Enrichment and characterization of ammonia-oxidizing archaea from the open ocean: phylogeny, physiology and stable isotope fractionation.

ABSTRACT: Archaeal genes for ammonia oxidation are widespread in the marine environment, but direct physiological evidence for ammonia oxidation by marine archaea is limited. We report the enrichment and characterization of three strains of pelagic ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) from the North Pacific Ocean that have been maintained in laboratory culture for over 3 years. Phylogenetic analyses indicate the three strains belong to a previously identified clade of water column-associated AOA and possess 16S ribosomal RNA genes and ammonia monooxygenase subunit a (amoA) genes highly similar (98-99% identity) to those recovered in DNA and complementary DNA clone libraries from the open ocean. The strains grow in natural seawater-based liquid medium while stoichiometrically converting ammonia (NH(3)) to

SUBMITTER: Santoro AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3197170 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature