Bacterial chemolithoautotrophy via manganese oxidation

Manganese is among Earth’s most abundant elements. Its oxidation had long been theorized(1), yet undemonstrated(2–4), to fuel chemolithoautotrophic microbial growth. Here, an enrichment culture exhibiting Mn(II)-oxidation-dependent, exponential growth was refined to a two species co-culture. Oxidation required viable bacteria at permissive temperatures, resulting in the generation of small Mn oxide nodules to which the cells associated. The majority member of the culture, ‘Candidatus Manganitrophus noduliformans’, affiliates within phylum Nitrospirae (Nitrospirota) but is distantly related to known Nitrospira and Leptospirillum species. The minority member has been isolated, but does not oxidise Mn(II) alone. Stable isotope probing revealed Mn(II)-oxidation-dependent, (13)CO(2)-fixation into cellular biomass. Transcriptomics reveals candidate pathways for coupling extracellular manganese oxidation to aerobic energy conservation and to autotrophic CO(2)-fixation. These findings expand the known diversity of inorganic metabolisms supporting life, while completing a biogeochemical energy cycle for manganese(5,6), one that may interface with other major global elemental cycles.