Microbial Community Shifts on Organic Rocks of Different Maturities Reveal potential Catabolisers of Organic Matter in Coal

McLeish, Andrew G.; Gong, Shengkai; Greenfield, Paul; Midgley, David J.; Paulsen, Ian T.

doi:10.1007/s00248-021-01857-x

Cited by 2 publications

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References 46 publications

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“…To date, numerous studies have attempted to identify aromatic-degrading taxa in coal seams using a range of strategies. Some of these have included the enrichment of microbes capable of degrading aromatic compounds, using either a variety of mono- and polyaromatic compounds or organic matter of differing maturities as sole sources of carbon ( 18 , 19 ). These studies identified putative aromatic degraders among the enriched taxa but also obscured primary aromatic degraders amid the numerous taxa subsequently enriched on their downstream degradative products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams

Campbell,

Greenfield,

Barnhart

et al. 2024

mBio

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Subsurface coal seams are highly anoxic, oligotrophic environments, where the main source of carbon is “locked away” within aromatic rings. Despite these challenges, many coal seams accumulate biogenic methane, implying that the coal seam microbiome is “unlocking” this carbon source in situ . For over two decades, researchers have endeavored to understand which organisms perform these processes. This study provides the first descriptions of organisms with this genetic potential from the coal seam environment. Here, we report metagenomic insights into carbon liberation from aromatic molecules and the degradation pathways involved and describe a Krumholzibacteriota, two Syntrophorhabdus aromaticivorans , and a Syntrophaceae MAG that contain this genetic potential. This is also the first time that the Krumholzibacteriota phylum has been implicated in anaerobic dearomatization of aromatic hydrocarbons. This potential is identified here in numerous MAGs from other terrestrial and marine subsurface habitats, implicating the Krumholzibacteriota in carbon-cycling processes across a broad range of environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams

Campbell,

Greenfield,

Barnhart

et al. 2024

mBio

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To date, numerous studies have attempted to identify aromatic-degrading taxa in coal seams using a range of strategies. Some of these have included the enrichment of microbes capable of degrading aromatic compounds, using either a variety of mono-and polyaromatic compounds or organic matter of differing maturities as sole sources of carbon (18,19). These studies identified putative aromatic-degraders among the enriched taxa, but also obscure primary aromaticdegraders amid the numerous taxa subsequently enriched on their downstream degradative products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams

Campbell

Greenfield

Barnhart

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Biogenic methane in subsurface coal seam environments is produced by diverse consortia of microbes. Although this methane is useful for global energy security, it remains unclear which microbes can liberate carbon from the coal. Most of this carbon is relatively resistant to biodegradation, as it is contained within aromatic rings. Thus, to explore for coal-degrading taxa in the subsurface, this study used coal seam metagenomes to reconstruct important metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) using a key genomic marker for the anaerobic degradation of monoaromatic compounds as a guide: the benzoyl-CoA reductase gene (bcrABCD). Three taxa were identified with this genetic potential. The first was a novel taxon from the Krumholzibacteriota phylum, which this study is the first to describe. This Krumholzibacteriota sp. contained a full set of genes for benzoyl-CoA dearomatisation, in addition to other genes for anaerobic catabolism of monoaromatics. Analysis of Krumholzibacteriota MAGs from other environments revealed that this genetic potential may be common within this phylum, and thus they may be important organisms for the liberation of recalcitrant carbon on a global scale. Further, two taxa from the Deltaproteobacteria class were also implicated in monoaromatic degradation; two geographically unrelatedSyntrophorhabdus aromaticivoransMAGs, and a Syntrophaceae sp. MAG. Each of these three taxa are potential rate-limiting organisms for subsurface coal-to-methane biodegradation. Their description here provides an understanding of their function within the coal seam microbiome, and will help inform future efforts in coal bed methane stimulation, anoxic bioremediation of organic pollutants, and assessments of anoxic carbon cycling and emissions.ImportanceSubsurface coal seams are highly anoxic and oligotrophic environments, where the main source of carbon is “locked away” within aromatic rings. Despite these challenges, biogenic methane accumulates within many of these coal seams, which implies that the coal seam microbiome can “unlock” this carbon sourcein situ. For over two decades, researchers have been working to understand which organisms are responsible for these processes. This study provides the first descriptions of these organisms. Here, we report metagenomic insights into the liberation of carbon from aromatic molecules typically found within coal, the degradation pathways involved, and descriptions of the Krumholzibacteriota sp.,Syntrophorhabdus aromaticivorans, and Syntrophaceae sp. that contain this genetic potential. Additionally, this is the first time that the Krumholzibacteriota phylum has been implicated in anaerobic dearomatisation of aromatic hydrocarbons. This potential is identified here in numerous taxa within the phylum from other subsurface environments, implicating Krumholzibacteriota in global-scale carbon-cycling processes.

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Microbial Community Shifts on Organic Rocks of Different Maturities Reveal potential Catabolisers of Organic Matter in Coal

Cited by 2 publications

References 46 publications

Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams

Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams

Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams

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