Simultaneous sulfide and methane oxidation by an extremophile.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) and methane (CH) are produced in anoxic environments through sulfate reduction and organic matter decomposition. Both gases diffuse upwards into oxic zones where aerobic methanotrophs mitigate CH emissions by oxidizing this potent greenhouse gas. Although methanotrophs in myriad environments encounter toxic HS, it is virtually unknown how they are affected.

Methanethiol Consumption and Hydrogen Sulfide Production by the Thermoacidophilic Methanotroph SolV.

Methanotrophs aerobically oxidize methane to carbon dioxide to make a living and are known to degrade various other short chain carbon compounds as well. Volatile organic sulfur compounds such as methanethiol (CHSH) are important intermediates in the sulfur cycle. Although volatile organic sulfur compounds co-occur with methane in various environments, little is known about how these compounds affect methanotrophy.

More Than a Methanotroph: A Broader Substrate Spectrum for SolV.

Volcanic areas emit a number of gases including methane and other short chain alkanes, that may serve as energy source for the prevailing microorganisms. The verrucomicrobial methanotroph SolV was isolated from a volcanic mud pot, and is able to grow under thermoacidophilic conditions on different gaseous substrates. Its genome contains three operons encoding a particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the enzyme that converts methane to methanol.

The thermoacidophilic methanotroph Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV oxidizes subatmospheric H with a high-affinity, membrane-associated [NiFe] hydrogenase.

The trace amounts (0.53 ppmv) of atmospheric hydrogen gas (H) can be utilized by microorganisms to persist during dormancy. This process is catalyzed by certain Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi, and is estimated to convert 75 × 10 g H annually, which is half of the total atmospheric H.

The Acidophilic Methanotroph 4AC Grows as Autotroph on H Under Microoxic Conditions.

Emissions of the strong greenhouse gas methane (CH) to the atmosphere are mitigated by methanotrophic microorganisms. Methanotrophs found in extremely acidic geothermal systems belong to the phylum Verrucomicrobia. Thermophilic verrucomicrobial methanotrophs from the genus can grow autotrophically on hydrogen gas (H), but it is unknown whether this also holds for their mesophilic counterparts from the genus .

Elimination of Cs from aquatic systems by an adsorbent prepared by immobilization of potassium copper hexacyanoferrate on the SBA-15 surface: kinetic, thermodynamic, and isotherm studies.

For elimination of cesium from aqueous solutions, mesoporous SBA-15 was synthesized and employed as the support for immobilization of potassium copper hexacyanoferrate. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by various techniques and was used for adsorption of cesium. The results indicated that its adsorption capacity was 174.

Ammonia Oxidation and Nitrite Reduction in the Verrucomicrobial Methanotroph SolV.

The Solfatara volcano near Naples (Italy), the origin of the recently discovered verrucomicrobial methanotroph SolV was shown to contain ammonium ([Formula: see text]) at concentrations ranging from 1 to 28 mM. Ammonia (NH) can be converted to toxic hydroxylamine (NHOH) by the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO), the first enzyme of the methane (CH) oxidation pathway. Methanotrophs rapidly detoxify the intermediate NHOH.

Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV, a thermoacidophilic 'Knallgas' methanotroph with both an oxygen-sensitive and -insensitive hydrogenase.

Methanotrophs play a key role in balancing the atmospheric methane concentration. Recently, the microbial methanotrophic diversity was extended by the discovery of thermoacidophilic methanotrophs belonging to the Verrucomicrobia phylum in geothermal areas. Here we show that a representative of this new group, Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV, is able to grow as a real 'Knallgas' bacterium on hydrogen/carbon dioxide, without addition of methane.

Surface stress induces a conserved cell wall stress response in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.

The human fungal pathogen Candida albicans can grow at temperatures of up to 45°C. Here, we show that at 42°C substantially less biomass was formed than at 37°C. The cells also became more sensitive to wall-perturbing compounds, and the wall chitin levels increased, changes that are indicative of wall stress.