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Geochemical, metagenomic and metaproteomic insights into trace metal utilization by methane‐oxidizing microbial consortia in sulphidic marine sediments
Author(s) -
Glass Jennifer B.,
Yu Hang,
Steele Joshua A.,
Dawson Katherine S.,
Sun Shulei,
Chourey Karuna,
Pan Chongle,
Hettich Robert L.,
Orphan Victoria J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.12314
Subject(s) - environmental chemistry , trace metal , psychrophile , archaea , anaerobic oxidation of methane , microbial population biology , methanogenesis , biology , cold seep , methane , biogeochemical cycle , metagenomics , anoxic waters , ecology , bacteria , chemistry , metal , biochemistry , organic chemistry , gene , genetics
Summary Microbes have obligate requirements for trace metals in metalloenzymes that catalyse important biogeochemical reactions. In anoxic methane‐ and sulphide‐rich environments, microbes may have unique adaptations for metal acquisition and utilization because of decreased bioavailability as a result of metal sulphide precipitation. However, micronutrient cycling is largely unexplored in cold (≤ 10° C ) and sulphidic (> 1 m M Σ H 2 S ) deep‐sea methane seep ecosystems. We investigated trace metal geochemistry and microbial metal utilization in methane seeps offshore O regon and C alifornia, USA , and report dissolved concentrations of nickel (0.5–270 n M ), cobalt (0.5–6 n M ), molybdenum (10–5600 n M ) and tungsten (0.3–8 n M ) in H ydrate R idge sediment porewaters. Despite low levels of cobalt and tungsten, metagenomic and metaproteomic data suggest that microbial consortia catalysing anaerobic oxidation of methane ( AOM ) utilize both scarce micronutrients in addition to nickel and molybdenum. Genetic machinery for cobalt‐containing vitamin B 12 biosynthesis was present in both anaerobic methanotrophic archaea ( ANME ) and sulphate‐reducing bacteria. Proteins affiliated with the tungsten‐containing form of formylmethanofuran dehydrogenase were expressed in ANME from two seep ecosystems, the first evidence for expression of a tungstoenzyme in psychrophilic microorganisms. Overall, our data suggest that AOM consortia use specialized biochemical strategies to overcome the challenges of metal availability in sulphidic environments.