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Metabolic potential of uncultured bacteria and archaea associated with petroleum seepage in deep-sea sediments

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jan DolfingORCiD, Professor Casey Hubert

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© 2019, The Author(s). The lack of microbial genomes and isolates from the deep seabed means that very little is known about the ecology of this vast habitat. Here, we investigate energy and carbon acquisition strategies of microbial communities from three deep seabed petroleum seeps (3 km water depth) in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Shotgun metagenomic analysis reveals that each sediment harbors diverse communities of chemoheterotrophs and chemolithotrophs. We recovered 82 metagenome-assembled genomes affiliated with 21 different archaeal and bacterial phyla. Multiple genomes encode enzymes for anaerobic oxidation of aliphatic and aromatic compounds, including those of candidate phyla Aerophobetes, Aminicenantes, TA06 and Bathyarchaeota. Microbial interactions are predicted to be driven by acetate and molecular hydrogen. These findings are supported by sediment geochemistry, metabolomics, and thermodynamic modelling. Overall, we infer that deep-sea sediments experiencing thermogenic hydrocarbon inputs harbor phylogenetically and functionally diverse communities potentially sustained through anaerobic hydrocarbon, acetate and hydrogen metabolism.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Dong X, Greening C, Rattray JE, Chakraborty A, Chuvochina M, Mayumi D, Dolfing J, Li C, Brooks JM, Bernard BB, Groves RA, Lewis IA, Hubert CRJ

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Nature Communications

Year: 2019

Volume: 10

Issue: 1

Print publication date: 01/12/2019

Online publication date: 18/04/2019

Acceptance date: 20/03/2019

Date deposited: 30/04/2019

ISSN (electronic): 2041-1723

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09747-0

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09747-0


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