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Anaerobic oxidation of short-chain hydrocarbons by marine sulphate-reducing bacteria

Nature volume 449, pages 898–901 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The short-chain hydrocarbons ethane, propane and butane are constituents of natural gas. They are usually assumed to be of thermochemical origin1, but biological formation of ethane and propane has been also observed2. Microbial utilization of short-chain hydrocarbons has been shown in some aerobic species3,4 but not in anaerobic species of bacteria. On the other hand, anaerobic utilization of short-chain hydrocarbons would in principle be expected because various anaerobic bacteria grow with higher homologues (≥C6)5. Indeed, chemical analyses of hydrocarbon-rich habitats with limited or no access of oxygen indicated in situ biodegradation of short-chain hydrocarbons6,7,8,9,10. Here we report the enrichment of sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) with such capacity from marine hydrocarbon seep areas. Propane or n-butane as the sole growth substrate led to sediment-free sulphate-reducing enrichment cultures growing at 12, 28 or 60 °C. With ethane, a slower enrichment with residual sediment was obtained at 12 °C. Isolation experiments resulted in a mesophilic pure culture (strain BuS5) that used only propane and n-butane (methane, isobutane, alcohols or carboxylic acids did not support growth). Complete hydrocarbon oxidation to CO2 and the preferential oxidation of 12C-enriched alkanes were observed with strain BuS5 and other cultures. Metabolites of propane included iso- and n-propylsuccinate, indicating a subterminal as well as an unprecedented terminal alkane activation with involvement of fumarate. According to 16S ribosomal RNA analyses, strain BuS5 affiliates with Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus, a cluster of widespread marine SRB. An enrichment culture with propane growing at 60 °C was dominated by Desulfotomaculum-like SRB. Our results suggest that diverse SRB are able to thrive in seep areas and gas reservoirs on propane and butane, thus altering the gas composition and contributing to sulphide production.

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Figure 1: Microscopy and phylogenetic analysis.
Figure 2: Time course of the anaerobic consumption of propane and butane by a mesophilic strain.
Figure 3: Anaerobic activation reactions of propane suggested by identified metabolites.

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Acknowledgements

We are particularly indebted to the shipboard science parties and submersible operation teams of the RV Seward Johnson II and RV Atlantis, and to K. Zengler for providing sediment samples from Guaymas basin. Funding for the Gulf of Mexico cruise was provided by the US National Science Foundation (Life in Extreme Environments programme), the US Department of Energy, and the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. We thank J. Harder, C. Karger, R. Lendt and A. Sobotta for instrumental help. S.M.S. and S.B.J. acknowledge support through a fellowship received from the Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg, Delmenhorst (Germany). This study was supported by the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft and the GEOTECHNOLOGIEN research programme of the BMBF and DFG.

The nucleotide sequences have been deposited at EMBL, GenBank and DDBJ under accession numbers EF077225 (strain BuS5), EF077226 (enrichment culture ‘Butane12-GMe’), EF077227 (enrichment culture ‘Propane60-GuB’) and EF077228 (enrichment culture with butane at 60 °C).

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  1. Olaf Kniemeyer

    Present address: Present address: Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Hans Knöll Institute, D-07745 Jena, Germany.,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, D-28359 Bremen, Germany ,

    Olaf Kniemeyer, Florin Musat, Katrin Knittel & Friedrich Widdel

  2. Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02536, USA,

    Stefan M. Sievert

  3. GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany ,

    Heinz Wilkes

  4. Institute of Biogeochemistry and Marine Chemistry, Bundesstraße 55, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany

    Martin Blumenberg & Walter Michaelis

  5. Institute for Organic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany

    Arno Classen & Carsten Bolm

  6. Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-3636, USA,

    Samantha B. Joye

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Correspondence to Friedrich Widdel.

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Kniemeyer, O., Musat, F., Sievert, S. et al. Anaerobic oxidation of short-chain hydrocarbons by marine sulphate-reducing bacteria. Nature 449, 898–901 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06200

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