Metagenomic analysis of basal ice from an Alaskan glacier ...

Abstract Background Glaciers cover ~â 10% of land but are among the least explored environments on Earth. The basal portion of glaciers often harbors unique aquatic microbial ecosystems in the absence of sunlight, and knowledge on the microbial community structures and their metabolic potential is v...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kayani, Masood ur Rehman, Doyle, Shawn, Sangwan, Naseer, Wang, Guanqun, Gilbert, Jack, Christner, Brent, Zhu, Ting
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: figshare 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4155590
https://springernature.figshare.com/collections/Metagenomic_analysis_of_basal_ice_from_an_Alaskan_glacier/4155590
Description
Summary:Abstract Background Glaciers cover ~â 10% of land but are among the least explored environments on Earth. The basal portion of glaciers often harbors unique aquatic microbial ecosystems in the absence of sunlight, and knowledge on the microbial community structures and their metabolic potential is very limited. Here, we provide insights into the microbial lifestyle present at the base of the Matanuska Glacier, Alaska. Results DNA and RNA were extracted from samples of the Matanuska Glacier basal ice. Using Illumina MiSeq and HiSeq sequencing, we investigated the microbial diversity with the metagenomic shotgun reads and 16S ribosomal RNA data. We further assembled 9 partial and draft bacterial genomes from the metagenomic assembly, and identified key metabolic pathways such as sulfur oxidation and nitrification. Collectively, our analyses suggest a prevalence of lithotrophic and heterotrophic metabolisms in the subglacial microbiome. Conclusion Our results present the first metagenomic assembly and bacterial ...