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Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities
Ultramafic rocks in the Earth’s mantle represent a tremendous reservoir of carbon and reducing power. Upon tectonic uplift and exposure to fluid flow, serpentinization of these materials generates copious energy, sustains abiogenic synthesis of organic molecules, and releases hydrogen gas (H(2)). In...
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
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Frontiers Research Foundation
2012
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252642/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22232619 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2011.00268 |
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author | Brazelton, William J. Nelson, Bridget Schrenk, Matthew O. |
author_facet | Brazelton, William J. Nelson, Bridget Schrenk, Matthew O. |
author_sort | Brazelton, William J. |
collection | PubMed |
description | Ultramafic rocks in the Earth’s mantle represent a tremendous reservoir of carbon and reducing power. Upon tectonic uplift and exposure to fluid flow, serpentinization of these materials generates copious energy, sustains abiogenic synthesis of organic molecules, and releases hydrogen gas (H(2)). In order to assess the potential for microbial H(2) utilization fueled by serpentinization, we conducted metagenomic surveys of a marine serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal chimney (at the Lost City hydrothermal field) and two continental serpentinite-hosted alkaline seeps (at the Tablelands Ophiolite, Newfoundland). Novel [NiFe]-hydrogenase sequences were identified at both the marine and continental sites, and in both cases, phylogenetic analyses indicated aerobic, potentially autotrophic Betaproteobacteria belonging to order Burkholderiales as the most likely H(2)-oxidizers. Both sites also yielded metagenomic evidence for microbial H(2) production catalyzed by [FeFe]-hydrogenases in anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria belonging to order Clostridiales. In addition, we present metagenomic evidence at both sites for aerobic carbon monoxide utilization and anaerobic carbon fixation via the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. In general, our results point to H(2)-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria thriving in shallow, oxic–anoxic transition zones and the anaerobic Clostridia thriving in anoxic, deep subsurface habitats. These data demonstrate the feasibility of metagenomic investigations into novel subsurface habitats via surface-exposed seeps and indicate the potential for H(2)-powered primary production in serpentinite-hosted subsurface habitats. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-3252642 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2012 |
publisher | Frontiers Research Foundation |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-32526422012-01-09 Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities Brazelton, William J. Nelson, Bridget Schrenk, Matthew O. Front Microbiol Microbiology Ultramafic rocks in the Earth’s mantle represent a tremendous reservoir of carbon and reducing power. Upon tectonic uplift and exposure to fluid flow, serpentinization of these materials generates copious energy, sustains abiogenic synthesis of organic molecules, and releases hydrogen gas (H(2)). In order to assess the potential for microbial H(2) utilization fueled by serpentinization, we conducted metagenomic surveys of a marine serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal chimney (at the Lost City hydrothermal field) and two continental serpentinite-hosted alkaline seeps (at the Tablelands Ophiolite, Newfoundland). Novel [NiFe]-hydrogenase sequences were identified at both the marine and continental sites, and in both cases, phylogenetic analyses indicated aerobic, potentially autotrophic Betaproteobacteria belonging to order Burkholderiales as the most likely H(2)-oxidizers. Both sites also yielded metagenomic evidence for microbial H(2) production catalyzed by [FeFe]-hydrogenases in anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria belonging to order Clostridiales. In addition, we present metagenomic evidence at both sites for aerobic carbon monoxide utilization and anaerobic carbon fixation via the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway. In general, our results point to H(2)-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria thriving in shallow, oxic–anoxic transition zones and the anaerobic Clostridia thriving in anoxic, deep subsurface habitats. These data demonstrate the feasibility of metagenomic investigations into novel subsurface habitats via surface-exposed seeps and indicate the potential for H(2)-powered primary production in serpentinite-hosted subsurface habitats. Frontiers Research Foundation 2012-01-06 /pmc/articles/PMC3252642/ /pubmed/22232619 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2011.00268 Text en Copyright © 2012 Brazelton, Nelson and Schrenk. http://www.frontiersin.org/licenseagreement This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited. |
spellingShingle | Microbiology Brazelton, William J. Nelson, Bridget Schrenk, Matthew O. Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities |
title | Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities |
title_full | Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities |
title_fullStr | Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities |
title_full_unstemmed | Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities |
title_short | Metagenomic Evidence for H(2) Oxidation and H(2) Production by Serpentinite-Hosted Subsurface Microbial Communities |
title_sort | metagenomic evidence for h(2) oxidation and h(2) production by serpentinite-hosted subsurface microbial communities |
topic | Microbiology |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252642/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22232619 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2011.00268 |
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