Metagenomic identification of active methanogens and methanotrophs in serpentinite springs of the Voltri Massif, Italy
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Abstract
The production of hydrogen and methane by geochemical reactions associated with the serpentinization of ultramafic rocks can potentially support subsurface microbial ecosystems independent of the photosynthetic biosphere. Methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms are abundant in marine hydrothermal systems heavily influenced by serpentinization, but evidence for methane-cycling archaea and bacteria in continental serpentinite springs has been limited. This report provides metagenomic and experimental evidence for active methanogenesis and methanotrophy by microbial communities in serpentinite springs of the Voltri Massif, Italy. Methanogens belonging to family Methanobacteriaceae and methanotrophic bacteria belonging to family Methylococcaceae were heavily enriched in three ultrabasic springs (pH 12). Metagenomic data also suggest the potential for hydrogen oxidation, hydrogen production, carbon fixation, fermentation, and organic acid metabolism in the ultrabasic springs. The predicted metabolic capabilities are consistent with an active subsurface ecosystem supported by energy and carbon liberated by geochemical reactions within the serpentinite rocks of the Voltri Massif.
Cite this as
2016. Metagenomic identification of active methanogens and methanotrophs in serpentinite springs of the Voltri Massif, Italy. PeerJ Preprints 4:e2315v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.2315v1note This preprint is not peer-reviewed. You may wish to reference the subsequent peer-reviewed version of this article.
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This is a submission to PeerJ for review.
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Competing Interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Author Contributions
William J Brazelton conceived and designed the experiments, performed the experiments, analyzed the data, wrote the paper, prepared figures and/or tables, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Christopher N Thornton analyzed the data, wrote the paper, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Alex Hyer analyzed the data, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Katrina I Twing conceived and designed the experiments, performed the experiments, analyzed the data, wrote the paper, reviewed drafts of the paper.
August A Longino analyzed the data, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Susan Q Lang conceived and designed the experiments, performed the experiments, analyzed the data, contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools, wrote the paper, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Marvin D Lilley conceived and designed the experiments, performed the experiments, contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Gretchen L Früh-Green conceived and designed the experiments, contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools, wrote the paper, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Matthew O Schrenk conceived and designed the experiments, contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools, wrote the paper, reviewed drafts of the paper.
DNA Deposition
The following information was supplied regarding the deposition of DNA sequences:
VAMPS database (http://vamps.mbl.edu) under the project code DCO_BRZ and sample code Serp_LIG.
MG-RAST under IDs 4545477.3, 4545478.3, 4545479.3, 4545480.3, 4537863.3, 4537864.3, 4537868.3, and 4537869.3.
SRA identifier SRP049438 and BioProject PRJNA265986.
Data Deposition
The following information was supplied regarding data availability:
https://github.com/Brazelton-Lab
Funding
WJB received funding from a NASA Astrobiology Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship and University of Utah start-up funds. Additional funding to the Schrenk lab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Deep Carbon Observatory and the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NASA-CAN5 through the Carnegie Institution for Science). SQL and GLFG were funded by SNF Project 200020 14389. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.