Life on the thermodynamic edge: Respiratory growth of an acetotrophic methanogen
Abstract
Although two-thirds of the nearly 1 billion metric tons of methane produced annually in Earth’s biosphere derives from acetate, the in situ process has escaped rigorous understanding. The unresolved question concerns the mechanism by which the exceptionally marginal amount of available energy supports acetotrophic growth of methanogenic archaea in the environment. Here, we show that Methanosarcina acetivorans conserves energy by Fe(III)-dependent respiratory metabolism of acetate, augmenting production of the greenhouse gas methane. An extensively revised, ecologically relevant, biochemical pathway for acetotrophic growth is presented, in which the conservation of respiratory energy is maximized by electron bifurcation, a previously unknown mechanism of biological energy coupling. The results transform the ecological and biochemical understanding of methanogenesis and the role of iron in the mineralization of organic matter in anaerobic environments.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1610282
- Grant/Contract Number:
- FG02-95ER20198
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Science Advances
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 2375-2548
- Publisher:
- AAAS
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Science & Technology - Other Topics; Ecology
Citation Formats
Prakash, Divya, Chauhan, Shikha S., and Ferry, James G. Life on the thermodynamic edge: Respiratory growth of an acetotrophic methanogen. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aaw9059.
Prakash, Divya, Chauhan, Shikha S., & Ferry, James G. Life on the thermodynamic edge: Respiratory growth of an acetotrophic methanogen. United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw9059
Prakash, Divya, Chauhan, Shikha S., and Ferry, James G. Wed .
"Life on the thermodynamic edge: Respiratory growth of an acetotrophic methanogen". United States. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw9059. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1610282.
@article{osti_1610282,
title = {Life on the thermodynamic edge: Respiratory growth of an acetotrophic methanogen},
author = {Prakash, Divya and Chauhan, Shikha S. and Ferry, James G.},
abstractNote = {Although two-thirds of the nearly 1 billion metric tons of methane produced annually in Earth’s biosphere derives from acetate, the in situ process has escaped rigorous understanding. The unresolved question concerns the mechanism by which the exceptionally marginal amount of available energy supports acetotrophic growth of methanogenic archaea in the environment. Here, we show that Methanosarcina acetivorans conserves energy by Fe(III)-dependent respiratory metabolism of acetate, augmenting production of the greenhouse gas methane. An extensively revised, ecologically relevant, biochemical pathway for acetotrophic growth is presented, in which the conservation of respiratory energy is maximized by electron bifurcation, a previously unknown mechanism of biological energy coupling. The results transform the ecological and biochemical understanding of methanogenesis and the role of iron in the mineralization of organic matter in anaerobic environments.},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aaw9059},
journal = {Science Advances},
number = 8,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Aug 21 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Wed Aug 21 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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