Organic compounds such as urea and cyanate can serve as nitrogen (N) sources for nitrifying microorganisms, including ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), complete ammonia-oxidizing (comammox) bacteria, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Here we investigated metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) for all four nitrifier guilds generated from hydrologically variable floodplain sediments of the Wind River Basin (WRB; Riverton, WY, USA) for their genetic potential to utilize organic N compounds. A vast majority of WRB nitrifier MAGs harbored urease (ure) and at least one urea transporter (utp, urt, dur3). AOA were the most abundant and phylogenetically diverse nitrifiers in WRB floodplain sediments. Several AOA MAGs encoded cyanase (cynS), nitrilase (nit1), omega-amidase (nit2), nitrile hydratase (nthA), and genes related to purine degradation, including biuret hydrolase (biuH), oxamic transcarbamylase (allFGH), and catabolic carbamate kinase (allK). AOA often encoded an uncharacterized amidohydrolase collocated with biuH, rather than allophanate hydrolase (atzF). A small number of AOA encoded atzF, functioning in an unknown pathway. AOB and comammox were of relatively low abundance and taxonomic diversity and were present only at certain depths in WRB; however, they encoded triuret/biuret degradation genes (trtA, biuH, and atzH), and in comammox, these genes were also collocated with allFGHK. The genetic potential of ammonia oxidizers in the WRB floodplain suggests that organic N may support nitrification in this system. The proposed pathways for utilizing purine degradation products other than urea potentially expand the known metabolic capabilities of AOA, AOB, and comammox bacteria and reveal the possibility for cryptic N cycling between microbial community members.
Rasmussen, Anna N., et al. "Floodplain nitrifiers harbor the genetic potential for utilizing a wide range of organic nitrogen compounds." mSystems, vol. 10, no. 11, Oct. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00829-25
Rasmussen, Anna N., Langenfeld, Katie, Tolar, Bradley B., Perzan, Zach, Maher, Kate, Cardarelli, Emily L., Bargar, John R., Boye, Kristin, & Francis, Christopher A. (2025). Floodplain nitrifiers harbor the genetic potential for utilizing a wide range of organic nitrogen compounds. mSystems, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00829-25
Rasmussen, Anna N., Langenfeld, Katie, Tolar, Bradley B., et al., "Floodplain nitrifiers harbor the genetic potential for utilizing a wide range of organic nitrogen compounds," mSystems 10, no. 11 (2025), https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00829-25
@article{osti_3000948,
author = {Rasmussen, Anna N. and Langenfeld, Katie and Tolar, Bradley B. and Perzan, Zach and Maher, Kate and Cardarelli, Emily L. and Bargar, John R. and Boye, Kristin and Francis, Christopher A.},
title = {Floodplain nitrifiers harbor the genetic potential for utilizing a wide range of organic nitrogen compounds},
annote = {Organic compounds such as urea and cyanate can serve as nitrogen (N) sources for nitrifying microorganisms, including ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB), complete ammonia-oxidizing (comammox) bacteria, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Here we investigated metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) for all four nitrifier guilds generated from hydrologically variable floodplain sediments of the Wind River Basin (WRB; Riverton, WY, USA) for their genetic potential to utilize organic N compounds. A vast majority of WRB nitrifier MAGs harbored urease (ure) and at least one urea transporter (utp, urt, dur3). AOA were the most abundant and phylogenetically diverse nitrifiers in WRB floodplain sediments. Several AOA MAGs encoded cyanase (cynS), nitrilase (nit1), omega-amidase (nit2), nitrile hydratase (nthA), and genes related to purine degradation, including biuret hydrolase (biuH), oxamic transcarbamylase (allFGH), and catabolic carbamate kinase (allK). AOA often encoded an uncharacterized amidohydrolase collocated with biuH, rather than allophanate hydrolase (atzF). A small number of AOA encoded atzF, functioning in an unknown pathway. AOB and comammox were of relatively low abundance and taxonomic diversity and were present only at certain depths in WRB; however, they encoded triuret/biuret degradation genes (trtA, biuH, and atzH), and in comammox, these genes were also collocated with allFGHK. The genetic potential of ammonia oxidizers in the WRB floodplain suggests that organic N may support nitrification in this system. The proposed pathways for utilizing purine degradation products other than urea potentially expand the known metabolic capabilities of AOA, AOB, and comammox bacteria and reveal the possibility for cryptic N cycling between microbial community members.},
doi = {10.1128/msystems.00829-25},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/3000948},
journal = {mSystems},
issn = {ISSN 2379-5077},
number = {11},
volume = {10},
place = {United States},
publisher = {American Society for Microbiology},
year = {2025},
month = {10}}