Disguised as a Sulfate Reducer: Growth of the Deltaproteobacterium <i>Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus</i> by Sulfide Oxidation with Nitrate.

ABSTRACT: This study demonstrates that the deltaproteobacterium Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus can grow chemolithotrophically by coupling sulfide oxidation to the dissimilatory reduction of nitrate and nitrite to ammonium. Key genes of known sulfide oxidation pathways are absent from the genome of D. alkaliphilus Instead, the genome contains all of the genes necessary for sulfate reduction, including a gene for a reductive-type dissimilatory bisulfite reductase (DSR). Despite this, growth by sulfate reduction was not observed. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a very high expression level of sulfate-reduction genes during growth by sulfide oxidation, while inhibition experiments with molybdate pointed to elemental sulfur/polysulfides as intermediates. Consequently, we propose that D. a

SUBMITTER: Thorup C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5516251 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature