Zonation of Microbial Communities by a Hydrothermal Mound in the Atlantis II Deep (the Red Sea)

Wang, Yong; Li, Jiang Tao; He, Li; Yang, Bo; Gao, Zhao Ming; Cao, Hui; Batang, Zenon B.; Al-Suwailem, Abdulaziz M.; Qian, Pei‐Yuan

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140766

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…DOC concentrations in DHAB sediments are reported rarely. In the Atlantis II brine basin, DOC concentrations of 14.9 to 36.5 μg/ml or 1240 to 3042 μM were measured 50 to 250 cmbsf below a barite mound [94]; these concentrations were similar to those (2200 μM) found in the southern basin sediment core of Orca Basin. In general, the high DOC concentrations in hypersaline sediments suggest that DOC accumulates due to slow microbial oxidation degradation and assimilation of DOC.…”

Section: Dissolved Carbon and Ammoniumsupporting

confidence: 68%

Microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of hypersaline sediments in Orca Basin

et al. 2020

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In deep ocean hypersaline basins, the combination of high salinity, unusual ionic composition and anoxic conditions represents significant challenges for microbial life. We used geochemical porewater characterization and DNA sequencing based taxonomic surveys to enable environmental and microbial characterization of anoxic hypersaline sediments and brines in the Orca Basin, the largest brine basin in the Gulf of Mexico. Full-length bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from hypersaline sediments and the overlying brine were dominated by the uncultured halophilic KB1 lineage, Deltaproteobacteria related to cultured sulfate-reducing halophilic genera, and specific lineages of heterotrophic Bacteroidetes. Archaeal clones were dominated by members of the halophilic methanogen genus Methanohalophilus, and the ammonia-oxidizing Marine Group I (MG-I) within the Thaumarchaeota. Illumina sequencing revealed higher phylum-and subphylum-level complexity, especially in lower-salinity sediments from the Orca Basin slope. Illumina and clone library surveys consistently detected MG-I Thaumarchaeota and halotolerant Deltaproteobacteria in the hypersaline anoxic sediments, but relative abundances of the KB1 lineage differed between the two sequencing methods. The stable isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon and methane in porewater, and sulfate concentrations decreasing downcore indicated methanogenesis and sulfate reduction in the anoxic sediments. While anaerobic microbial processes likely occur at low rates near their maximal salinity thresholds in Orca Basin, long-term accumulation of reaction products leads to high methane concentrations and reducing conditions within the Orca Basin brine and sediments.

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Section: Dissolved Carbon and Ammoniumsupporting

confidence: 68%

Microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of hypersaline sediments in Orca Basin

et al. 2020

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“…Of the raw DNA extract, 20 pg was used for DNA amplification using a MALBAC kit (Yikon Genomics, Jiangsu, China) according to the manufacturer's manual (Zong et al, 2012). The MALBAC amplification method has been evaluated recently in metagenomic studies (Wang et al, 2016). Two MALBAC amplification assays were conducted using 21 PCR cycles to acquire a sufficient amount of DNA for subsequent sequencing.…”

Section: Dna Extraction and Amplificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archive of bacterial community in anhydrite crystals from a deep-sea basin provides evidence of past oil-spilling in a benthic environment in the Red Sea

Wang¹,

Li²,

Wang³

et al. 2016

Preprint

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Abstract. In deep-sea sediment, the microbes present in anhydrite crystals after mild hydrothermal activities are markers of the past environment. In this study, this hypothesis was tested by analyzing the metagenome of an anhydrite crystal sample from a hydrothermal and hypersaline sediment core sampled from the Atlantis II Deep in the Red Sea. The 16S/18S rRNA genes in the metagenome were assigned to Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi and even invertebrate species. The dominant species in the crystals was an alkane-degrading Alcanivorax bacterium, which was not detected in the adjacent sediment layer. Using a genome-binning method, a draft genome of the Alcanivorax bacterium was separated from the metagenome. Phylogenetic and genomic analyses revealed that this species was a close relative of Alcanivorax borkumensis Sk2. The draft genome contained all the functional genes for alkane utilization and the reduction of nitrogen oxides. Fluorescence microscopy using 16S rRNA and marker gene probes revealed intact cells of the Alcanivorax bacterium in the crystals. Moreover, the metagenomes of the anhydrites and control sediment contained aromatic degradation pathways, which were mostly derived from Ochrobactrum sp. The estimated age of the anhydrite layer was between 750&#8211;770 years, which might span the event of hydrothermal eruption into the benthic floor. Altogether, these results support the presence of an oxic, oil-spilling benthic environment in the Atlantis II basin of the Red Sea in approximately the 14th century. The original microbial inhabitants underwent a dramatic selection process via drastic environmental changes following the formation of an overlying anoxic brine pool in the basin due to hydrothermal activities.

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“…Most of these pools are characterized by high temperatures and salinity. Twenty-five brine pools have been found in the Red Sea [1]. The Atlantis II hot-brine deep (ATII) is the largest and best-characterized pool in the Red Sea [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel thermostable and halophilic thioredoxin reductase from the Red Sea Atlantis II hot brine pool

et al. 2019

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The highly extreme conditions of the lower convective layer in the Atlantis II (ATII) Deep brine pool of the Red Sea make it an ideal environment for the search for novel enzymes that can function under extreme conditions. In the current study, we isolated a novel sequence of a thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) enzyme from the metagenomic dataset established from the microbial community that resides in the lower convective layer of Atlantis II. The gene was cloned, expressed and characterized for redox activity, halophilicity, and thermal stability. The isolated thioredoxin reductase (ATII-TrxR) was found to belong to the high-molecular-weight class of thioredoxin reductases. A search for conserved domains revealed the presence of an extra domain (Crp) in the enzyme sequence. Characterization studies of ATII-TrxR revealed that the enzyme was halophilic (maintained activity at 4 M NaCl), thermophilic (optimum temperature was 65°C) and thermostable (60% of its activity was retained at 70°C). Additionally, the enzyme utilized NADH in addition to NADPH as an electron donor. In conclusion, a novel thermostable and halophilic thioredoxin reductase has been isolated with a unique sequence that adapts to the harsh conditions of the brine pools making this protein a good candidate for biological research and industrial applications.

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Zonation of Microbial Communities by a Hydrothermal Mound in the Atlantis II Deep (the Red Sea)

Cited by 8 publications

References 35 publications

Microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of hypersaline sediments in Orca Basin

Microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of hypersaline sediments in Orca Basin

Archive of bacterial community in anhydrite crystals from a deep-sea basin provides evidence of past oil-spilling in a benthic environment in the Red Sea

A novel thermostable and halophilic thioredoxin reductase from the Red Sea Atlantis II hot brine pool

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