Microbial metal-sulfide oxidation in inactive hydrothermal vent chimneys suggested by metagenomic and metaproteomic analyses.

ABSTRACT: Metal-sulfides are wide-spread in marine benthic habitats. At deep-sea hydrothermal vents, they occur as massive sulfide chimneys formed by mineral precipitation upon mixing of reduced vent fluids with cold oxygenated sea water. Although microorganisms inhabiting actively venting chimneys and utilizing compounds supplied by the venting fluids are well studied, only little is known about microorganisms inhabiting inactive chimneys. In this study, we combined 16S rRNA gene-based community profiling of sulfide chimneys from the Manus Basin (SW Pacific) with radiometric dating, metagenome (n = 4) and metaproteome (n = 1) analyses. Our results shed light on potential lifestyles of yet poorly characterized bacterial clades colonizing inactive chimneys. These include sulfate-reducing Nitrospirae

SUBMITTER: Meier DV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6850669 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature