Metagenomic analysis reveals wide distribution of phototrophic bacteria in hydrothermal vents on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge.

Mar Life Sci Technol

France-China Joint Laboratory for Evolution and Development of Magnetotactic Multicellular Organisms (LIA-MagMC), Marseille, France/Sanya, China.

Published: May 2022

AI Article Synopsis

  • Deep-sea hydrothermal vents, traditionally known for their chemosynthetic ecosystems, also potentially support phototrophic populations due to emitted light that may drive photosynthesis.
  • Metagenomic analyses of samples from the Southwest Indian Ridge revealed widespread distribution of phototrophic bacteria, including known chlorophototrophs, and highlighted the presence of complete chlorophyll biosynthetic pathways.
  • The findings suggest that geothermal vent light could provide energy that enhances the competitive advantage of phototrophs, supporting the idea of the ocean as a diverse microorganism seed bank.

Article Abstract

Unlabelled: Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are known as chemosynthetic ecosystems. However, high temperature vents emit light that hypothetically can drive photosynthesis in this habitat. Metagenomic studies have sporadically reported the occurrence of phototrophic populations such as cyanobacteria in hydrothermal vents. To determine how geographically and taxonomically widespread phototrophs are in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, we collected samples from three niches in a hydrothermal vent on the Southwest Indian Ridge and carried out an integrated metagenomic analysis. We determined the typical community structures of microorganisms found in active venting fields and identified populations of known potential chlorophototrophs and retinalophototrophs. Complete chlorophyll biosynthetic pathways were identified in all samples. By contrast, proteorhodopsins were only found in active beehive smoker diffusers. Taxonomic groups possessing potential phototrophy dependent on semiconductors present in hydrothermal vents were also found in these samples. This systematic comparative metagenomic study reveals the widespread distribution of phototrophic bacteria in hydrothermal vent fields. Our results support the hypothesis that the ocean is a seed bank of diverse microorganisms. Geothermal vent light may provide energy and confer a competitive advantage on phototrophs to proliferate in hydrothermal vent ecosystems.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-021-00121-y.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10077154PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s42995-021-00121-yDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

hydrothermal vents
20
hydrothermal vent
12
metagenomic analysis
8
distribution phototrophic
8
phototrophic bacteria
8
hydrothermal
8
bacteria hydrothermal
8
southwest indian
8
indian ridge
8
deep-sea hydrothermal
8

Similar Publications

Sulfation plays a critical role in the biosynthesis of small molecules, regulatory mechanisms such as hormone signaling, and detoxification processes (phase II enzymes). The sulfation reaction is catalyzed by a broad family of enzymes known as sulfotransferases (SULTs), which have been extensively studied in animals due to their medical importance, but also in plant key processes. Despite the identification of some sulfated metabolites in fungi, the mechanisms underlying fungal sulfation remain largely unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cumaceans (Crustacea, Peracarida) associated with shallow-water hydrothermal vents at Banderas Bay, Mexico.

Biodivers Data J

December 2024

Departamento de Artes, Educación y Humanidades, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Universidad de Guadalajara 203, CP 48280, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico Departamento de Artes, Educación y Humanidades, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Universidad de Guadalajara 203, CP 48280 Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Mexico.

Background: Cumaceans mostly inhabit marine environments, where they play a crucial role in marine food webs and actively participate in the transfer between benthic and pelagic systems. Scientific interest in these crustaceans has been increasing, but is limited to certain geographic areas, which do not include extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents.

New Information: Therefore, this study aimed to report the distribution of cumaceans in shallow-water hydrothermal vents at Banderas Bay and to identify the specimens present.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Serpentinizing hydrothermal vents are likely sites for the origin of metabolism because they produce H as a source of electrons for CO reduction while depositing zero-valent iron, cobalt, and nickel as catalysts for organic reactions. Recent work has shown that solid-state nickel can catalyze the H-dependent reduction of CO to various organic acids and their reductive amination with H and NH to biological amino acids under the conditions of H-producing hydrothermal vents and that amino acid synthesis from NH, H, and 2-oxoacids is facile in the presence of Ni. Such reactions suggest a metallic origin of metabolism during early biochemical evolution because single metals replace the function of over 130 enzymatic reactions at the core of metabolism in microbes that use the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO fixation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The origins of light-independent magnetoreception in humans.

Front Hum Neurosci

November 2024

The Research Center for Brain Function and Medical Engineering, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.

Article Synopsis
  • Earth's abundance of iron has been essential for the development of life, influencing biochemical processes and leading to the emergence of early life forms near hydrothermal vents.
  • Iron also plays a role in the evolution of organisms like magnetotactic bacteria, which can detect the Earth's geomagnetic field, showing adaptations beyond humans' conventional senses.
  • Research on species such as zebrafish and pigeons indicates that various life forms have specialized mechanisms for geomagnetic sensing, hinting at complex interactions in the brain related to magnetic fields and their implications for human magnetoreception.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The volcanic island, Kueishan Island, harbors two unique shallow-water ecosystems: hydrothermal vents and coral communities. The unique geologic features render the island an ideal place as a spectrum for studying two different ecosystems and mimicking the impacts of climate change on coral reef biota in the future. However, little is known about the meiofauna community there.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!