Biodiversity, metabolism and applications of acidophilic sulfur‐metabolizing microorganisms

Dopson, Mark; Johnson, D. Barrie

doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02749.x

Cited by 165 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The presence of bacterial species with closest affiliation to Fe-oxidizer bacteria (Acidithiobacillus spp.) indicates that the microbial oxidation of Fe(II) is a significant biogeochemical process in the sediments of AML 2 as noted in previous studies (e.g., Friedrich et al 2005;Rohwerder and Sand 2007;Ghosh and Dam 2009;Schippers et al 2010;Dopson and Johnson 2012;Chen et al 2013). Insignificant variations in pH, along with observed changes in DO and Fe concentration throughout the water column until a depth of 6 m, also suggest co-occurrences of Fe(II) oxidation and precipitation of Fe(III) minerals buffering pH as reported in various AMLs with pH ranging from 2.59 to 3.79 (Kusel 2003;Peiffer et al 2013;Vithana et al 2015).…”

Section: Geochemical and Biogeochemical Processes In The Water Columnsupporting

confidence: 76%

Generation of Acid Mine Lakes Associated with Abandoned Coal Mines in Northwest Turkey

Yücel

Balcı

Baba

2016

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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A total of five acid mine lakes (AMLs) located in northwest Turkey were investigated using combined isotope, molecular, and geochemical techniques to identify geochemical processes controlling and promoting acid formation. All of the investigated lakes showed typical characteristics of an AML with low pH (2.59-3.79) and high electrical conductivity values (1040-6430 lS/cm), in addition to high sulfate (594-5370 mg/l) and metal (aluminum [Al], iron [Fe], manganese [Mn], nickel [Ni], and zinc [Zn]) concentrations. Geochemical and isotope results showed that the acid-generation mechanism and source of sulfate in the lakes can change and depends on the age of the lakes. In the relatively older lakes (AMLs 1 through 3), biogeochemical Fe cycles seem to be the dominant process controlling metal concentration and pH of the water unlike in the younger lakes (AMLs 4 and 5). Bacterial species determined in an older lake (AML 2) indicate that biological oxidation and reduction of Fe and S are the dominant processes in the lakes. Furthermore, O and S isotopes of sulfate indicate that sulfate in the older mine lakes may be a product of much more complex oxidation/dissolution reactions. However, the major source of sulfate in the younger mine lakes is in situ pyrite oxidation catalyzed by Fe(III) produced by way of oxidation of Fe(II). Consistent with this, insignificant fractionation between d 34 S SO 4 and d 34 S FeS 2 values indicated that the oxidation of pyrite, along with dissolution and precipitation reactions of Fe(III) minerals, is the main reason for acid formation in the region. Overall, the results showed that acid generation during early stage formation of an AML associated with pyrite-rich mine waste is primarily controlled by the oxidation of pyrite with Fe cycles becoming the dominant processes regulating pH and metal cycles in the later stages of mine lake development.Acidic and highly metal-loaded effluents (acid mine drainage [AMD]) resulting from the exposure of pyrite and other metal sulfide minerals to weathering conditions are the principal environmental problems faced by the mining industry today (Dold and Spangerberg 2005).The formation mechanisms of AMD (e.g., oxidation of pyrite and other sulfide minerals) has been extensively studied

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Section: Geochemical and Biogeochemical Processes In The Water Columnsupporting

confidence: 76%

Generation of Acid Mine Lakes Associated with Abandoned Coal Mines in Northwest Turkey

Yücel

Balcı

Baba

2016

Arch Environ Contam Toxicol

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“…Fumarole environments such as those at Sites 10, 11, and 20 for example represent some of the more 'extreme' environments within volcano -ice systems, yet similar fumarole environments are commonly inhabited by a specialised 24 population of thermophillic and/or acidophilic bacteria and archaea (e.g. Dopson & Johnson 2012;Benson et al 2011).…”

Section: Fingerprint For Environmental Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the temperature and pH range of the hydrothermal environments at Kverkfjöll (Figure 4), mesophilic (20 -40°C), moderate thermophilic (40 -60°C), and thermophilic (<60°C) acidophiles are expected to be active at Kverkfjöll. Nearly all sulfur-metabolizing thermophiles are crenarchaeotes, whilst sulfur-metabolizing mesophiles are exclusively bacteria (Dopson & Johnson 2012). Sulfur metabolizers also vary in terms of carbon assimilation, including obligate autotrophs, heterotrophs, and facultative autotrophs/heterotrophs (Dopson & Johnson 2012).…”

Section: Biogeochemical Pathways At Hverdalur and Hveratagl Kverkfjollmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nearly all sulfur-metabolizing thermophiles are crenarchaeotes, whilst sulfur-metabolizing mesophiles are exclusively bacteria (Dopson & Johnson 2012). Sulfur metabolizers also vary in terms of carbon assimilation, including obligate autotrophs, heterotrophs, and facultative autotrophs/heterotrophs (Dopson & Johnson 2012). Therefore there is the potential for a wide range of sulfur -metabolising bacteria and archaea to be supported by the volcanic environments found at Kverkfjöll.…”

Section: Biogeochemical Pathways At Hverdalur and Hveratagl Kverkfjollmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Glaciovolcanic hydrothermal environments in Iceland and implications for their detection on Mars

Cousins

Crawford

Carrivick

et al. 2013

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

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Hydrothermal environments driven by volcanism are prime astrobiological targets on Mars, due to their ability to support and preserve microbial ecosystems. Volcano -ice interactions on On Earth, volcano -ice interactions produce many hydrothermal habitats available to microbial colonisation, and thus provide an analogue to past environments on Mars, where many landforms have been attributed to volcano -cryospheric interaction. However, Mars exploration urgently requires a framework for identifying such environments on a range of scales and with a range of geological criteria. In this paper rRemote sensing data were combined with sub-mm environmental mapping and sample analysis that included (X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, thin section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, electron dispersive spectrometer analysis, and dissolved ion water chemistry,) to characterise samples from two areas of basaltic volcano -ice interaction: namely Askja and Kverkfjöll volcanoes in Iceland. Askja was erupted subglacially during the Pleistocene, and is now exposed within a volcanic desert. Kverkfjöll is a subglacial volcano beneath on the northern margin of Vatnajökull ice cap, and hosts active hydrothermal systems. NE-trending fissure swarm ridges extend between these two volcanic systems. Multiple Holocene glacial outburst (jökulhlaup) sedimentary deposits lie to the north of Kverkfjöll. Hydrothermal environments at Kverkfjöll were found to be predominantly acidic, with dissolved sulphate dominating the water chemistry. These hydrothermal environments vary across a small (<100 m) spatial scale, and include hot springs, anoxic pools, meltwater lakes, and sulphur-and iron-depositing fumaroles. Biomats, two in association with individual goethite and pyrite mineral terraces, were common at Kverkfjöll. In-situ and laboratory VNIR (440 -1000 nm) reflectance spectra representative of Mars rover multispectral imaging show spectral profiles to be influenced by Fe 2+/3+ -bearing minerals. Overall, sediments and lavas display two types of hydrothermal alteration: a low-temperature (<120°C) assemblage dominated by palagonite, sulfates, and iron oxides; and a high-temperature (>120°C) assemblage signified by heulandite and quartz. This Overall, this work provides a framework for identifying such environments during future exploration of Mars, given their high astrobiological potential, and Claire Cousins -BBK 14/08/12 3 provides a descriptive reference for the two prominent active hydrothermal environments at Kverkfjöllwhich can be used as analogues for those on Mars.

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“…The biological oxidation of RISCs is thus important not only in acidic ecosystems but also in applied microbiology fields such as biomining. [4][5][6] At least two major dissimilatory RISCs oxidation pathways have been proposed, and various enzymes involved in RISCs oxidation metabolism have been identified and characterized. 2,3,[7][8][9][10] One of the most common pathways for RISCs' oxidation is the sulfur-oxidizing (Sox) system which is found in both phototrophic and chemolithotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.…”

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confidence: 99%

The sole cysteine residue (Cys301) of tetrathionate hydrolase from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans does not play a role in enzyme activity

Kanao

Nakayama

Kato

et al. 2014

Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry

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Cysteine residues are absolutely indispensable for the reactions of almost all enzymes involved in the dissimilatory oxidation pathways of reduced inorganic sulfur compounds. Tetrathionate hydrolase from the acidophilic iron- and sulfur-oxidizing bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (Af-Tth) catalyzes tetrathionate hydrolysis to generate elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, and sulfate. Af-Tth is a key enzyme in the dissimilatory sulfur oxidation pathway in this bacterium. Only one cysteine residue (Cys301) has been identified in the deduced amino acid sequence of the Af-Tth gene. In order to clarify the role of the sole cysteine residue, a site-specific mutant enzyme (C301A) was generated. No difference was observed in the retention volumes of the wild-type and mutant Af-Tth enzymes by gel-filtration column chromatography, and surprisingly the enzyme activities measured in the cysteine-deficient and wild-type enzymes were the same. These results suggest that the sole cysteine residue (Cys301) in Af-Tth is involved in neither the tetrathionate hydrolysis reaction nor the subunit assembly. Af-Tth may thus have a novel cysteine-independent reaction mechanism.

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Biodiversity, metabolism and applications of acidophilic sulfur‐metabolizing microorganisms

Cited by 165 publications

References 67 publications

Generation of Acid Mine Lakes Associated with Abandoned Coal Mines in Northwest Turkey

Generation of Acid Mine Lakes Associated with Abandoned Coal Mines in Northwest Turkey

Glaciovolcanic hydrothermal environments in Iceland and implications for their detection on Mars

The sole cysteine residue (Cys301) of tetrathionate hydrolase from Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans does not play a role in enzyme activity

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