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Nitrate‐ and nitrite‐dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane
Author(s) -
Welte Cornelia U.,
Rasigraf Olivia,
Vaksmaa Annika,
Versantvoort Wouter,
Arshad Arslan,
Op den Camp Huub J.M.,
Jetten Mike S.M.,
Lüke Claudia,
Reimann Joachim
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
environmental microbiology reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.229
H-Index - 69
ISSN - 1758-2229
DOI - 10.1111/1758-2229.12487
Subject(s) - anaerobic oxidation of methane , methanogenesis , nitrite , nitrate , methane , methane monooxygenase , chemistry , archaea , nitrite reductase , environmental chemistry , methanogen , denitrification , methanosarcina , microorganism , bacteria , biochemistry , biology , organic chemistry , nitrogen , genetics , gene
Summary Microbial methane oxidation is an important process to reduce the emission of the greenhouse gas methane. Anaerobic microorganisms couple the oxidation of methane to the reduction of sulfate, nitrate and nitrite, and possibly oxidized iron and manganese minerals. In this article, we review the recent finding of the intriguing nitrate‐ and nitrite‐dependent anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). Nitrate‐dependent AOM is catalyzed by anaerobic archaea belonging to the ANME‐2d clade closely related to Methanosarcina methanogens. They were named ‘ Candidatus Methanoperedens nitroreducens’ and use reverse methanogenesis with the key enzyme methyl‐coenzyme M (methyl‐CoM) reductase for methane activation. Their major end product is nitrite which can be taken up by nitrite‐dependent methanotrophs. Nitrite‐dependent AOM is performed by the NC10 bacterium ‘ Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera’ that probably utilizes an intra‐aerobic pathway through the dismutation of NO to N 2 and O 2 for aerobic methane activation by methane monooxygenase, yet being a strictly anaerobic microbe. Environmental distribution, physiological and biochemical aspects are discussed in this article as well as the cooperation of the microorganisms involved.