Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1038/ismej.2014.51
Title (Primary) Diverse sulfate-reducing bacteria of the Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus clade are the key alkane degraders at marine seeps
Author Kleindienst, S.; Herbst, F.-A.; Stagars, M.; von Netzer, F.; von Bergen, M.; Seifert, J.; Peplies, J.; Amann, R.; Musat, F.; Lueders, T.; Knittel, K.
Source Titel ISME Journal
Year 2014
Department ISOBIO; PROTEOM
Volume 8
Issue 10
Page From 2029
Page To 2044
Language englisch
Supplements https://www.nature.com/articles/ismej201451#s1
Keywords alkane oxidation; cold seep; masD; oil degradation; stable isotope probing
UFZ wide themes RU3;
Abstract Biogeochemical and microbiological data indicate that the anaerobic oxidation of non-methane hydrocarbons by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) has an important role in carbon and sulfur cycling at marine seeps. Yet, little is known about the bacterial hydrocarbon degraders active in situ. Here, we provide the link between previous biogeochemical measurements and the cultivation of degraders by direct identification of SRB responsible for butane and dodecane degradation in complex on-site microbiota. Two contrasting seep sediments from Mediterranean Amon mud volcano and Guaymas Basin (Gulf of California) were incubated with 13C-labeled butane or dodecane under sulfate-reducing conditions and analyzed via complementary stable isotope probing (SIP) techniques. Using DNA- and rRNA-SIP, we identified four specialized clades of alkane oxidizers within Desulfobacteraceae to be distinctively active in oxidation of short- and long-chain alkanes. All clades belong to the Desulfosarcina|[sol]|Desulfococcus (DSS) clade, substantiating the crucial role of these bacteria in anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation at marine seeps. The identification of key enzymes of anaerobic alkane degradation, subsequent β-oxidation and the reverse Wood–Ljungdahl pathway for complete substrate oxidation by protein-SIP further corroborated the importance of the DSS clade and indicated that biochemical pathways, analog to those discovered in the laboratory, are of great relevance for natural settings. The high diversity within identified subclades together with their capability to initiate alkane degradation and growth within days to weeks after substrate amendment suggest an overlooked potential of marine benthic microbiota to react to natural changes in seepage, as well as to massive hydrocarbon input, for example, as encountered during anthropogenic oil spills
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=15433
Kleindienst, S., Herbst, F.-A., Stagars, M., von Netzer, F., von Bergen, M., Seifert, J., Peplies, J., Amann, R., Musat, F., Lueders, T., Knittel, K. (2014):
Diverse sulfate-reducing bacteria of the Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus clade are the key alkane degraders at marine seeps
ISME J. 8 (10), 2029 - 2044