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Large freshwater phages with the potential to augment aerobic methane oxidation
- Source :
- Nature Microbiology, Nature microbiology, vol 5, iss 12
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Nature Publishing Group UK, 2020.
-
Abstract
- There is growing evidence that phages with unusually large genomes are common across various microbiomes, but little is known about their genetic inventories or potential ecosystem impacts. In the present study, we reconstructed large phage genomes from freshwater lakes known to contain bacteria that oxidize methane. Of manually curated genomes, 22 (18 are complete), ranging from 159 kilobase (kb) to 527 kb in length, were found to encode the pmoC gene, an enzymatically critical subunit of the particulate methane monooxygenase, the predominant methane oxidation catalyst in nature. The phage-associated PmoC sequences show high similarity to (>90%), and affiliate phylogenetically with, those of coexisting bacterial methanotrophs, including members of Methyloparacoccus, Methylocystis and Methylobacter spp. In addition, pmoC-phage abundance patterns correlate with those of the coexisting bacterial methanotrophs, supporting host–phage relationships. Future work is needed to determine whether phage-associated PmoC has similar functions to additional copies of PmoC encoded in bacterial genomes, thus contributing to growth on methane. Transcriptomics data from Lake Rotsee (Switzerland) showed that some phage-associated pmoC genes were highly expressed in situ and, of interest, that the most rapidly growing methanotroph was infected by three pmoC-phages. Thus, augmentation of bacterial methane oxidation by pmoC-phages during infection could modulate the efflux of this potent greenhouse gas into the environment.<br />Large freshwater phage genomes can encode the pmoC gene, an important subunit of the methane oxidation enzyme, methane monooxygenase. These genes are similar to bacterial homologues and are actively expressed in situ. Further work is needed to confirm whether these phages contribute to methane oxidation in the environment.
- Subjects :
- Microbiology (medical)
Water microbiology
food.ingredient
Methanotroph
Methane monooxygenase
Immunology
Phage biology
Bacterial genome size
Genome, Viral
Biology
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Genome
Microbiology
Methane
Article
Microbial ecology
chemistry.chemical_compound
03 medical and health sciences
food
Phylogenetics
Genetics
Bacteriophages
Microbiome
Viral
Gene
Phylogeny
030304 developmental biology
0303 health sciences
030306 microbiology
Microbiota
Human Genome
Cell Biology
Biogeochemistry
biology.organism_classification
6. Clean water
Lakes
chemistry
Medical Microbiology
13. Climate action
Anaerobic oxidation of methane
Methylocystis
Methylococcaceae
biology.protein
Infection
Oxidation-Reduction
Bacteria
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20585276
- Volume :
- 5
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Nature Microbiology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....acaf9560720d920ed83a4355e69b4d6a