Team Play: Determining Syntrophic Interactions in Hydrocarbon Biodegradation Processes

团队合作：确定碳氢化合物生物降解过程中的互养相互作用

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-07029
• 负责人: Gieg, Lisa
• 金额: $ 3.06万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=744740
• 关键词: Team; Play; Determining; Syntrophic; Interactions

Microorganisms in the natural world exist as mixed communities whose collective metabolism substantially contributes to biogeochemical and/or nutrient cycling - phenomena that can have profound impacts on global health including our climate, water, and land resources. In anoxic environments, mixed microbial communities comprised of Bacteria and Archaea are able to biotransform organic matter to methane through a metabolic process known as syntrophy. Syntrophy is defined as a thermodynamically interdependent (mutualistic) metabolism wherein different species within mixed anaerobic communities must cooperate to carry out a given metabolic reaction that cannot be catabolized by each organism alone. Such `team play' metabolism operates near the thermodynamic equilibrium, yet contributes substantially to the natural cycling of organic matter to CH4 and CO2 in anoxic ecosystems such as wetlands, animal guts, landfills, rice paddies, and wastewater treatment systems, and is a prevalent process in anoxic hydrocarbon-associated ecosystems such as natural oil and gas seeps, deep subsurface energy reservoirs, and shallow hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater systems. However, the ecological principles underlying the syntrophic metabolism of most organic compounds, including hydrocarbons, remain to be fully explored. The over-arching, long-term objective of my research program is to determine the interactions that govern syntrophic communities associated with methanogenic hydrocarbon biodegradation processes. The two major short-term objectives for the proposed work that will address gaps in knowledge in this field of study are to (1) identify the interactions and potential roles of poorly understood syntrophic members in mixed consortia, including those of uncultivated taxa (such as `Atribacteria') and other community members that have been identified in our hydrocarbon-metabolizing methanogenic cultures and in other environments, and (2) to experimentally assess mechanisms used by methanogenic hydrocarbon-degrading community members (such as via indirect or direct interspecies electron transfer, mediators, or nutrient interdependencies) to form mutually beneficial partnerships with each other. The proposed research program will offer insights into how microbial community members collectively interact to biotransform organic matter thus contributing to a broader understanding of biogeochemical cycling. The focus on hydrocarbon-degrading systems undergoing such `team play' will help to improve our understanding of how best to apply biological solutions to remediate hydrocarbon-contaminated environments in Canada and elsewhere.

自然世界中的微生物作为混合群落存在，其集体代谢基本上有助于生物地球化学和/或营养循环 - 可能会对包括我们的气候，水和土地资源在内的全球健康产生深远影响的现象。在缺氧环境中，由细菌和古细菌组成的混合微生物群落能够通过称为综合体的代谢过程将有机物生物转化有机物与甲烷。综合体被定义为一种热力学相互依存的（相互主义）代谢，其中混合厌氧群落中的不同物种必须配合以进行给定的代谢反应，而每种生物体都不能分解每个生物体。这种“团队玩耍”的代谢在热力学平衡附近运行，但在缺氧生态系统（例如湿地，动物胆量，垃圾填埋场，水稻帕迪群岛和水稻治疗系统）中，有机物对CH4和CO2的有机物自然循环产生，并且是无氧氧化剂的自然水解剂，并且是机油氧化剂的普遍处理的，并且是一种普遍的过程。地下能量储层和浅碳氢化合物污染的地下水系统。但是，大多数有机化合物（包括碳氢化合物）的综合代谢的基础的生态原理仍有待充分的探索。我的研究计划的长期，长期目标是确定与甲烷烃生物降解过程相关的综合社区的相互作用。 The two major short-term objectives for the proposed work that will address gaps in knowledge in this field of study are to (1) identify the interactions and potential roles of poorly understood syntrophic members in mixed consortia, including those of uncultivated taxa (such as `Atribacteria') and other community members that have been identified in our hydrocarbon-metabolizing methanogenic cultures and in other environments, and (2) to experimentally assess甲烷碳碳酸碳酸碳碳降解的社区成员（例如通过间接或直接种间电子转移，介体或营养相互依赖的机制）相互建立互惠互利的伙伴关系。拟议的研究计划将提供有关微生物社区成员如何共同与生物转化有机物相互作用的见解，从而有助于对生物地球化学循环的更广泛理解。对经历此类“团队游戏”的碳氢化合物降解系统的关注将有助于我们对如何最好地应用生物解决方案来补救加拿大和其他地方的碳氢化合物污染环境。