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Zhong ZP, Du J, Köstlbacher S, Pjevac P, Orlić S, Sullivan MB. Viral potential to modulate microbial methane metabolism varies by habitat. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1857. [PMID: 38424049 PMCID: PMC10904782 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46109-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Microorganisms largely drive the biogeochemical cycling of methane, yet little is known about viral contributions to methane metabolism (MM). We analyzed 982 publicly available metagenomes from host-associated and environmental habitats containing microbial MM genes, expanding the known MM auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) from three to 24, including seven genes exclusive to MM pathways. These AMGs are recovered on 911 viral contigs predicted to infect 14 prokaryotic phyla including Halobacteriota, Methanobacteriota, and Thermoproteota. Of those 24, most were encoded by viruses from rumen (16/24), with substantially fewer by viruses from environmental habitats (0-7/24). To search for additional MM AMGs from an environmental habitat, we generate metagenomes from methane-rich sediments in Vrana Lake, Croatia. Therein, we find diverse viral communities, with most viruses predicted to infect methanogens and methanotrophs and some encoding 13 AMGs that can modulate host metabolisms. However, none of these AMGs directly participate in MM pathways. Together these findings suggest that the extent to which viruses use AMGs to modulate host metabolic processes (e.g., MM) varies depending on the ecological properties of the habitat in which they dwell and is not always predictable by habitat biogeochemical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Ping Zhong
- Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center of Microbiome Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jingjie Du
- Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Division of Nutritional Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Stephan Köstlbacher
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Doctoral School in Microbiology and Environmental Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Petra Pjevac
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sandi Orlić
- Division of Materials Chemistry, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
- Center of Excellence for Science and Technology-Integration of Mediterranean Region, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Matthew B Sullivan
- Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Center of Microbiome Science, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
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