Contribution of methanotrophic and nitrifying bacteria to CH4 and NH4+ oxidation in the rhizosphere of rice plants as determined by new methods of discrimination

Methanotrophic and nitrifying bacteria are both able to oxidize CH4 as well as NH4+. To date it is not possible to estimate the relative contribution of methanotrophs to nitrification and that of nitrifiers to CH4 oxidation and thus to assess their roles in N and C cycling in soils and sediments. This study presents new options for discrimination between the activities of methanotrophs and nitrifiers, based on the competitive inhibitor CH3F and on recovery after inhibition with C2H2. By using rice plant soil as a model system, it was possible to selectively inactivate methanotrophs in soil slurries at a CH4/CH3F/NH4+ molar ratio of 0.1:1:18. This ratio of CH3F to NH4+ did not affect ammonia oxidation, but methane oxidation was inhibited completely. By using the same model system, it could be shown that after 24 h of exposure to C2H2 (1,000 parts per million volume), methanotrophs recovered within 24 h while nitrifiers stayed inactive for at least 3 days. This gave an "assay window" of 48 h when only methanotrophs were active. Applying both assays to model microcosms planted with rice plants demonstrated a major contribution of methanotrophs to nitrification in the rhizosphere, while the contribution of nitrifiers to CH4 oxidation was insignificant.     

Potential activity of methane and ammonia oxidation by methanotropic communities from soda lakes of the southern Transbaikal

Radioisotopic measurements of the methane consumption by mud samples taken from nine Southern Transbaikal soda lakes (pH 9.5-10.6) showed an intense oxidation of methane in the muds of lakes Khuzhirta, Bumalai Nur, Gorbunka, and Suduntuiskii Torom, with the maximum oxidation rate in the mud of lakes Khuzhirta (33.2 nmol/(ml day)). The incorporation rate of the radioactive label from 14CH4 into 14CO2 was higher than into acid-stable metabolites. Optimum pH values for methane oxidation in water samples were 7-8, whereas mud samples exhibited two peaks of methane oxidation activity (at pH 8.15-9.4 and 5.8-7.0). The majority of samples could oxidize ammonium to nitrites; the oxidation was inhibited by methane. The PCR amplification analysis of samples revealed the presence of genes encoding soluble and particulate methane monooxygenase and methanol dehydrogenase. Three alkaliphilic methanotrophic bacteria of morphotype I were isolated from mud samples in pure cultures, one of which, B5, was able to oxidize ammonium to nitrites at pH 7-11. The data obtained suggest that methanotrophs are widely spread in the soda lakes of Southern Transbaikal, where they actively oxidize methane and ammonium.     

An examination of proton translocation and energy conservation during heterotrophic nitrification

Whether selected heterotrophic nitrifiers, as do the autotrophs, conserve energy during the oxidation of their nitrogenous substrates was studied. The examination of proton translocation of four different bacterial nitrifiers capable of pyruvic oxime [(PO), CH3-C(NOH)-COOH] nitrification and by an NH4+ oxidizing Arthrobacter sp. was initiated. Three of the PO nitrifying bacteria, all pseudomonads, oxidize hydroxylamine (NH2OH) at a greater rate than PO and yielded only stoichiometric protons when NH2OH was the reductant. The fourth bacterium, Alcaligenes faecalis ATCC 8750, an adept PO oxidizer, does not appreciably oxidize NH2OH. The bacterium displayed----H+NH2OH ratios far less than if NH2OH was stoichiometrically converted to nitrite. When given NH4+, the Arthrobacter sp. yielded proton translocation patterns which were inconsistent with the metabolic data collected concerning NH4+ oxidation. Thus no data was collected which supported energy conservation via proton translocation by these heterotrophic nitrifiers.     

Effects of O2 and CH4 on presence and activity of the indigenous methanotrophic community in rice field soil

The activity and distribution of methanotrophs in soil depend on the availability of CH4 and O2. Therefore, we investigated the activity and structure of the methanotrophic community in rice field soil under four factorial combinations of high and low CH4 and O2 concentrations. The methanotrophic population structure was resolved by denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with different PCR primer sets targeting the 16S rRNA gene, and two functional genes coding for key enzymes in methanotrophs, i.e. the particulate methane monooxygenase (pmoA) and the methanol dehydrogenase (mxaF). Changes in the biomass of type I and II methanotrophic bacteria in the rice soil were determined by analysis of phospholipid-ester-linked fatty acid (PLFA) biomarkers. The relative contribution of type I and II methanotrophs to the measured methane oxidation activity was determined by labelling of soil samples with 14CH4 followed by analysis of [14C]-PLFAs. CH4 oxidation was repressed by high O2 (20.5%), and enhanced by low O2 (1%). Depending on the CH4 and O2 mixing ratios, different methanotrophic communities developed with a higher diversity at low than at high CH4 concentration as revealed by PCR-DGGE. However, a prevalence of type I or II populations was not detected. The [14C]-PLFA fingerprints, on the other hand, revealed that CH4 oxidation activity was dominated by type I methanotrophs in incubations with low CH4 mixing ratios (1000 p.p.m.v.) and during initiation of CH4 consumption regardless of O2 or CH4 mixing ratio. At high methane mixing ratios (10 000 p.p.m.v.), type I and II methanotrophs contributed equally to the measured CH4 metabolism. Collectively, type I methanotrophs responded fast and with pronounced shifts in population structure and dominated the activity under all four gas mixtures. Type II methanotrophs, on the other hand, although apparently more abundant, always present and showing a largely stable population structure, became active later and contributed to CH4 oxidation activity mainly under high CH4 mixing ratios.     

Detection and localization of two hydrogenases in Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) and their potential role in methane metabolism

Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) was shown to contain two distinct hydrogenases, a soluble hydrogenase and a membrane-bound hydrogenase. This is the first report of a membrane-bound hydrogenase in methanotrophs. Both enzymes were expressed apparently constitutively under normal growth conditions. The soluble hydrogenase was capable of reducing NAD(+) with molecular hydrogen. The activities of both soluble and particulate methane monooxygenases could be driven by molecular hydrogen. This confirmed that molecular hydrogen could be used as a source of reducing power for methane oxidation. Hydrogen-driven methane monooxygenase activities tolerated elevated temperatures and moderate oxygen concentrations. The significance of these findings for biotechnological applications of methanotrophs is discussed.     

甲烷氧化过程中铜的作用研究进展

甲烷生物氧化在全球甲烷平衡和温室效应控制中扮演着重要的角色,而铜是甲烷生物氧化过程中的重要影响因子.一方面,铜是调控不同类型甲烷单加氧酶表达的主要影响因子,是组成颗粒性甲烷单加氧酶的必需金属元素;另一方面,在自然环境体系中,铜含量及其形态的变化对甲烷氧化菌的分布、代谢甲烷和非甲烷类有机化合物的能力以及甲烷氧化菌的特异性铜捕获系统也会产生较大影响.准确把握铜在甲烷生物氧化过程中发挥的作用将有助于全面了解甲烷生物氧化过程,进而更好地指导甲烷氧化微生物在温室气体减排及非甲烷有机物污染修复中的应用.本文主要从铜的角度,概述了铜对甲烷氧化菌的分布和活性的影响,介绍了铜在调控甲烷单加氧酶的表达和活性以及调节甲烷氧化菌铜捕获系统方面的作用,并展望了其研究方向.     

Abundance, distribution and potential activity of methane oxidizing bacteria in permafrost soils from the Lena Delta, Siberia

The methane oxidation potential of active layer profiles of permafrost soils from the Lena Delta, Siberia, was studied with regard to its respond to temperature, and abundance and distribution of type I and type II methanotrophs. Our results indicate vertical shifts within the optimal methane oxidation temperature and within the distribution of type I and type II methanotrophs. In the upper active layer, maximum methane oxidation potentials were detected at 21 degrees C. Deep active layer zones that are constantly exposed to temperatures below 2 degrees C showed a maximum potential to oxidize methane at 4 degrees C. Our results indicate a dominance of psychrophilic methanotrophs close to the permafrost table. Type I methanotrophs dominated throughout the active layer profiles but their number strongly fluctuated with depth. In contrast, type II methanotrophs were constantly abundant through the whole active layer and displaced type I methanotrophs close to the permafrost table. No correlation between in situ temperatures and the distribution of type I and type II methanotrophs was found. However, the distribution of type I and type II methanotrophs correlated significantly with in situ methane concentrations. Beside vertical fluctuations, the abundance of methane oxidizers also fluctuated according to different geomorphic units. Similar methanotroph cell counts were detected in samples of a flood plain and a polygon rim, whereas cell counts in samples of a polygon centre were up to 100 times lower.     

Inhibition of Methane Oxidation by Methylococcus capsulatus with Hydrochlorofluorocarbons and Fluorinated Methanes

The inhibition of methane oxidation by cell suspensions of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) exposed to hydrochlorofluorocarbon 21 (HCFC-21; difluorochloromethane [CHF(inf2)Cl]), HCFC-22 (fluorodichloromethane [CHFCl(inf2)]), and various fluorinated methanes was investigated. HCFC-21 inhibited methane oxidation to a greater extent than HCFC-22, for both the particulate and soluble methane monooxygenases. Among the fluorinated methanes, both methyl fluoride (CH(inf3)F) and difluoromethane (CH(inf2)F(inf2)) were inhibitory while fluoroform (CHF(inf3)) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF(inf4)) were not. The inhibition of methane oxidation by HCFC-21 and HCFC-22 was irreversible, while that by methyl fluoride was reversible. The HCFCs also proved inhibitory to methanol dehydrogenase, which suggests that they disrupt other aspects of C(inf1) catabolism in addition to methane monooxygenase activity.     

甲烷氧化菌及其在环境治理中的应用

甲烷的生物氧化包括好氧氧化和厌氧氧化两种,分别由好氧甲烷氧化菌和厌氧甲烷氧化菌完成.由于该过程是减少自然环境中温室气体甲烷排放的重要途径,越来越受到各国学者的重视.本文主要对当前甲烷氧化菌的研究现状进行了综述,对好氧甲烷氧化菌的种类、参与氧化甲烷的关键酶,厌氧甲烷氧化菌的种类、参与的微生物菌种以及氧化机理进行了论述,并对这两类微生物在温室气体减排、污染物治理、废水生物脱氮、硫及金属元素回收等方面的应用现状及前景进行了分析.     

Isolation and characterization of alkane-utilizing Nocardioides sp. strain CF8

A butane-utilizing bacterial strain CF8 was isolated and identified as a member of the genus Nocardioides from chemotaxonomic and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Strain CF8 grew on alkanes ranging from C(2) to C(16) in addition to butane and various other substrates including primary alcohols, carboxylic acids, and phenol. Butane degradation by strain CF8 was inactivated by light, a specific inactivator of copper-containing monooxygenases. The unique thermal aggregation phenomenon of acetylene-binding polypeptides was also observed for strain CF8. These results suggest that butane monooxygenase in strain CF8 is a third example of the copper-containing monooxygenases previously described in ammonia oxidizers and methanotrophs.     

Hydrology is reflected in the functioning and community composition of methanotrophs in the littoral wetland of a boreal lake

In lake ecosystems a major proportion of methane (CH(4) ) emissions originate from the littoral zone, which can have a great spatial variability in hydrology, soil quality and vegetation. Hitherto, spatial heterogeneity and the effects it has on functioning and diversity of methanotrophs in littoral wetlands have been poorly understood. A diagnostic microarray based on the particulate methane monooxygenase gene coupled with geostatistics was used to analyse spatial patterns of methanotrophs in the littoral wetland of a eutrophic boreal lake (Lake Kev?t?n, Eastern Finland). The wetland had a hydrology gradient with a mean water table varying from -8 to -25 cm. The wettest area, comprising the highest CH(4) oxidation, had the highest abundance and species richness of methanotrophs. A high water table favoured the occurrence of type Ib methanotrophs, whereas types Ia and II were found under all moisture conditions. Thus the spatial heterogeneity in functioning and diversity of methanotrophs in littoral wetlands is highly dependent on the water table, which in turn varies spatially in relation to the geomorphology of the wetland. We suggest that changes in water levels resulting from regulation of lakes and/or global change will affect the abundance, activity and diversity of methanotrophs, and consequently CH(4) emissions from such systems.     

Trichloroethylene biodegradation by mesophilic and psychrophilic ammonia oxidizers and methanotrophs in groundwater microcosms.

This study investigated the efficiency of methane and ammonium for stimulating trichloroethylene (TCE) biodegradation in groundwater microcosms (flasks and batch exchange columns) at a psychrophilic temperature (12 degrees C) typical of shallow aquifers in the northern United States or a mesophilic temperature (24 degrees C) representative of most laboratory experiments. After 140 days, TCE biodegradation rates by ammonia oxidizers and methanotrophs in mesophilic flask microcosms were similar (8 to 10 nmol day-1), but [14C]TCE mineralization (biodegradation to 14CO2) by ammonia oxidizers was significantly greater than that by methanotrophs (63 versus 53%). Under psychrophilic conditions, [14C]TCE mineralization in flask systems by ammonia oxidizers and methanotrophs was reduced to 12 and 5%, respectively. In mesophilic batch exchange columns, average TCE biodegradation rates for methanotrophs (900 nmol liter-1 day-1) were not significantly different from those of ammonia oxidizers (775 nmol liter-1 day-1). Psychrophilic TCE biodegradation rates in the columns were similar with both biostimulants and averaged 145 nmol liter-1 day-1. Methanotroph biostimulation was most adversely affected by low temperatures. At 12 degrees C, the biodegradation efficiencies (TCE degradation normalized to microbial activity) of methanotrophs and ammonia oxidizers decreased by factors of 2.6 and 1.6, respectively, relative to their biodegradation efficiencies at 24 degrees C. Collectively, these experiments demonstrated that in situ bioremediation of TCE is feasible at the psychrophilic temperatures common in surficial aquifers in the northern United States and that for such applications biostimulation of ammonia oxidizers could be more effective than has been previously reported.     

Methane oxidation by Nitrosomonas europaea.

Methane inhibited NH4+ utilization by Nitrosomonas europaea with a Ki of 2mM. O2 consumption was not inhibited. In the absence of NH4+, or with hydrazine as reductant, methane caused nearly a doubling in the rate of O2 uptake. The stimulation was abolished by allylthiourea, a sensitive inhibitor of the oxidation of NH4+. Analysis revealed that methanol was being formed in these experiments, with yields approaching 1 mol of methanol per mol of O2 consumed under certain conditions. When cells were incubated with NH4+ under an atmosphere of 50% methane, 50 microM-methanol was generated in 1 h. It is concluded that methane is an alternative substrate for the NH3-oxidizing enzyme (ammonia mono-oxygenase),m albeit with a much lower affinity than for methane mono-oxygenase of methanotrophs.     

Analysis of methanotrophic bacteria in Movile Cave by stable isotope probing

Movile Cave is an unusual groundwater ecosystem that is supported by in situ chemoautotrophic production. The cave atmosphere contains 1-2% methane (CH4), although much higher concentrations are found in gas bubbles that keep microbial mats afloat on the water surface. As previous analyses of stable carbon isotope ratios have suggested that methane oxidation occurs in this environment, we hypothesized that aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) are active in Movile Cave. To identify the active methanotrophs in the water and mat material from Movile Cave, a microcosm was incubated with a 10%13CH4 headspace in a DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) experiment. Using improved centrifugation conditions, a 13C-labelled DNA fraction was collected and used as a template for polymerase chain reaction amplification. Analysis of genes encoding the small-subunit rRNA and key enzymes in the methane oxidation pathway of methanotrophs identified that strains of Methylomonas, Methylococcus and Methylocystis/Methylosinus had assimilated the 13CH4, and that these methanotrophs contain genes encoding both known types of methane monooxygenase (MMO). Sequences of non-methanotrophic bacteria and an alga provided evidence for turnover of CH4 due to possible cross-feeding on 13C-labelled metabolites or biomass. Our results suggest that aerobic methanotrophs actively convert CH4 into complex organic compounds in Movile Cave and thus help to sustain a diverse community of microorganisms in this closed ecosystem.     

CO2浓度增加对长白山森林土壤甲烷氧化影响

大气CO2浓度升高可能对森林土壤的甲烷(CH4)氧化速率产生影响.本文采用开顶箱技术,对连续6年高浓度CO2(500 μmol·mol-1)处理的长白山森林典型树种蒙古栎树下土壤CH4氧化速率进行研究,并利用CH4氧化菌的16S rRNA特异性引物以及CH4单加氧酶功能基因引物分析了土壤中CH4氧化菌的群落结构与数量.结果表明:CO2浓度增高后,生长季土壤甲烷氧化量与对照和裸地相比分别降低了4％和22％;基于16S rRNA特异性引物的DGGE分析表明,CO2浓度增高导致两类甲烷氧化菌的多样性指数降低;CO2浓度增高对土壤中Ⅰ类甲烷氧化菌数量无显著影响,而使土壤中Ⅱ类甲烷氧化菌数量显著减少,功能基因pmoA拷贝数与对照和裸地相比分别降低了15％和46％.CO2浓度增高导致森林土壤甲烷氧化菌数量与活性降低,土壤含水量的增加可能是导致这一现象的主要原因.     

Radioactive fingerprinting of microorganisms that oxidize atmospheric methane in different soils.

Microorganisms that oxidize atmospheric methane in soils were characterized by radioactive labelling with (14)CH(4) followed by analysis of radiolabelled phospholipid ester-linked fatty acids ((14)C-PLFAs). The radioactive fingerprinting technique was used to compare active methanotrophs in soil samples from Greenland, Denmark, the United States, and Brazil. The (14)C-PLFA fingerprints indicated that closely related methanotrophic bacteria were responsible for the oxidation of atmospheric methane in the soils. Significant amounts of labelled PLFAs produced by the unknown soil methanotrophs coeluted with a group of fatty acids that included i17:0, a17:0, and 17:1omega8c (up to 9.0% of the total (14)C-PLFAs). These PLFAs are not known to be significant constituents of methanotrophic bacteria. The major PLFAs of the soil methanotrophs (73.5 to 89.0% of the total PLFAs) coeluted with 18:1 and 18:0 fatty acids (e.g., 18:1omega9, 18:1omega7, and 18:0). The (14)C-PLFAs fingerprints of the soil methanotrophs that oxidized atmospheric methane did not change after long-term methane enrichment at 170 ppm CH(4). The (14)C-PLFA fingerprints of the soil methanotrophs were different from the PLFA profiles of type I and type II methanotrophic bacteria described previously. Some similarity at the PLFA level was observed between the unknown soil methanotrophs and the PLFA phenotype of the type II methanotrophs. Methanotrophs in Arctic, temperate, and tropical regions assimilated between 20 and 54% of the atmospheric methane that was metabolized. The lowest relative assimilation (percent) was observed for methanotrophs in agricultural soil, whereas the highest assimilation was observed for methanotrophs in rain forest soil. The results suggest that methanotrophs with relatively high carbon conversion efficiencies and very similar PLFA compositions dominate atmospheric methane metabolism in different soils. The characteristics of the methane metabolism and the (14)C-PLFA fingerprints excluded any significant role of autotrophic ammonia oxidizers in the metabolism of atmospheric methane.