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Adam-Beyer N, Laufer-Meiser K, Fuchs S, Schippers A, Indenbirken D, Garbe-Schönberg D, Petersen S, Perner M. Microbial ecosystem assessment and hydrogen oxidation potential of newly discovered vent systems from the Central and South-East Indian Ridge. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1173613. [PMID: 37886064 PMCID: PMC10598711 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1173613] [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: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to expand the knowledge of microbial ecosystems from deep-sea hydrothermal vent systems located on the Central and South-East Indian Ridge, we sampled hydrothermal fluids, massive sulfides, ambient water and sediments of six distinct vent fields. Most of these vent sites were only recently discovered in the course of the German exploration program for massive sulfide deposits and no previous studies of the respective microbial communities exist. Apart from typically vent-associated chemosynthetic members of the orders Campylobacterales, Mariprofundales, and Thiomicrospirales, high numbers of uncultured and unspecified Bacteria were identified via 16S rRNA gene analyses in hydrothermal fluid and massive sulfide samples. The sampled sediments however, were characterized by an overall lack of chemosynthetic Bacteria and the presence of high proportions of low abundant bacterial groups. The archaeal communities were generally less diverse and mostly dominated by members of Nitrosopumilales and Woesearchaeales, partly exhibiting high proportions of unassigned Archaea. Correlations with environmental parameters were primarily observed for sediment communities and for microbial species (associated with the nitrogen cycle) in samples from a recently identified vent field, which was geochemically distinct from all other sampled sites. Enrichment cultures of diffuse fluids demonstrated a great potential for hydrogen oxidation coupled to the reduction of various electron-acceptors with high abundances of Hydrogenovibrio and Sulfurimonas species. Overall, given the large number of currently uncultured and unspecified microorganisms identified in the vent communities, their respective metabolic traits, ecosystem functions and mediated biogeochemical processes have still to be resolved for estimating consequences of potential environmental disturbances by future mining activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Adam-Beyer
- Marine Geosystems, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Katja Laufer-Meiser
- Marine Geosystems, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Sebastian Fuchs
- Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Hannover, Germany
| | - Axel Schippers
- Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Hannover, Germany
| | | | | | - Sven Petersen
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Mirjam Perner
- Marine Geosystems, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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Dohrmann AB, Krüger M. Microbial H 2 Consumption by a Formation Fluid from a Natural Gas Field at High-Pressure Conditions Relevant for Underground H 2 Storage. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:1092-1102. [PMID: 36599497 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) has been proposed as one option for storage of excess energy from renewable sources. Depleted gas reservoirs appear suitable, but at the same time, they may be environments with potentially high microbial abundances and activities. Hydrogen (H2) is one of the most energetic substrates in such environments, and many microorganisms are able to oxidize H2, potentially leading to loss of H2 or other unwanted reactions like production of, e.g., H2S, clogging, or corrosion. This study addressed the potential of H2 consumption by naturally abundant microorganisms in formation fluid from a gas field at near in situ pressure and temperature conditions. Microbial H2 consumption was evident at ambient and 100 bar and tolerated pressure variations reflecting cycles of H2 storage. Temperature strongly influenced the activity with higher activity at 30 °C but lower activity at 60 °C. The activity was sulfate-dependent, and sulfide was produced. The microbial community composition changed during H2 consumption with an increase in sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP). Thus, the presence of an SRP-containing, H2-consuming microbial community with activity at UHS-relevant pressure and temperature conditions was shown and should be taken into account when planning UHS at this and other sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja B Dohrmann
- Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Stilleweg 2, 30655Hannover, Germany
| | - Martin Krüger
- Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Stilleweg 2, 30655Hannover, Germany
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Hashimoto Y, Shimamura S, Tame A, Sawayama S, Miyazaki J, Takai K, Nakagawa S. Physiological and comparative proteomic characterization of Desulfolithobacter dissulfuricans gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel mesophilic, sulfur-disproportionating chemolithoautotroph from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1042116. [PMID: 36532468 PMCID: PMC9751629 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1042116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In deep-sea hydrothermal environments, inorganic sulfur compounds are important energy substrates for sulfur-oxidizing, -reducing, and -disproportionating microorganisms. Among these, sulfur-disproportionating bacteria have been poorly understood in terms of ecophysiology and phylogenetic diversity. Here, we isolated and characterized a novel mesophilic, strictly chemolithoautotrophic, diazotrophic sulfur-disproportionating bacterium, designated strain GF1T, from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney at the Suiyo Seamount in the Izu-Bonin Arc, Japan. Strain GF1T disproportionated elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, and tetrathionate in the presence of ferrihydrite. The isolate also grew by respiratory hydrogen oxidation coupled to sulfate reduction. Phylogenetic and physiological analyses support that strain GF1T represents the type strain of a new genus and species in the family Desulfobulbaceae, for which the name Desulfolithobacter dissulfuricans gen. nov. sp. nov. is proposed. Proteomic analysis revealed that proteins related to tetrathionate reductase were specifically and abundantly produced when grown via thiosulfate disproportionation. In addition, several proteins possibly involved in thiosulfate disproportionation, including those encoded by the YTD gene cluster, were also found. The overall findings pointed to a possible diversity of sulfur-disproportionating bacteria in hydrothermal systems and provided a refined picture of microbial sulfur disproportionation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yurina Hashimoto
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Microbiology, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Shigeru Shimamura
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Akihiro Tame
- General Affairs Department, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
- Department of Marine and Earth Sciences, Marine Works Japan Ltd., Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Shigeki Sawayama
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Microbiology, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Junichi Miyazaki
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Ken Takai
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
- Section for Exploration of Life in Extreme Environments, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institute of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan
| | - Satoshi Nakagawa
- Laboratory of Marine Environmental Microbiology, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
- Section for Exploration of Life in Extreme Environments, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institute of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Japan
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Böhnke S, Perner M. Approaches to Unmask Functioning of the Uncultured Microbial Majority From Extreme Habitats on the Seafloor. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:845562. [PMID: 35422772 PMCID: PMC9002263 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.845562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Researchers have recognized the potential of enzymes and metabolic pathways hidden among the unseen majority of Earth's microorganisms for decades now. Most of the microbes expected to colonize the seafloor and its subsurface are currently uncultured. Thus, their ability and contribution to element cycling remain enigmatic. Given that the seafloor covers ∼70% of our planet, this amounts to an uncalled potential of unrecognized metabolic properties and interconnections catalyzed by this microbial dark matter. Consequently, a tremendous black box awaits discovery of novel enzymes, catalytic abilities, and metabolic properties in one of the largest habitats on Earth. This mini review summarizes the current knowledge of cultivation-dependent and -independent techniques applied to seafloor habitats to unravel the role of the microbial dark matter. It highlights the great potential that combining microbiological and biogeochemical data from in situ experiments with molecular tools has for providing a holistic understanding of bio-geo-coupling in seafloor habitats and uses hydrothermal vent systems as a case example.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Böhnke
- Geomicrobiology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Mirjam Perner
- Geomicrobiology, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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