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Main Authors: Jiang, Lijia, Liang, Zhengjiao, Williams, Tom A, Deng, Yinan, Yu, Hao, Hao, Qian, Cao, Jun, Zhou, Hanghai, Lai, Hongfei, Chen, Jiawang, Chen, Haixin, Zhang, Chunfang
Format: Artículo científico
Language:en
Published: Marine environmental research 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41855937/
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author Jiang, Lijia
Liang, Zhengjiao
Williams, Tom A
Deng, Yinan
Yu, Hao
Hao, Qian
Cao, Jun
Zhou, Hanghai
Lai, Hongfei
Chen, Jiawang
Chen, Haixin
Zhang, Chunfang
author_facet Jiang, Lijia
Liang, Zhengjiao
Williams, Tom A
Deng, Yinan
Yu, Hao
Hao, Qian
Cao, Jun
Zhou, Hanghai
Lai, Hongfei
Chen, Jiawang
Chen, Haixin
Zhang, Chunfang
Jiang, Lijia
Liang, Zhengjiao
Williams, Tom A
Deng, Yinan
Yu, Hao
Hao, Qian
Cao, Jun
Zhou, Hanghai
Lai, Hongfei
Chen, Jiawang
Chen, Haixin
Zhang, Chunfang
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Vertical stratification and metabolic versatility of methanogens in Haima cold seep sediments: Alkane-fueled acetoclastic methanogenesis revealed by metagenomics and experimental verification. Jiang, Lijia Liang, Zhengjiao Williams, Tom A Deng, Yinan Yu, Hao Hao, Qian Cao, Jun Zhou, Hanghai Lai, Hongfei Chen, Jiawang Chen, Haixin Zhang, Chunfang Geologic Sediments Alkanes Metagenomics Methane Archaea Oxidoreductases Cold seeps are hot spots for studying the biogeochemical processes mediated by methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) containing archaea, yet these processes remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the microbial communities in a 5-m-long sediment core encompassing sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ), collected from the Haima cold seep. We focused on distinct biogeochemical characteristics and metagenomics to study the vertical patterns of mcrA-containing archaea and their role in alkane metabolism. Background alkane analysis showed that long chain alkanes were dominant in the sediment core. Metagenomic and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that the abundance of mcrA gene within and below the SMTZ were substantially higher than those above the SMTZ. We recovered 21 mcrA-containing MAGs, 11 affiliated with Methanosarcinaceae. One MAG (CG1-BIN56) encoded complete key genes for all three methanogenic pathways. Functional gene profiles suggested that acetoclastic methanogenesis is the dominant pathway. Furthermore, a 10-month anaerobic enrichment with n-alkanes (C/C) using SMTZ (CG15: 350 cmbsf) inocula exhibited high degradation rate (C: 94.2% ± 2.5%, C: 66.8% ± 2.8%) accompanied by acetate accumulation. These findings suggest that acetate, as a likely intermediate associated with alkane degradation process, potentially fuels acetoclastic methanogenesis. This indicates a likely syntrophic interaction between alkane-degrading and methane-cycling microorganisms in cold seep sediments.
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_41855937
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher Marine environmental research
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Vertical stratification and metabolic versatility of methanogens in Haima cold seep sediments: Alkane-fueled acetoclastic methanogenesis revealed by metagenomics and experimental verification.
Jiang, Lijia
Liang, Zhengjiao
Williams, Tom A
Deng, Yinan
Yu, Hao
Hao, Qian
Cao, Jun
Zhou, Hanghai
Lai, Hongfei
Chen, Jiawang
Chen, Haixin
Zhang, Chunfang
Geologic Sediments
Alkanes
Metagenomics
Methane
Archaea
Oxidoreductases
Vertical stratification and metabolic versatility of methanogens in Haima cold seep sediments: Alkane-fueled acetoclastic methanogenesis revealed by metagenomics and experimental verification. Jiang, Lijia Liang, Zhengjiao Williams, Tom A Deng, Yinan Yu, Hao Hao, Qian Cao, Jun Zhou, Hanghai Lai, Hongfei Chen, Jiawang Chen, Haixin Zhang, Chunfang Geologic Sediments Alkanes Metagenomics Methane Archaea Oxidoreductases Cold seeps are hot spots for studying the biogeochemical processes mediated by methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) containing archaea, yet these processes remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the microbial communities in a 5-m-long sediment core encompassing sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ), collected from the Haima cold seep. We focused on distinct biogeochemical characteristics and metagenomics to study the vertical patterns of mcrA-containing archaea and their role in alkane metabolism. Background alkane analysis showed that long chain alkanes were dominant in the sediment core. Metagenomic and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that the abundance of mcrA gene within and below the SMTZ were substantially higher than those above the SMTZ. We recovered 21 mcrA-containing MAGs, 11 affiliated with Methanosarcinaceae. One MAG (CG1-BIN56) encoded complete key genes for all three methanogenic pathways. Functional gene profiles suggested that acetoclastic methanogenesis is the dominant pathway. Furthermore, a 10-month anaerobic enrichment with n-alkanes (C/C) using SMTZ (CG15: 350 cmbsf) inocula exhibited high degradation rate (C: 94.2% ± 2.5%, C: 66.8% ± 2.8%) accompanied by acetate accumulation. These findings suggest that acetate, as a likely intermediate associated with alkane degradation process, potentially fuels acetoclastic methanogenesis. This indicates a likely syntrophic interaction between alkane-degrading and methane-cycling microorganisms in cold seep sediments.
title Vertical stratification and metabolic versatility of methanogens in Haima cold seep sediments: Alkane-fueled acetoclastic methanogenesis revealed by metagenomics and experimental verification.
topic Geologic Sediments
Alkanes
Metagenomics
Methane
Archaea
Oxidoreductases
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41855937/