Title: Identification of specific corrinoids reveals corrinoid modification in dechlorinating microbial communities

Abstract

Cobalamin and other corrinoids are essential cofactors for many organisms. The majority of microbes with corrinoid-dependent enzymes do not produce corrinoids de novo, and instead must acquire corrinoids produced by other organisms in their environment. However, the profile of corrinoids produced in corrinoid-dependent microbial communities, as well as the exchange and modification of corrinoids among community members have not been well studied. Here, we applied a newly developed liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry-based corrinoid detection method to examine relationships among corrinoids, their lower ligand bases and specific microbial groups in microbial communities containing Dehalococcoides mccartyi that has an obligate requirement for benzimidazole-containing corrinoids for trichloroethene respiration. We found that p-cresolylcobamide ([p-Cre]Cba) and cobalamin were the most abundant corrinoids in the communities. It suggests that members of the family Veillonellaceae are associated with the production of [p-Cre]Cba. The decrease of supernatant-associated [p-Cre]Cba and the increase of biomass-associated cobalamin were correlated with the growth of D. mccartyi by dechlorination. This supports the hypothesis that D. mccartyi is capable of fulfilling its corrinoid requirements in a community through corrinoid remodelling, in this case, by importing extracellular [p-Cre]Cba and 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole (DMB) (the lower ligand of cobalamin), to produce cobalamin as a cofactor for dechlorination.more » This study also highlights the role of DMB, the lower ligand produced in all of the studied communities, in corrinoid remodelling. These findings provide novel insights on roles played by different phylogenetic groups in corrinoid production and corrinoid exchange within microbial communities. This study may also have implications for optimizing chlorinated solvent bioremediation.« less

Authors:

Men, Yujie ^[1]; Seth, Erica C. ^[2]; Yi, Shan ^[1]; Crofts, Terence S. ^[2]; Allen, Robert H. ^[3]; Taga, Michiko E. ^[2]; Alvarez-Cohen, Lisa ^[4]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
2. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Plant and Microbial Biology
3. Univ. of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO (United States). Division of Hematology and Dept. of Medicine
4. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth Sciences Division

Publication Date:

Wed May 07 00:00:00 EDT 2014

Research Org.:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC); Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP); National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Science Foundation (NSF)

OSTI Identifier:

1474896

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-05CH11231; ER‐1587; P42ES004705; CBET1336709; MCB1122046

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Environmental Microbiology

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 17; Journal Issue: 12; Journal ID: ISSN 1462-2912

Publisher:

Wiley

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES