in marine systems, which does not however prevent global dispersion. A deep branching family named Ca. Veteromethanophagaceae was identified. The basal position of vent-related ANME-1 in phylogenomic trees suggests that ANME-1 originated at hydrothermal vents. The heterogeneous and variable physicochemical conditions present in diffuse venting areas of hydrothermal fields could have favored the diversification of ANME-1 into lineages that can tolerate geochemical and environmental variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Vulcano
- Corresponding author: Thormølens gate 53 A 5006 Bergen Postboks 7803 5020 Bergen. E-mail:
| | - C J Hahn
- Max-Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Bremen, 28359, Germany
| | - D Roerdink
- Department of Earth Science, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - H Dahle
- Computational Biological Unit, Department of Informatics, Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - E P Reeves
- Department of Earth Science, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - G Wegener
- Max-Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Bremen, 28359, Germany,MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, 28359, Germany,Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, 27570, Germany
| | - I H Steen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Deep Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - R Stokke
- Corresponding author: Thormølens gate 53 A 5006 Bergen Postboks 7803 5020 Bergen. E-mail:
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Benito Merino D, Zehnle H, Teske A, Wegener G. Deep-branching ANME-1c archaea grow at the upper temperature limit of anaerobic oxidation of methane. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:988871. [PMID: 36212815 PMCID: PMC9539880 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.988871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In seafloor sediments, the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) consumes most of the methane formed in anoxic layers, preventing this greenhouse gas from reaching the water column and finally the atmosphere. AOM is performed by syntrophic consortia of specific anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Cultures with diverse AOM partners exist at temperatures between 12°C and 60°C. Here, from hydrothermally heated sediments of the Guaymas Basin, we cultured deep-branching ANME-1c that grow in syntrophic consortia with Thermodesulfobacteria at 70°C. Like all ANME, ANME-1c oxidize methane using the methanogenesis pathway in reverse. As an uncommon feature, ANME-1c encode a nickel-iron hydrogenase. This hydrogenase has low expression during AOM and the partner Thermodesulfobacteria lack hydrogen-consuming hydrogenases. Therefore, it is unlikely that the partners exchange hydrogen during AOM. ANME-1c also does not consume hydrogen for methane formation, disputing a recent hypothesis on facultative methanogenesis. We hypothesize that the ANME-1c hydrogenase might have been present in the common ancestor of ANME-1 but lost its central metabolic function in ANME-1c archaea. For potential direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), both partners encode and express genes coding for extracellular appendages and multiheme cytochromes. Thermodesulfobacteria encode and express an extracellular pentaheme cytochrome with high similarity to cytochromes of other syntrophic sulfate-reducing partner bacteria. ANME-1c might associate specifically to Thermodesulfobacteria, but their co-occurrence is so far only documented for heated sediments of the Gulf of California. However, in the deep seafloor, sulfate-methane interphases appear at temperatures up to 80°C, suggesting these as potential habitats for the partnership of ANME-1c and Thermodesulfobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Benito Merino
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hanna Zehnle
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Andreas Teske
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Wegener G, Laso-Pérez R, Orphan VJ, Boetius A. Anaerobic Degradation of Alkanes by Marine Archaea. Annu Rev Microbiol 2022; 76:553-577. [PMID: 35917471 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-111021-045911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Alkanes are saturated apolar hydrocarbons that range from its simplest form, methane, to high-molecular-weight compounds. Although alkanes were once considered biologically recalcitrant under anaerobic conditions, microbiological investigations have now identified several microbial taxa that can anaerobically degrade alkanes. Here we review recent discoveries in the anaerobic oxidation of alkanes with a specific focus on archaea that use specific methyl coenzyme M reductases to activate their substrates. Our understanding of the diversity of uncultured alkane-oxidizing archaea has expanded through the use of environmental metagenomics and enrichment cultures of syntrophic methane-, ethane-, propane-, and butane-oxidizing marine archaea with sulfate-reducing bacteria. A recently cultured group of archaea directly couples long-chain alkane degradation with methane formation, expanding the range of substrates used for methanogenesis. This article summarizes the rapidly growing knowledge of the diversity, physiology, and habitat distribution of alkane-degrading archaea. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 76 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunter Wegener
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Rafael Laso-Pérez
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.,Current affiliation: Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences and Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA;
| | - Antje Boetius
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University Bremen, Bremen, Germany; , .,Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.,Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany;
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Cold Seeps on the Passive Northern U.S. Atlantic Margin Host Globally Representative Members of the Seep Microbiome with Locally Dominant Strains of Archaea. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0046822. [PMID: 35607968 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00468-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine cold seeps are natural sites of methane emission and harbor distinct microbial communities capable of oxidizing methane. The majority of known cold seeps are on tectonically active continental margins, but recent discoveries have revealed abundant seeps on passive margins as well, including on the U.S. Atlantic Margin (USAM). We sampled in and around four USAM seeps and combined pore water geochemistry measurements with amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and mcrA (DNA and RNA) to investigate the microbial communities present, their assembly processes, and how they compare to communities at previously studied sites. We found that the USAM seeps contained communities consistent with the canonical seep microbiome at the class and order levels but differed markedly at the sequence variant level, especially within the anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea. The ANME populations were highly uneven, with just a few dominant mcrA sequence variants at each seep. Interestingly, the USAM seeps did not form a distinct phylogenetic cluster when compared with other previously described seeps around the world. Consistent with this, we found only a very weak (though statistically significant) distance-decay trend in seep community similarity across a global data set. Ecological assembly indices suggest that the USAM seep communities were assembled primarily deterministically, in contrast to the surrounding nonseep sediments, where stochastic processes dominated. Together, our results suggest that the primary driver of seep microbial community composition is local geochemistry-specifically methane, sulfide, nitrate, acetate, and ammonium concentrations-rather than the geologic context, the composition of nearby seeps, or random events of dispersal. IMPORTANCE Cold seeps are now known to be widespread features of passive continental margins, including the northern U.S. Atlantic Margin (USAM). Methane seepage is expected to intensify at these relatively shallow seeps as bottom waters warm and underlying methane hydrates dissociate. While methanotrophic microbial communities might reduce or prevent methane release, microbial communities on passive margins have rarely been characterized. In this study, we investigated the Bacteria and Archaea at four cold seeps on the northern USAM and found that despite being colocated on the same continental slope, the communities significantly differ by site at the sequence variant level, particularly methane-cycling community members. Differentiation by site was not observed in similarly spaced background sediments, raising interesting questions about the dispersal pathways of cold seep microorganisms. Understanding the genetic makeup of these discrete seafloor ecosystems and how their microbial communities develop will be increasingly important as the climate changes.
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Stratmann T. The ProkaBioDen database, a global database of benthic prokaryotic biomasses and densities in the marine realm. Sci Data 2022; 9:179. [PMID: 35440731 PMCID: PMC9019028 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01281-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Benthic prokaryotes include Bacteria and Archaea and dominate densities of marine benthos. They play major roles in element cycles and heterotrophic, chemoautotrophic, and phototrophic carbon production. To understand how anthropogenic disturbances and climate change might affect these processes, better estimates of prokaryotic biomasses and densities are required. Hence, I developed the ProkaBioDen database, the largest open-access database of benthic prokaryotic biomasses and densities in marine surface sediments. In total, the database comprises 1,089 georeferenced benthic prokaryotic biomass and 1,875 density records extracted from 85 and 112 studies, respectively. I identified all references applying the procedures for systematic reviews and meta analyses and report prokaryotic biomasses as g C cm−3 sediment, g C g−1 sediment, and g C m−2. Density records are presented as cell cm−3 sediment, cell g−1 sediment/ sulfide/ vent precipitate, and cell m−2. This database should serve as reference to close sampling gaps in the future. Measurement(s) | prokaryotic benthic biomass • prokaryotic benthic density | Technology Type(s) | PLFA • microscopy • ATP | Sample Characteristic - Organism | unclassified Bacteria | Sample Characteristic - Environment | marine sediment • deep marine sediment • shallow marine sediment | Sample Characteristic - Location | Pacific Ocean • Atlantic Ocean • Indian Ocean • Southern Ocean • Arctic Ocean |
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Stratmann
- Utrecht University, Department of Earth Sciences, Vening Meineszgebouw A, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB, Utrecht, The Netherlands. .,HGF MPG Joint Research Group for Deep-Sea Ecology and Technology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstr. 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany. .,Department of Ocean Systems, NIOZ - Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, PO Box 59, 1790, AB Den Burg (Texel), The Netherlands.
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Chen Y, Xu C, Wu N, Sun Z, Liu C, Zhen Y, Xin Y, Zhang X, Geng W, Cao H, Zhai B, Li J, Qin S, Zhou Y. Diversity of Anaerobic Methane Oxidizers in the Cold Seep Sediments of the Okinawa Trough. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:819187. [PMID: 35495656 PMCID: PMC9048799 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.819187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Active cold seeps in the Okinawa Trough (OT) have been widely identified, but the sediment microbial communities associated with these sites are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the distribution and biomass of the microbial communities, particularly those associated with the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), in sediments from an active cold seep in the mid-Okinawa Trough. Methane-oxidizing archaea, including ANME-1a, ANME-1b, ANME-2a/b, ANME-2c, and ANME-3, were detected in the OT cold seep sediments. Vertical stratification of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) communities was observed in the following order: ANME-3, ANME-1a, and ANME-1b. In addition, the abundance of methyl coenzyme M reductase A (mcrA) genes corresponded to high levels of dissolved iron, suggesting that methane-metabolizing archaea might participate in iron reduction coupled to methane oxidation (Fe-AOM) in the OT cold seep. Furthermore, the relative abundance of ANME-1a was strongly related to the concentration of dissolved iron, indicating that ANME-1a is a key microbial player for Fe-AOM in the OT cold seep sediments. Co-occurrence analysis revealed that methane-metabolizing microbial communities were mainly associated with heterotrophic microorganisms, such as JS1, Bathy-1, and Bathy-15.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Chen
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Cuiling Xu
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Nengyou Wu
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- *Correspondence: Nengyou Wu,
| | - Zhilei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Zhilei Sun,
| | - Changling Liu
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Yu Zhen
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Youzhi Xin
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Xilin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Wei Geng
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Hong Cao
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Bin Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Jing Li
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Shuangshuang Qin
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yucheng Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
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Universal activity-based labeling method for ammonia- and alkane-oxidizing bacteria. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:958-971. [PMID: 34743174 PMCID: PMC8941013 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01144-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The advance of metagenomics in combination with intricate cultivation approaches has facilitated the discovery of novel ammonia-, methane-, and other short-chain alkane-oxidizing microorganisms, indicating that our understanding of the microbial biodiversity within the biogeochemical nitrogen and carbon cycles still is incomplete. The in situ detection and phylogenetic identification of novel ammonia- and alkane-oxidizing bacteria remain challenging due to their naturally low abundances and difficulties in obtaining new isolates from complex samples. Here, we describe an activity-based protein profiling protocol allowing cultivation-independent unveiling of ammonia- and alkane-oxidizing bacteria. In this protocol, 1,7-octadiyne is used as a bifunctional enzyme probe that, in combination with a highly specific alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction, enables the fluorescent or biotin labeling of cells harboring active ammonia and alkane monooxygenases. Biotinylation of these enzymes in combination with immunogold labeling revealed the subcellular localization of the tagged proteins, which corroborated expected enzyme targets in model strains. In addition, fluorescent labeling of cells harboring active ammonia or alkane monooxygenases provided a direct link of these functional lifestyles to phylogenetic identification when combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization. Furthermore, we show that this activity-based labeling protocol can be successfully coupled with fluorescence-activated cell sorting for the enrichment of nitrifiers and alkane-oxidizing bacteria from complex environmental samples, enabling the recovery of high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a novel, functional tagging technique for the reliable detection, identification, and enrichment of ammonia- and alkane-oxidizing bacteria present in complex microbial communities.
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Jiang Q, Jing H, Jiang Q, Zhang Y. Insights into carbon-fixation pathways through metagonomics in the sediments of deep-sea cold seeps. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 176:113458. [PMID: 35217425 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Carbon fixation by chemoautotrophic microorganisms in the dark ocean has a major impact on global carbon cycling and ecological relationships in the ocean's interior. At present, six pathways of autotrophic carbon fixation have been found: the Calvin cycle, the reductive Acetyl-CoA or Wood-Ljungdahl pathway (rAcCoA), the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle (rTCA), the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle (3HP), the 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle (3HP/4HB), and the dicarboxylate/4-hydroxybutyrate cycle (DC/4HB). Although our knowledge about carbon fixation pathways in the ocean has increased significantly, carbon fixation pathways in the cold seeps are still unknown. In this study, we collected sediment samples from two cold seeps and one trough in the south China sea (SCS), and investigated with metagenomic and metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). We found that six autotrophic carbon fixation pathways present in the cold seeps and trough with rTCA cycle was the most common pathway, whose genes were particularly high in the cold seeps and increased with sediment depths; the rAcCoA cycle mainly occurred in the cold seep regions, and the abundance of module genes increased with sediment depths. We also elucidated members of chemoautotrophic microorganisms involved in these six carbon-fixation pathways. The rAcCoA, rTCA and DC/4-HB cycles required significantly less energy probably play an important role in the deep-sea environments, especially in the cold seeps. This study provided metabolic insights into the carbon fixation pathways in the cold seeps, and laid the foundation for future detailed study on processes and rates of carbon fixation in the deep-sea ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- QiuYun Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongmei Jing
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; HKUST-CAS Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Zhuhai 519000, China.
| | - QiuLong Jiang
- The College of Information, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 201400, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Experimental Study under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Wang Y, Xie R, Hou J, Lv Z, Li L, Hu Y, Huang H, Wang F. The late Archaean to early Proterozoic origin and evolution of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea. MLIFE 2022; 1:96-100. [PMID: 38818328 PMCID: PMC10989977 DOI: 10.1002/mlf2.12013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Microorganisms, called anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME), can reduce a large amount of greenhouse gas methane and therefore have the potential to cool the Earth. We collected nearly all ANMEs genomes in public databases and performed a comprehensive comparative genomic analysis and molecular dating. Our results show that ANMEs originated in the late Archaean to early Proterozoic eon. During this period of time, our planet Earth was experiencing the Great Oxygenation Event and Huronian Glaciation, a dramatic drop in the Earth's surface temperature. This suggests that the emergence of ANMEs may contribute to the reduction of methane at that time, which is an unappreciated potential cause that led to the Huronian Glaciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinzhao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Ruize Xie
- School of OceanographyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jialin Hou
- School of OceanographyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Zhenbo Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Liuyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yaoxun Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Hungchia Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Fengping Wang
- School of OceanographyShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiChina
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai)ZhuhaiChina
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22
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Metabolic flexibility of aerobic methanotrophs under anoxic conditions in Arctic lake sediments. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:78-90. [PMID: 34244610 PMCID: PMC8692461 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01049-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Methane (CH4) emissions from Arctic lakes are a large and growing source of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere with critical implications for global climate. Because Arctic lakes are ice covered for much of the year, understanding the metabolic flexibility of methanotrophs under anoxic conditions would aid in characterizing the mechanisms responsible for limiting CH4 emissions from high-latitude regions. Using sediments from an active CH4 seep in Lake Qalluuraq, Alaska, we conducted DNA-based stable isotope probing (SIP) in anoxic mesocosms and found that aerobic Gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs dominated in assimilating CH4. Aerobic methanotrophs were also detected down to 70 cm deep in sediments at the seep site, where anoxic conditions persist. Metagenomic analyses of the heavy DNA from 13CH4-SIP incubations showed that these aerobic methanotrophs had the capacity to generate intermediates such as methanol, formaldehyde, and formate from CH4 oxidation and to oxidize formaldehyde in the tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT)-dependent pathway under anoxic conditions. The high levels of Fe present in sediments, combined with Fe and CH4 profiles in the persistent CH4 seep site, suggested that oxidation of CH4, or, more specifically, its intermediates such as methanol and formaldehyde might be coupled to iron reduction. Aerobic methanotrophs also possessed genes associated with nitrogen and hydrogen metabolism, which might provide potentially alternative energy conservation options under anoxic conditions. These results expand the known metabolic spectrum of aerobic methanotrophs under anoxic conditions and necessitate the re-assessment of the mechanisms underlying CH4 oxidation in the Arctic, especially under lakes that experience extended O2 limitations during ice cover.
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Chadwick GL, Skennerton CT, Laso-Pérez R, Leu AO, Speth DR, Yu H, Morgan-Lang C, Hatzenpichler R, Goudeau D, Malmstrom R, Brazelton WJ, Woyke T, Hallam SJ, Tyson GW, Wegener G, Boetius A, Orphan VJ. Comparative genomics reveals electron transfer and syntrophic mechanisms differentiating methanotrophic and methanogenic archaea. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001508. [PMID: 34986141 PMCID: PMC9012536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction is a microbially mediated process requiring a syntrophic partnership between anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Based on genome taxonomy, ANME lineages are polyphyletic within the phylum Halobacterota, none of which have been isolated in pure culture. Here, we reconstruct 28 ANME genomes from environmental metagenomes and flow sorted syntrophic consortia. Together with a reanalysis of previously published datasets, these genomes enable a comparative analysis of all marine ANME clades. We review the genomic features that separate ANME from their methanogenic relatives and identify what differentiates ANME clades. Large multiheme cytochromes and bioenergetic complexes predicted to be involved in novel electron bifurcation reactions are well distributed and conserved in the ANME archaea, while significant variations in the anabolic C1 pathways exists between clades. Our analysis raises the possibility that methylotrophic methanogenesis may have evolved from a methanotrophic ancestor. A comparative genomics study of anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea reveals the genetic "parts list" associated with the repeated evolutionary transition between methanogenic and methanotrophic metabolism in the archaeal domain of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grayson L. Chadwick
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (GLC); (VJO)
| | - Connor T. Skennerton
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Rafael Laso-Pérez
- Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Science, and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Andy O. Leu
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Daan R. Speth
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Hang Yu
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Connor Morgan-Lang
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia, Genome Sciences Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
| | - Danielle Goudeau
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Rex Malmstrom
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - William J. Brazelton
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Tanja Woyke
- US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Steven J. Hallam
- Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia, Genome Sciences Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
- Genome Science and Technology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- ECOSCOPE Training Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gene W. Tyson
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Science, and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Antje Boetius
- Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Science, and Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Victoria J. Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (GLC); (VJO)
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Multispecies populations of methanotrophic Methyloprofundus and cultivation of a likely dominant species from the Iheya North deep-sea hydrothermal field. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 88:e0075821. [PMID: 34788070 PMCID: PMC8788690 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00758-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Methyloprofundus clade is represented by uncultivated methanotrophic bacterial endosymbionts of deep-sea bathymodiolin mussels, but only a single free-living species has been cultivated to date. This study reveals the existence of free-living Methyloprofundus variants in the Iheya North deep-sea hydrothermal field in the mid-Okinawa Trough. A clade-targeted amplicon analysis of the particulate methane monooxygenase gene (pmoA) detected 647 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of the Methyloprofundus clade in microbial communities newly formed in in situ colonization systems. Such systems were deployed at colonies of bathymodiolin mussels and a galatheoid crab in diffuse-flow areas. These ASVs were classified into 161 species-like groups. The proportion of the species-like groups representing endosymbionts of mussels was unexpectedly low. A methanotrophic bacterium designated INp10, a likely dominant species in the Methyloprofundus population in this field, was enriched in a biofilm formed in a methane-fed cultivation system operated at 10°C. Genomic characterization with the gene transcription data set of INp10 from the biofilm suggested traits advantageous to niche competition in environments, such as mobility, chemotaxis, biofilm formation, offensive and defensive systems, and hypoxia tolerance. The notable metabolic traits that INp10 shares with some Methyloprofundus members are the use of lanthanide-dependent XoxF as the sole methanol dehydrogenase due to the absence of the canonical MxaFI, the glycolytic pathway using fructose-6-phosphate aldolase instead of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, and the potential to perform partial denitrification from nitrate under oxygen-limited conditions. These findings help us better understand the ecological strategies of this possibly widespread marine-specific methanotrophic clade. IMPORTANCE The Iheya North deep-sea hydrothermal field in the mid-Okinawa Trough is characterized by abundant methane derived from organic-rich sediments and diverse chemosynthetic animal species, including those harboring methanotrophic bacterial symbionts, such as bathymodiolin mussels Bathymodiolus japonicus and “Bathymodiolus” platifrons and a galatheoid crab, Shinkaia crosnieri. Symbiotic methanotrophs have attracted significant attention, and yet free-living methanotrophs in this environment have not been studied in detail. We focused on the free-living Methyloprofundus spp. that thrive in this hydrothermal field and identified an unexpectedly large number of species-like groups in this clade. Moreover, we enriched and characterized a methanotroph whose genome sequence indicated that it corresponds to a new species in the genus Methyloprofundus. This species might be a dominant member of the indigenous Methyloprofundus population. New information on free-living Methyloprofundus populations suggests that the hydrothermal field is a promising locale at which to investigate the adaptive capacity and associated genetic diversity of Methyloprofundus spp.
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25
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Begmatov S, Savvichev AS, Kadnikov VV, Beletsky AV, Rusanov II, Klyuvitkin AA, Novichkova EA, Mardanov AV, Pimenov NV, Ravin NV. Microbial Communities Involved in Methane, Sulfur, and Nitrogen Cycling in the Sediments of the Barents Sea. Microorganisms 2021; 9:2362. [PMID: 34835487 PMCID: PMC8625253 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9112362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A combination of physicochemical and radiotracer analysis, high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA, and particulate methane monooxygenase subunit A (pmoA) genes was used to link a microbial community profile with methane, sulfur, and nitrogen cycling processes. The objects of study were surface sediments sampled at five stations in the northern part of the Barents Sea. The methane content in the upper layers (0-5 cm) ranged from 0.2 to 2.4 µM and increased with depth (16-19 cm) to 9.5 µM. The rate of methane oxidation in the oxic upper layers varied from 2 to 23 nmol CH4 L-1 day-1 and decreased to 0.3 nmol L-1 day-1 in the anoxic zone at a depth of 16-19 cm. Sulfate reduction rates were much higher, from 0.3 to 2.8 µmol L-1 day-1. In the surface sediments, ammonia-oxidizing Nitrosopumilaceae were abundant; the subsequent oxidation of nitrite to nitrate can be carried out by Nitrospira sp. Aerobic methane oxidation could be performed by uncultured deep-sea cluster 3 of gamma-proteobacterial methanotrophs. Undetectable low levels of methanogenesis were consistent with a near complete absence of methanogens. Anaerobic methane oxidation in the deeper sediments was likely performed by ANME-2a-2b and ANME-2c archaea in consortium with sulfate-reducing Desulfobacterota. Sulfide can be oxidized by nitrate-reducing Sulfurovum sp. Thus, the sulfur cycle was linked with the anaerobic oxidation of methane and the nitrogen cycle, which included the oxidation of ammonium to nitrate in the oxic zone and denitrification coupled to the oxidation of sulfide in the deeper sediments. Methane concentrations and rates of microbial biogeochemical processes in sediments in the northern part of the Barents Sea were noticeably higher than in oligotrophic areas of the Arctic Ocean, indicating that an increase in methane concentration significantly activates microbial processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahjahon Begmatov
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (S.B.); (V.V.K.); (A.V.B.); (A.V.M.)
| | - Alexander S. Savvichev
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.S.); (I.I.R.); (N.V.P.)
| | - Vitaly V. Kadnikov
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (S.B.); (V.V.K.); (A.V.B.); (A.V.M.)
| | - Alexey V. Beletsky
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (S.B.); (V.V.K.); (A.V.B.); (A.V.M.)
| | - Igor I. Rusanov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.S.); (I.I.R.); (N.V.P.)
| | - Alexey A. Klyuvitkin
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.K.); (E.A.N.)
| | - Ekaterina A. Novichkova
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia; (A.A.K.); (E.A.N.)
| | - Andrey V. Mardanov
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (S.B.); (V.V.K.); (A.V.B.); (A.V.M.)
| | - Nikolai V. Pimenov
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (A.S.S.); (I.I.R.); (N.V.P.)
- Il’ichev Pacific Institute of Oceanology, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 690041 Vladivostok, Russia
| | - Nikolai V. Ravin
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia; (S.B.); (V.V.K.); (A.V.B.); (A.V.M.)
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Merkel AY, Chernyh NA, Pimenov NV, Bonch-Osmolovskaya EA, Slobodkin AI. Diversity and Metabolic Potential of the Terrestrial Mud Volcano Microbial Community with a High Abundance of Archaea Mediating the Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11090953. [PMID: 34575103 PMCID: PMC8470020 DOI: 10.3390/life11090953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial mud volcanoes (TMVs) are important natural sources of methane emission. The microorganisms inhabiting these environments remain largely unknown. We studied the phylogenetic composition and metabolic potential of the prokaryotic communities of TMVs located in the Taman Peninsula, Russia, using a metagenomic approach. One of the examined sites harbored a unique community with a high abundance of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea belonging to ANME-3 group (39% of all 16S rRNA gene reads). The high number of ANME-3 archaea was confirmed by qPCR, while the process of anaerobic methane oxidation was demonstrated by radioisotopic experiments. We recovered metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of archaeal and bacterial community members and analyzed their metabolic capabilities. The ANME-3 MAG contained a complete set of genes for methanogenesis as well as of ribosomal RNA and did not encode proteins involved in dissimilatory nitrate or sulfate reduction. The presence of multiheme c-type cytochromes suggests that ANME-3 can couple methane oxidation with the reduction of metal oxides or with the interspecies electron transfer to a bacterial partner. The bacterial members of the community were mainly represented by autotrophic, nitrate-reducing, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, as well as by fermentative microorganisms. This study extends the current knowledge of the phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of prokaryotes in TMVs and provides a first insight into the genomic features of ANME-3 archaea.
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Expanding the repertoire of electron acceptors for the anaerobic oxidation of methane in carbonates in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. THE ISME JOURNAL 2021; 15:2523-2536. [PMID: 33712702 PMCID: PMC8397759 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-00918-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Authigenic carbonates represent a significant microbial sink for methane, yet little is known about the microbiome responsible for the methane removal. We identify carbonate microbiomes distributed over 21 locations hosted by seven different cold seeps in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by carrying out a gene-based survey using 16S rRNA- and mcrA gene sequencing coupled with metagenomic analyses. Based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon analyses, these sites were dominated by bacteria affiliated to the Firmicutes, Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. ANME-1 and -2 archaeal clades were abundant in the carbonates yet their typical syntrophic partners, sulfate-reducing bacteria, were not significantly present. Based on mcrA amplicon analyses, the Candidatus Methanoperedens clades were also highly abundant. Our metagenome analysis indicated that methane oxidizers affiliated to the ANME-1 and -2, may be capable of performing complete methane- and potentially short-chain alkane oxidation independently using oxidized sulfur and nitrogen compounds as terminal electron acceptors. Gammaproteobacteria are hypothetically capable of utilizing oxidized nitrogen compounds and may be involved in syntrophy with methane-oxidizing archaea. Carbonate structures represent a window for a more diverse utilization of electron acceptors for anaerobic methane oxidation along the Atlantic and Pacific Margin.
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Du H, Sun T, Liu Y, An S, Xie H, Wang D, Igarashi Y, Imanaka T, Luo F, Ma M. Bacteria and archaea involved in anaerobic mercury methylation and methane oxidation in anaerobic sulfate-rich reactors. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 274:129773. [PMID: 33556662 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.129773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The identification of dominant microbes in anaerobic mercury (Hg) methylation, methylmercury (MeHg) demethylation, and methane oxidation as sulfate-reducing bacteria, methanogens or, probably, anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANMEs) is of great interest. To date, however, the interrelationship of bacteria and archaea involved in these processes remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated the dynamics of microorganisms participating in these processes. Anaerobic fixed-bed reactors were operated with swine manure and sludge to produce methane stably, and then, sulfate (reactor C), sulfate and Hg(II) (reactor H), and sulfate and MeHg (reactor M) were added, and the reactors were operated for 120 d, divided equally into four periods, P1-P4. The bacterial compositions changed nonsignificantly, whereas Methanosaeta in reactors H and M decreased significantly, revealing that it was irrelevant for Hg transformation. The abundances of Syntrophomonadaceae, Methanoculleus, Candidatus Methanogranum and Candidatus Methanoplasma increased continuously with time; these species probably functioned in these processes, but further evidence is needed. Desulfocella and Desulfobacterium dominated first but eventually almost vanished, while the dominant archaeal genera Methanogenium, Methanoculleus and Methanocorpusculum were closely related to ANME-1 and ANME-2. PLS-DA results indicated that both bacteria and archaea in different periods in the three reactors were clustered separately, implying that the microbial compositions in the same periods were similar and changed markedly with time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Du
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Bio-resource for Bioenergy, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Tao Sun
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Bio-resource for Bioenergy, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Siwei An
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Haiying Xie
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Bio-resource for Bioenergy, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Dingyong Wang
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yasuo Igarashi
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Bio-resource for Bioenergy, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Tadayuki Imanaka
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Bio-resource for Bioenergy, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Feng Luo
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Bio-resource for Bioenergy, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Ming Ma
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Bio-resource for Bioenergy, College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China; Center of Molecular Ecophysiology (CMEP), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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Wang S, Liu Q, Li J, Wang Z. Methane in wastewater treatment plants: status, characteristics, and bioconversion feasibility by methane oxidizing bacteria for high value-added chemicals production and wastewater treatment. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 198:117122. [PMID: 33865027 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117122] [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: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Methane is a type of renewable fuel that can generate many types of high value-added chemicals, however, besides heat and power production, there is little methane utilization in most of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) all round the world currently. In this review, the status of methane production performance from WWTPs was firstly investigated. Subsequently, based on the identification and classification of methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB), the key enzymes and metabolic pathway of MOB were presented in depth. Then the production, extraction and purification process of high value-added chemicals, including methanol, ectoine, biofuel, bioplastic, methane protein and extracellular polysaccharides, were introduced in detail, which was conducive to understand the bioconversion process of methane. Finally, the use of methane in wastewater treatment process, including nitrogen removal, emerging contaminants removal as well as resource recovery was extensively explored. These findings could provide guidance in the development of sustainable economy and environment, and facilitate biological methane conversion by using MOB in further attempts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu College of Water Treatment Technology and Material Collaborative Innovation Center, Suzhou 215009, China
| | - Qixin Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China
| | - Ji Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Wuxi 214122, China; Jiangsu College of Water Treatment Technology and Material Collaborative Innovation Center, Suzhou 215009, China.
| | - Zhiwu Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Manassas, VA 20110, USA.
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30
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Teske A, Wegener G, Chanton JP, White D, MacGregor B, Hoer D, de Beer D, Zhuang G, Saxton MA, Joye SB, Lizarralde D, Soule SA, Ruff SE. Microbial Communities Under Distinct Thermal and Geochemical Regimes in Axial and Off-Axis Sediments of Guaymas Basin. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:633649. [PMID: 33643265 PMCID: PMC7906980 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.633649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cold seeps and hydrothermal vents are seafloor habitats fueled by subsurface energy sources. Both habitat types coexist in Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California, providing an opportunity to compare microbial communities with distinct physiologies adapted to different thermal regimes. Hydrothermally active sites in the southern Guaymas Basin axial valley, and cold seep sites at Octopus Mound, a carbonate mound with abundant methanotrophic cold seep fauna at the Central Seep location on the northern off-axis flanking regions, show consistent geochemical and microbial differences between hot, temperate, cold seep, and background sites. The changing microbial actors include autotrophic and heterotrophic bacterial and archaeal lineages that catalyze sulfur, nitrogen, and methane cycling, organic matter degradation, and hydrocarbon oxidation. Thermal, biogeochemical, and microbiological characteristics of the sampling locations indicate that sediment thermal regime and seep-derived or hydrothermal energy sources structure the microbial communities at the sediment surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Teske
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Gunter Wegener
- Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.,MARUM, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Jeffrey P Chanton
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
| | - Dylan White
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Barbara MacGregor
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.,Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MI, United States
| | - Daniel Hoer
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.,United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | - Dirk de Beer
- Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Guangchao Zhuang
- Frontiers Science Centre for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES)/Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Matthew A Saxton
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Department of Biological Sciences, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
| | - Samantha B Joye
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Daniel Lizarralde
- Geology & Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - S Adam Soule
- Geology & Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - S Emil Ruff
- Marine Biological Laboratory, The Ecosystems Center, Woods Hole, MA, United States.,Marine Biological Laboratory, The Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
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31
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Metcalfe KS, Murali R, Mullin SW, Connon SA, Orphan VJ. Experimentally-validated correlation analysis reveals new anaerobic methane oxidation partnerships with consortium-level heterogeneity in diazotrophy. THE ISME JOURNAL 2021; 15:377-396. [PMID: 33060828 PMCID: PMC8027057 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00757-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Archaeal anaerobic methanotrophs ("ANME") and sulfate-reducing Deltaproteobacteria ("SRB") form symbiotic multicellular consortia capable of anaerobic methane oxidation (AOM), and in so doing modulate methane flux from marine sediments. The specificity with which ANME associate with particular SRB partners in situ, however, is poorly understood. To characterize partnership specificity in ANME-SRB consortia, we applied the correlation inference technique SparCC to 310 16S rRNA amplicon libraries prepared from Costa Rica seep sediment samples, uncovering a strong positive correlation between ANME-2b and members of a clade of Deltaproteobacteria we termed SEEP-SRB1g. We confirmed this association by examining 16S rRNA diversity in individual ANME-SRB consortia sorted using flow cytometry and by imaging ANME-SRB consortia with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) microscopy using newly-designed probes targeting the SEEP-SRB1g clade. Analysis of genome bins belonging to SEEP-SRB1g revealed the presence of a complete nifHDK operon required for diazotrophy, unusual in published genomes of ANME-associated SRB. Active expression of nifH in SEEP-SRB1g within ANME-2b-SEEP-SRB1g consortia was then demonstrated by microscopy using hybridization chain reaction (HCR-) FISH targeting nifH transcripts and diazotrophic activity was documented by FISH-nanoSIMS experiments. NanoSIMS analysis of ANME-2b-SEEP-SRB1g consortia incubated with a headspace containing CH4 and 15N2 revealed differences in cellular 15N-enrichment between the two partners that varied between individual consortia, with SEEP-SRB1g cells enriched in 15N relative to ANME-2b in one consortium and the opposite pattern observed in others, indicating both ANME-2b and SEEP-SRB1g are capable of nitrogen fixation, but with consortium-specific variation in whether the archaea or bacterial partner is the dominant diazotroph.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle S Metcalfe
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Mail Code 170-25, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
| | - Ranjani Murali
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Mail Code 170-25, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Sean W Mullin
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Mail Code 170-25, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Stephanie A Connon
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Mail Code 170-25, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E California Blvd, Mail Code 170-25, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
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32
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Zhang T, Xiao X, Chen S, Zhao J, Chen Z, Feng J, Liang Q, Phelps TJ, Zhang C. Active Anaerobic Archaeal Methanotrophs in Recently Emerged Cold Seeps of Northern South China Sea. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:612135. [PMID: 33391242 PMCID: PMC7772427 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.612135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold seep ecosystems are developed from methane-rich fluids in organic rich continental slopes, which are the source of various dense microbial and faunal populations. Extensive studies have been conducted on microbial populations in this unique environment; most of them were based on DNA, which could not resolve the activity of extant organisms. In this study, RNA and DNA analyses were performed to evaluate the active archaeal and bacterial communities and their network correlations, particularly those participating in the methane cycle at three sites of newly developed cold seeps in the northern South China Sea (nSCS). The results showed that both archaeal and bacterial communities were significantly different at the RNA and DNA levels, revealing a higher abundance of methane-metabolizing archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria in RNA sequencing libraries. Site ROV07-01, which exhibited extensive accumulation of deceased Calyptogena clam shells, was highly developed, and showed diverse and active anaerobic archaeal methanotrophs (ANME)-2a/b and sulfate-reducing bacteria from RNA libraries. Site ROV07-02, located near carbonate crusts with few clam shell debris, appeared to be poorly developed, less anaerobic and less active. Site ROV05-02, colonized by living Calyptogena clams, could likely be intermediary between ROV07-01 and ROV07-02, showing abundant ANME-2dI and sulfate-reducing bacteria in RNA libraries. The high-proportions of ANME-2dI, with respect to ANME-2dII in the site ROV07-01 was the first report from nSCS, which could be associated with recently developed cold seeps. Both ANME-2dI and ANME-2a/b showed close networked relationships with sulfate-reducing bacteria; however, they were not associated with the same microbial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Based on the geochemical gradients and the megafaunal settlements as well as the niche specificities and syntrophic relationships, ANMEs appeared to change in community structure with the evolution of cold seeps, which may be associated with the heterogeneity of their geochemical processes. This study enriched our understanding of more active sulfate-dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in poorly developed and active cold seep sediments by contrasting DNA- and RNA-derived community structure and activity indicators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting Zhang
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China.,Gas Hydrate Engineering Technology Center, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi Xiao
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China.,Gas Hydrate Engineering Technology Center, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Songze Chen
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zongheng Chen
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junxi Feng
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China.,Gas Hydrate Engineering Technology Center, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qianyong Liang
- Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China.,Gas Hydrate Engineering Technology Center, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Tommy J Phelps
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Chuanlun Zhang
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.,Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Archaea Geo-Omics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
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33
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Carrier V, Svenning MM, Gründger F, Niemann H, Dessandier PA, Panieri G, Kalenitchenko D. The Impact of Methane on Microbial Communities at Marine Arctic Gas Hydrate Bearing Sediment. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1932. [PMID: 33071992 PMCID: PMC7541813 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Cold seeps are characterized by high biomass, which is supported by the microbial oxidation of the available methane by capable microorganisms. The carbon is subsequently transferred to higher trophic levels. South of Svalbard, five geological mounds shaped by the formation of methane gas hydrates, have been recently located. Methane gas seeping activity has been observed on four of them, and flares were primarily concentrated at their summits. At three of these mounds, and along a distance gradient from their summit to their outskirt, we investigated the eukaryotic and prokaryotic biodiversity linked to 16S and 18S rDNA. Here we show that local methane seepage and other environmental conditions did affect the microbial community structure and composition. We could not demonstrate a community gradient from the summit to the edge of the mounds. Instead, a similar community structure in any methane-rich sediments could be retrieved at any location on these mounds. The oxidation of methane was largely driven by anaerobic methanotrophic Archaea-1 (ANME-1) and the communities also hosted high relative abundances of sulfate reducing bacterial groups although none demonstrated a clear co-occurrence with the predominance of ANME-1. Additional common taxa were observed and their abundances were likely benefiting from the end products of methane oxidation. Among these were sulfide-oxidizing Campilobacterota, organic matter degraders, such as Bathyarchaeota, Woesearchaeota, or thermoplasmatales marine benthic group D, and heterotrophic ciliates and Cercozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Carrier
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mette M Svenning
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Friederike Gründger
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Helge Niemann
- Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, and Utrecht University, Den Burg, Netherlands.,Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Pierre-Antoine Dessandier
- Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Giuliana Panieri
- Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Dimitri Kalenitchenko
- Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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34
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Mardanov AV, Kadnikov VV, Beletsky AV, Ravin NV. Sulfur and Methane-Oxidizing Microbial Community in a Terrestrial Mud Volcano Revealed by Metagenomics. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8091333. [PMID: 32878336 PMCID: PMC7565565 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8091333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mud volcanoes are prominent geological structures where fluids and gases from the deep subsurface are discharged along a fracture network in tectonically active regions. Microbial communities responsible for sulfur and methane cycling and organic transformation in terrestrial mud volcanoes remain poorly characterized. Using a metagenomics approach, we analyzed the microbial community of bubbling fluids retrieved from an active mud volcano in eastern Crimea. The microbial community was dominated by chemolithoautotrophic Campylobacterota and Gammaproteobacteria, which are capable of sulfur oxidation coupled to aerobic and anaerobic respiration. Methane oxidation could be enabled by aerobic Methylococcales bacteria and anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME), while methanogens were nearly absent. The ANME community was dominated by a novel species of Ca. Methanoperedenaceae that lacked nitrate reductase and probably couple methane oxidation to the reduction of metal oxides. Analysis of two Ca. Bathyarchaeota genomes revealed the lack of mcr genes and predicted that they could grow on fatty acids, sugars, and proteinaceous substrates performing fermentation. Thermophilic sulfate reducers indigenous to the deep subsurface, Thermodesulfovibrionales (Nitrospirae) and Ca. Desulforudis (Firmicutes), were found in minor amounts. Overall, the results obtained suggest that reduced compounds delivered from the deep subsurface support the development of autotrophic microorganisms using various electron acceptors for respiration.
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35
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Thurber AR, Seabrook S, Welsh RM. Riddles in the cold: Antarctic endemism and microbial succession impact methane cycling in the Southern Ocean. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201134. [PMID: 32693727 PMCID: PMC7423672 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Antarctica is estimated to contain as much as a quarter of earth's marine methane, however we have not discovered an active Antarctic methane seep limiting our understanding of the methane cycle. In 2011, an expansive (70 m × 1 m) microbial mat formed at 10 m water depth in the Ross Sea, Antarctica which we identify here to be a high latitude hydrogen sulfide and methane seep. Through 16S rRNA gene analysis on samples collected 1 year and 5 years after the methane seep formed, we identify the taxa involved in the Antarctic methane cycle and quantify the response rate of the microbial community to a novel input of methane. One year after the seep formed, ANaerobic MEthane oxidizing archaea (ANME), the dominant sink of methane globally, were absent. Five years later, ANME were found to make up to 4% of the microbial community, however the dominant member of this group observed (ANME-1) were unexpected considering the cold temperature (-1.8°C) and high sulfate concentrations (greater than 24 mM) present at this site. Additionally, the microbial community had not yet formed a sufficient filter to mitigate the release of methane from the sediment; methane flux from the sediment was still significant at 3.1 mmol CH4 m-2 d-1. We hypothesize that this 5 year time point represents an early successional stage of the microbiota in response to methane input. This study provides the first report of the evolution of a seep system from a non-seep environment, and reveals that the rate of microbial succession may have an unrealized impact on greenhouse gas emission from marine methane reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Thurber
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.,Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Sarah Seabrook
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Rory M Welsh
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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36
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Microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of hypersaline sediments in Orca Basin. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231676. [PMID: 32315331 PMCID: PMC7173876 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In deep ocean hypersaline basins, the combination of high salinity, unusual ionic composition and anoxic conditions represents significant challenges for microbial life. We used geochemical porewater characterization and DNA sequencing based taxonomic surveys to enable environmental and microbial characterization of anoxic hypersaline sediments and brines in the Orca Basin, the largest brine basin in the Gulf of Mexico. Full-length bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from hypersaline sediments and the overlying brine were dominated by the uncultured halophilic KB1 lineage, Deltaproteobacteria related to cultured sulfate-reducing halophilic genera, and specific lineages of heterotrophic Bacteroidetes. Archaeal clones were dominated by members of the halophilic methanogen genus Methanohalophilus, and the ammonia-oxidizing Marine Group I (MG-I) within the Thaumarchaeota. Illumina sequencing revealed higher phylum- and subphylum-level complexity, especially in lower-salinity sediments from the Orca Basin slope. Illumina and clone library surveys consistently detected MG-I Thaumarchaeota and halotolerant Deltaproteobacteria in the hypersaline anoxic sediments, but relative abundances of the KB1 lineage differed between the two sequencing methods. The stable isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon and methane in porewater, and sulfate concentrations decreasing downcore indicated methanogenesis and sulfate reduction in the anoxic sediments. While anaerobic microbial processes likely occur at low rates near their maximal salinity thresholds in Orca Basin, long-term accumulation of reaction products leads to high methane concentrations and reducing conditions within the Orca Basin brine and sediments.
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Propionate Converting Anaerobic Microbial Communities Enriched from Distinct Biogeochemical Zones of Aarhus Bay, Denmark under Sulfidogenic and Methanogenic Conditions. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8030394. [PMID: 32168975 PMCID: PMC7143418 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8030394] [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: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between predominant physiological types of prokaryotes in marine sediments and propionate degradation through sulfate reduction, fermentation, and methanogenesis was studied in marine sediments. Propionate conversion was assessed in slurries containing sediment from three different biogeochemical zones of Aarhus Bay, Denmark. Sediment slurries were amended with 0, 3, or 20 mM sulfate and incubated at 25 °C and 10 °C for 514-571 days. Methanogenesis in the sulfate zone and sulfate reduction in the methane zone slurries was observed. Both processes occurred simultaneously in enrichments originating from samples along the whole sediment. Bacterial community analysis revealed the dominance of Desulfobacteraceae and Desulfobulbaceae members in sulfate-amended slurries incubated at 25°C and 10°C. Cryptanaerobacter belonging to the Peptococcaceae family dominated sulfate-free methanogenic slurries at 25°C, whereas bacteria related to Desulfobacteraceae were dominant at 10°C. Archaeal community analysis revealed the prevalence of different genera belonging to Methanomicrobiales in slurries incubated at different temperatures and amended with different sulfate concentrations. Methanosarcinaceae were only detected in the absence of sulfate. In summary, Aarhus Bay sediment zones contain sulfate reducers, syntrophs, and methanogens interacting with each other in the conversion of propionate. Our results indicate that in Aarhus Bay sediments, Cryptanaerobacter degraded propionate in syntrophic association with methanogens.
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38
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Schulze-Makuch D, Haque S, Beckles D, Schmitt-Kopplin P, Harir M, Schneider B, Stumpp C, Wagner D. A chemical and microbial characterization of selected mud volcanoes in Trinidad reveals pathogens introduced by surface water and rain water. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 707:136087. [PMID: 31874397 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial mud volcanoes are unique structures driven by tectonic pressure and fluids from the deep subsurface. These structures are mainly found in active tectonic zones, such as the area near the Los Bajos Fault in Trinidad. Here we report a chemical and microbiological characterization of three mud volcanoes, which included analyses of multiple liquid and solid samples from the mud volcanoes. Our study confirms previous suggestions that at least some of the mud volcano fluids are a mixture of deeper salt-rich water and surficial/precipitation water. No apparent water quality differences were found between sampling sites north and south of a major geological fault line. Microbiological analyses revealed diverse communities, both aerobic and anaerobic, including sulfate reducers, methanogens, carbon dioxide fixing and denitrifying bacteria. Several identified species were halophilic and likely derived from the deeper salt-rich subsurface water, while we also cultivated pathogenic species from the Vibrionaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Shewanellaceae, and Clostridiaceae. These microorganisms were likely introduced into the mud volcano fluids both from surface water or shallow ground-water, and perhaps to a more minor degree by rain water. The identified pathogens are a major health concern that needs to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Schulze-Makuch
- Astrobiology Group, Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany; GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Experimental Limnology, Leibniz Institute of Groundwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), 16775 Stechlin, Germany.
| | - Shirin Haque
- University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Denise Beckles
- University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
- Research Unit Analytical Biogeochemistry, Department of Environmental Sciences, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Analytical Food Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Mourad Harir
- Research Unit Analytical Biogeochemistry, Department of Environmental Sciences, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Analytical Food Chemistry, Technische Universität München, Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Beate Schneider
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Christine Stumpp
- Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; Institute for Soil Physics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1190 Wien, Austria
| | - Dirk Wagner
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section Geomicrobiology, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; University of Potsdam, Institute of Geosciences, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
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39
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Wang S, An Z, Wang ZW. Bioconversion of methane to chemicals and fuels by methane-oxidizing bacteria. ADVANCES IN BIOENERGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aibe.2020.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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40
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Characteristics of Microbial Community Structure at the Seafloor Surface of the Nankai Trough. JOURNAL OF PURE AND APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.22207/jpam.13.4.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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41
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Lee DH, Lee YM, Kim JH, Jin YK, Paull C, Niemann H, Kim JH, Shin KH. Discriminative biogeochemical signatures of methanotrophs in different chemosynthetic habitats at an active mud volcano in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17592. [PMID: 31772218 PMCID: PMC6879587 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53950-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several mud volcanoes are active in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. In this study, we investigated vertical variations in methanotrophic communities in sediments of the mud volcano MV420 (420 m water depth) by analyzing geochemical properties, microbial lipids, and nucleic acid signatures. Three push cores were collected with a remotely operated vehicle from visually discriminative habitats that were devoid of megafauna and/microbial mats (DM) to the naked eye, covered with bacterial mats (BM), or colonized by siboglinid tubeworms (ST). All MV420 sites showed the presence of aerobic methane oxidation (MOx)- and anaerobic methane oxidation (AOM)-related lipid biomarkers (4α-methyl sterols and sn-2-hydroxyarchaeol, respectively), which were distinctly different in comparison with a reference site at which these compounds were not detected. Lipid biomarker results were in close agreement with 16S rRNA analyses, which revealed the presence of MOx-related bacteria (Methylococcales) and AOM-related archaea (ANME-2 and ANME-3) at the MV420 sites. 4α-methyl sterols derived from Methylococcales predominated in the surface layer at the BM site, which showed a moderate methane flux (0.04 mmol cm−2 y−1), while their occurrence was limited at the DM (0.06 mmol cm−2 y−1) and ST (0.01 mmol cm−2 y−1) sites. On the other hand, 13C-depleted sn-2-hydroxyarchaeol potentially derived from ANME-2 and/or ANME-3 was abundant in down-core sediments at the ST site. Our study indicates that a niche diversification within this mud volcano system has shaped distinct methanotrophic communities due to availability of electron acceptors in association with varying degrees of methane flux and bioirrigation activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hun Lee
- Hanyang University ERICA Campus, 15588, Ansan, South Korea
| | - Yung Mi Lee
- KOPRI Korea Polar Research Institute, 21990, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Jung-Hyun Kim
- KOPRI Korea Polar Research Institute, 21990, Incheon, South Korea.
| | - Young Keun Jin
- KOPRI Korea Polar Research Institute, 21990, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Charles Paull
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California, USA
| | - Helge Niemann
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, and Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands.,Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ji-Hoon Kim
- Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon, 34132, South Korea
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42
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Endolithic Microbial Habitats Hosted in Carbonate Nodules Currently Forming within Sediment at a High Methane Flux Site in the Sea of Japan. GEOSCIENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences9110463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Concretionary carbonates in deep-sea methane seep fields are formed as a result of microbial methane degradation, called anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Recently, active microorganisms, including anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, were discovered from methane seep-associated carbonate outcroppings on the seafloor. However sedimentary buried carbonate nodules are a hitherto unknown microbial habitat. In this study, we investigated the microbial community structures in two carbonate nodules collected from a high methane flux site in a gas hydrate field off the Oki islands in the Sea of Japan. The nodules were formed around sulfate-methane interfaces (SMI) corresponding to 0.7 and 2.2 m below the seafloor. Based on a geochemical analysis, light carbon isotopic values ranging from −54.91‰ to −37.32‰ were found from the nodules collected at the shallow SMI depth, which were attributed to the high contributions of AOM-induced carbonate precipitation. Signatures of methanotrophic archaeal populations within the sedimentary buried nodule were detected based on microbial community composition analyses and quantitative real-time PCR targeted 16S rRNA, and functional genes for AOM. These results suggest that the buried carbonate nodule currently develops AOM-related microbial communities, and grows depending on the continued AOM under high methane flux conditions.
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43
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Bhattarai S, Cassarini C, Lens PNL. Physiology and Distribution of Archaeal Methanotrophs That Couple Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane with Sulfate Reduction. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2019; 83:e00074-18. [PMID: 31366606 PMCID: PMC6710461 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00074-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In marine anaerobic environments, methane is oxidized where sulfate-rich seawater meets biogenic or thermogenic methane. In those niches, a few phylogenetically distinct microbial types, i.e., anaerobic methanotrophs (ANME), are able to grow through anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Due to the relevance of methane in the global carbon cycle, ANME have drawn the attention of a broad scientific community for 4 decades. This review presents and discusses the microbiology and physiology of ANME up to the recent discoveries, revealing novel physiological types of anaerobic methane oxidizers which challenge the view of obligate syntrophy for AOM. An overview of the drivers shaping the distribution of ANME in different marine habitats, from cold seep sediments to hydrothermal vents, is given. Multivariate analyses of the abundance of ANME in various habitats identify a distribution of distinct ANME types driven by the mode of methane transport. Intriguingly, ANME have not yet been cultivated in pure culture, despite intense attempts. Further advances in understanding this microbial process are hampered by insufficient amounts of enriched cultures. This review discusses the advantages, limitations, and potential improvements for ANME laboratory-based cultivation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Bhattarai
- UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - C Cassarini
- UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands
- National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - P N L Lens
- UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands
- National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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44
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Taubert M, Grob C, Crombie A, Howat AM, Burns OJ, Weber M, Lott C, Kaster AK, Vollmers J, Jehmlich N, von Bergen M, Chen Y, Murrell JC. Communal metabolism by Methylococcaceae and Methylophilaceae is driving rapid aerobic methane oxidation in sediments of a shallow seep near Elba, Italy. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:3780-3795. [PMID: 31267680 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The release of abiotic methane from marine seeps into the atmosphere is a major source of this potent greenhouse gas. Methanotrophic microorganisms in methane seeps use methane as carbon and energy source, thus significantly mitigating global methane emissions. Here, we investigated microbial methane oxidation at the sediment-water interface of a shallow marine methane seep. Metagenomics and metaproteomics, combined with 13 C-methane stable isotope probing, demonstrated that various members of the gammaproteobacterial family Methylococcaceae were the key players for methane oxidation, catalysing the first reaction step to methanol. We observed a transfer of carbon to methanol-oxidizing methylotrophs of the betaproteobacterial family Methylophilaceae, suggesting an interaction between methanotrophic and methylotrophic microorganisms that allowed for rapid methane oxidation. From our microcosms, we estimated methane oxidation rates of up to 871 nmol of methane per gram sediment per day. This implies that more than 50% of methane at the seep is removed by microbial oxidation at the sediment-water interface, based on previously reported in situ methane fluxes. The organic carbon produced was further assimilated by different heterotrophic microbes, demonstrating that the methane-oxidizing community supported a complex trophic network. Our results provide valuable eco-physiological insights into this specialized microbial community performing an ecosystem function of global relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Taubert
- Aquatic Geomicrobiology, Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Str. 159 07743, Jena, Germany.,School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Carolina Grob
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Andrew Crombie
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Alexandra M Howat
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Oliver J Burns
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Miriam Weber
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Sinzheim, Germany.,HYDRA Field Station Elba, Italy.,Microsensor Group, Max Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Christian Lott
- HYDRA Marine Sciences GmbH, Sinzheim, Germany.,HYDRA Field Station Elba, Italy.,Department of Symbiosis, Max Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359, Celsiusstr. 1, Bremen, Germany
| | - Anne-Kristin Kaster
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Karlsruhe, Germany.,Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, 38124, Inhoffenstrasse 7B, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - John Vollmers
- Institute for Biological Interfaces (IBG5), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Karlsruhe, Germany.,Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, 38124, Inhoffenstrasse 7B, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Nico Jehmlich
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martin von Bergen
- Department of Molecular Systems Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Brüderstraße 32, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, University of Aalborg, 9220, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, Aalborg East, Denmark
| | - Yin Chen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - John Colin Murrell
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
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45
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Gründger F, Carrier V, Svenning MM, Panieri G, Vonnahme TR, Klasek S, Niemann H. Methane-fuelled biofilms predominantly composed of methanotrophic ANME-1 in Arctic gas hydrate-related sediments. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9725. [PMID: 31278352 PMCID: PMC6611871 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46209-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Sedimentary biofilms comprising microbial communities mediating the anaerobic oxidation of methane are rare. Here, we describe two biofilm communities discovered in sediment cores recovered from Arctic cold seep sites (gas hydrate pingos) in the north-western Barents Sea, characterized by steady methane fluxes. We found macroscopically visible biofilms in pockets in the sediment matrix at the depth of the sulphate-methane-transition zone. 16S rRNA gene surveys revealed that the microbial community in one of the two biofilms comprised exclusively of putative anaerobic methanotrophic archaea of which ANME-1 was the sole archaeal taxon. The bacterial community consisted of relatives of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) belonging to uncultured Desulfobacteraceae clustering into SEEP-SRB1 (i.e. the typical SRB associated to ANME-1), and members of the atribacterial JS1 clade. Confocal laser scanning microscopy demonstrates that this biofilm is composed of multicellular strands and patches of ANME-1 that are loosely associated with SRB cells, but not tightly connected in aggregates. Our discovery of methanotrophic biofilms in sediment pockets closely associated with methane seeps constitutes a hitherto overlooked and potentially widespread sink for methane and sulphate in marine sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Gründger
- CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Vincent Carrier
- CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mette M Svenning
- CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Giuliana Panieri
- CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tobias R Vonnahme
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Scott Klasek
- Department of Microbiology, College of Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Helge Niemann
- CAGE - Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate, Department of Geosciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Marine Microbiology & Biogeochemistry, and Utrecht University, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 't Horntje, The Netherlands.,Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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46
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Lv PL, Shi LD, Wang Z, Rittmann B, Zhao HP. Methane oxidation coupled to perchlorate reduction in a membrane biofilm batch reactor. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 667:9-15. [PMID: 30825823 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 02/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A specially designed CH4-based membrane biofilm batch reactor (MBBR) was applied to investigate anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to perchlorate reduction (AnMO-PR). The 0.21 mM ClO4- added in the first stage of operation was completely reduced in 28 days, 0.40 mM ClO4- was reduced within 23 days in stage 2, and 0.56 mM of ClO4- was reduced within 30 days in stage 3. Although some chlorate (ClO3-) accumulated, the recovery of Cl- was over 92%. Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene documented that the bacterial community was mainly composed by perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB), methanotrophic bacteria, and archaea. Real-time quantitative PCR showed the archaeal 16S rRNA and mcrA genes increased as more ClO4- was reduced, and the predominant archaea belonged to Methanosarcina mazei, which is related to ANME-3, an archaeon able to perform reverse methanogenesis. Several pieces of evidence support that ClO4- reduction by the MBBR biofilm occurred via a synergism between Methanosarcina and PRB: Methanosarcina oxidized methane through reverse methanogesis and provided electron donor for PRB to reduce ClO4-. Because methanotrophs were present, we cannot rule out that they also were involved in AnMO-PR if they received O2 generated by disproportionation of ClO2- from the PRB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan-Long Lv
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Province Key Lab Water Pollut Control & Envi, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ling-Dong Shi
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Province Key Lab Water Pollut Control & Envi, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Province Key Lab Water Pollut Control & Envi, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Bruce Rittmann
- Biodesign Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 875701, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701, USA
| | - He-Ping Zhao
- College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Province Key Lab Water Pollut Control & Envi, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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47
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Thauer RK. Methyl (Alkyl)-Coenzyme M Reductases: Nickel F-430-Containing Enzymes Involved in Anaerobic Methane Formation and in Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane or of Short Chain Alkanes. Biochemistry 2019; 58:5198-5220. [PMID: 30951290 PMCID: PMC6941323 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Methyl-coenzyme
M reductase (MCR) catalyzes the methane-forming
step in methanogenic archaea. The active enzyme harbors the nickel(I)
hydrocorphin coenzyme F-430 as a prosthetic group and catalyzes the
reversible reduction of methyl-coenzyme M (CH3–S-CoM)
with coenzyme B (HS-CoM) to methane and CoM-S–S-CoB. MCR is
also involved in anaerobic methane oxidation in reverse of methanogenesis
and most probably in the anaerobic oxidation of ethane, propane, and
butane. The challenging question is how the unreactive CH3–S thioether bond in methyl-coenzyme M and the even more unreactive
C–H bond in methane and the other hydrocarbons are anaerobically
cleaved. A key to the answer is the negative redox potential (Eo′) of the Ni(II)F-430/Ni(I)F-430 couple
below −600 mV and the radical nature of Ni(I)F-430. However,
the negative one-electron redox potential is also the Achilles heel
of MCR; it makes the nickel enzyme one of the most O2-sensitive
enzymes known to date. Even under physiological conditions, the Ni(I)
in MCR is oxidized to the Ni(II) or Ni(III) states, e.g., when in
the cells the redox potential (E′) of the
CoM-S–S-CoB/HS-CoM and HS-CoB couple (Eo′ = −140 mV) gets too high. Methanogens therefore
harbor an enzyme system for the reactivation of inactivated MCR in
an ATP-dependent reduction reaction. Purification of active MCR in
the Ni(I) oxidation state is very challenging and has been achieved
in only a few laboratories. This perspective reviews the function,
structure, and properties of MCR, what is known and not known about
the catalytic mechanism, how the inactive enzyme is reactivated, and
what remains to be discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudolf K Thauer
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology , Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 10 , Marburg 35043 , Germany
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48
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Spatial-Temporal Pattern of Sulfate-Dependent Anaerobic Methane Oxidation in an Intertidal Zone of the East China Sea. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:AEM.02638-18. [PMID: 30709818 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02638-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Methane is a primary greenhouse gas which is responsible for global warming. The sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (S-AOM) process catalyzed by anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is a vital link connecting the global carbon and sulfur cycles, and it is considered to be the overriding methane sink in marine ecosystem. However, there have been few studies regarding the role of S-AOM process and the distribution of ANME archaea in intertidal ecosystem. The intertidal zone is a buffer zone between sea and land and plays an important role in global geochemical cycle. In the present study, the abundance, potential methane oxidation rate, and community structure of ANME archaea in the intertidal zone were studied by quantitative PCR, stable isotope tracing method and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the potential S-AOM activity ranged from 0 to 0.77 nmol 13CO2 g-1 (dry sediment) day-1 The copy number of 16S rRNA gene of ANME archaea reached 106 ∼ 107 copies g-1 (dry sediment). The average contribution of S-AOM to total anaerobic methane oxidation was up to 34.5%, while denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation accounted for the rest, which implied that S-AOM process was an essential methane sink that cannot be overlooked in intertidal ecosystem. The simulated column experiments also indicated that ANME archaea were sensitive to oxygen and preferred anaerobic environmental conditions. This study will help us gain a better understanding of the global carbon-sulfur cycle and greenhouse gas emission reduction and introduce a new perspective into the enrichment of ANME archaea.IMPORTANCE The sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (S-AOM) process catalyzed by anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is a vital link connecting the global carbon and sulfur cycles. We conducted a research into the spatial-temporal pattern of S-AOM process and the distribution of ANME archaea in coastal sediments collected from the intertidal zone. The results implied that S-AOM process was a methane sink that cannot be overlooked in the intertidal ecosystem. We also found that ANME archaea were sensitive to oxygen and preferred anaerobic environmental conditions. This study will help us gain a better understanding of the global carbon-sulfur cycle and greenhouse gas emission reduction and introduce a new perspective into the enrichment of ANME archaea.
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Contrasting Pathways for Anaerobic Methane Oxidation in Gulf of Mexico Cold Seep Sediments. mSystems 2019; 4:mSystems00091-18. [PMID: 30834326 PMCID: PMC6392090 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00091-18] [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: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold seep sediments are complex and widespread marine ecosystems emitting large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and other hydrocarbons. Within these sediments, microbial communities play crucial roles in production and degradation of hydrocarbons, modulating oil and gas emissions to seawater. Despite this ecological importance, our understanding of microbial functions and methane oxidation pathways in cold seep ecosystems is poor. Based on gene expression profiling of environmental seep sediment samples, the present work showed that (i) the composition of the emitted fluids shapes the microbial community in general and the anaerobic methanotroph community specifically and (ii) AOM by ANME-2 in this seep may be coupled to sulfate reduction by Deltaproteobacteria by electron transfer through multiheme cytochromes, whereas AOM by ANME-1 lineages in this seep may involve a different, bacterium-independent pathway, coupling methane oxidation to elemental sulfur/polysulfide reduction. Gulf of Mexico sediments harbor numerous hydrocarbon seeps associated with high sedimentation rates and thermal maturation of organic matter. These ecosystems host abundant and diverse microbial communities that directly or indirectly metabolize components of the emitted fluid. To investigate microbial function and activities in these ecosystems, metabolic potential (metagenomic) and gene expression (metatranscriptomic) analyses of two cold seep areas of the Gulf of Mexico were carried out. Seeps emitting biogenic methane harbored microbial communities dominated by archaeal anaerobic methane oxidizers of phylogenetic group 1 (ANME-1), whereas seeps producing fluids containing a complex mixture of thermogenic hydrocarbons were dominated by ANME-2 lineages. Metatranscriptome measurements in both communities indicated high levels of expression of genes for methane metabolism despite their distinct microbial communities and hydrocarbon composition. In contrast, the transcription level of sulfur cycle genes was quite different. In the thermogenic seep community, high levels of transcripts indicative of syntrophic anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction were detected. This syntrophic partnership between the dominant ANME-2 and sulfate reducers potentially involves direct electron transfer through multiheme cytochromes. In the biogenic methane seep, genes from an ANME-1 lineage that are potentially involved in polysulfide reduction were highly expressed, suggesting a novel bacterium-independent anaerobic methane oxidation pathway coupled to polysulfide reduction. The observed divergence in AOM activities provides a new model for bacterium-independent AOM and emphasizes the variation that exists in AOM pathways between different ANME lineages. IMPORTANCE Cold seep sediments are complex and widespread marine ecosystems emitting large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and other hydrocarbons. Within these sediments, microbial communities play crucial roles in production and degradation of hydrocarbons, modulating oil and gas emissions to seawater. Despite this ecological importance, our understanding of microbial functions and methane oxidation pathways in cold seep ecosystems is poor. Based on gene expression profiling of environmental seep sediment samples, the present work showed that (i) the composition of the emitted fluids shapes the microbial community in general and the anaerobic methanotroph community specifically and (ii) AOM by ANME-2 in this seep may be coupled to sulfate reduction by Deltaproteobacteria by electron transfer through multiheme cytochromes, whereas AOM by ANME-1 lineages in this seep may involve a different, bacterium-independent pathway, coupling methane oxidation to elemental sulfur/polysulfide reduction.
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50
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Li L, Xue S, Xi J. Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction: Consortium characteristics and application in co-removal of H 2S and methane. J Environ Sci (China) 2019; 76:238-248. [PMID: 30528014 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic sludge from a sewage treatment plant was used to acclimatize microbial colonies capable of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction. Clone libraries and fluorescence in situ hybridization were used to investigate the microbial population. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) (e.g., Desulfotomaculum arcticum and Desulfobulbus propionicus) and anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) (e.g., Methanosaeta sp. and Methanolinea sp.) coexisted in the enrichment. The archaeal and bacterial cells were randomly or evenly distributed throughout the consortia. Accompanied by sulfate reduction, methane was oxidized anaerobically by the consortia of methane-oxidizing archaea and SRB. Moreover, CH4 and SO42- were consumed by methanotrophs and sulfate reducers with CO2 and H2S as products. The H3CSH produced by methanotrophy was an intermediate product during the process. The methanotrophic enrichment was inoculated in a down-flow biofilter for the treatment of methane and H2S from a landfill site. On average, 93.33% of H2S and 10.71% of methane was successfully reduced in the biofilter. This study tries to provide effective method for the synergistic treatment of waste gas containing sulfur compounds and CH4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; National Engineering Laboratory for VOCs Pollution Control Material & Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China.
| | - Song Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; National Engineering Laboratory for VOCs Pollution Control Material & Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Jingru Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China; National Engineering Laboratory for VOCs Pollution Control Material & Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
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