HypD as a marker for [NiFe]-hydrogenases in microbial communities of surface waters.

ABSTRACT: Hydrogen is an important trace gas in the atmosphere. Soil microorganisms are known to be an important part of the biogeochemical H2 cycle, contributing 80 to 90% of the annual hydrogen uptake. Different aquatic ecosystems act as either sources or sinks of hydrogen, but the contribution of their microbial communities is unknown. [NiFe]-hydrogenases are the best candidates for hydrogen turnover in these environments since they are able to cope with oxygen. As they lack sufficiently conserved sequence motifs, reliable markers for these enzymes are missing, and consequently, little is known about their environmental distribution. We analyzed the essential maturation genes of [NiFe]-hydrogenases, including their frequency of horizontal gene transfer, and found hypD to be an applicable marker f

SUBMITTER: Beimgraben C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4054138 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature