Bacterial chemolithoautotrophy via manganese oxidation.

ABSTRACT: Manganese is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. The oxidation of manganese has long been theorized¹-yet has not been demonstrated^2-4-to fuel the growth of chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms. Here we refine an enrichment culture that exhibits exponential growth dependent on Mn(II) oxidation to a co-culture of two microbial species. Oxidation required viable bacteria at permissive temperatures, which resulted in the generation of small nodules of manganese oxide with which the cells associated. The majority member of the culture-which we designate 'Candidatus Manganitrophus noduliformans'-is affiliated to the phylum Nitrospirae (also known as Nitrospirota), but is distantly related to known species of Nitrospira and Leptospirillum. We isolated the minority me

SUBMITTER: Yu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7802741 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature