Widespread soil bacterium that oxidizes atmospheric methane

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• Main Authors: Tveit, Alexander Tøsdal, Hestnes, Anne Grethe, Robinson, Serina Lee, Schintlmeister, Arno, Dedysh, Svetlana N, Jehmlich, Nico, Bergen, Martin von, Herbold, Craig, Wagner, Michael, Richter, Andreas, Svenning, Mette Marianne
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences 2019
• Subjects: VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400; VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400; Arctic
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10037/17741; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1817812116

Increasing atmospheric methane concentrations contribute significantly to global warming. The only known biological sink for atmospheric methane is oxidation by methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB). Due to the lack of pure cultures, the physiology and metabolic potential of MOB that oxidize atmospheric methane remains a mystery. Here, we report on isolation and characterization of a MOB that can grow on air and utilizes methane at its atmospheric trace concentration as a carbon and energy source. Furthermore, this strain has the potential to utilize five additional atmospheric gases, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen to supply its metabolism. This metabolic versatility might be the key to life on air and this discovery is essential for studying the biological methane sink.