<i>Leptothrix ochracea</i> genomes reveal potential for mixotrophic growth on Fe(II) and organic carbon.

ABSTRACT: Leptothrix ochracea creates distinctive iron-mineralized mats that carpet streams and wetlands. Easily recognized by its iron-mineralized sheaths, L. ochracea was one of the first microorganisms described in the 1800s. Yet it has never been isolated and does not have a complete genome sequence available, so key questions about its physiology remain unresolved. It is debated whether iron oxidation can be used for energy or growth and if L. ochracea is an autotroph, heterotroph, or mixotroph. To address these issues, we sampled L. ochracea-rich mats from three of its typical environments (a stream, wetlands, and a drainage channel) and reconstructed nine high-quality genomes of L. ochracea from metagenomes. These genomes contain iron oxidase genes cyc2</

SUBMITTER: Tothero GK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11412304 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature