Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1038/nature14856
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Title (Primary) Cyanate as an energy source for nitrifiers
Author Palatinszky, M.; Herbold, C.; Jehmlich, N. ORCID logo ; Pogoda, M.; Han, P.; von Bergen, M.; Lagkouvardos, I.; Karst, S.M.; Galushko, A.; Koch, H.; Berry, D.; Daims, H.; Wagner, M.
Source Titel Nature
Year 2015
Department PROTEOM
Volume 524
Issue 7563
Page From 105
Page To 108
Language englisch
Supplements https://media.nature.com/original/nature-assets/nature/journal/v524/n7563/extref/nature14856-s1.pdf
UFZ wide themes ProVIS; RU3;
Abstract Ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing microorganisms are collectively responsible for the aerobic oxidation of ammonia via nitrite to nitrate and have essential roles in the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. The physiology of nitrifiers has been intensively studied, and urea and ammonia are the only recognized energy sources that promote the aerobic growth of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea. Here we report the aerobic growth of a pure culture of the ammonia-oxidizing thaumarchaeote Nitrososphaera gargensis1 using cyanate as the sole source of energy and reductant; to our knowledge, the first organism known to do so. Cyanate, a potentially important source of reduced nitrogen in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems2, is converted to ammonium and carbon dioxide in Nitrososphaera gargensis by a cyanase enzyme that is induced upon addition of this compound. Within the cyanase gene family, this cyanase is a member of a distinct clade also containing cyanases of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria of the genus Nitrospira. We demonstrate by co-culture experiments that these nitrite oxidizers supply cyanase-lacking ammonia oxidizers with ammonium from cyanate, which is fully nitrified by this microbial consortium through reciprocal feeding. By screening a comprehensive set of more than 3,000 publically available metagenomes from environmental samples, we reveal that cyanase-encoding genes clustering with the cyanases of these nitrifiers are widespread in the environment. Our results demonstrate an unexpected metabolic versatility of nitrifying microorganisms, and suggest a previously unrecognized importance of cyanate in cycling of nitrogen compounds in the environment.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=16462
Palatinszky, M., Herbold, C., Jehmlich, N., Pogoda, M., Han, P., von Bergen, M., Lagkouvardos, I., Karst, S.M., Galushko, A., Koch, H., Berry, D., Daims, H., Wagner, M. (2015):
Cyanate as an energy source for nitrifiers
Nature 524 (7563), 105 - 108 10.1038/nature14856