Persistence and resistance: survival mechanisms of Candidatus Dormibacterota from nutrient-poor Antarctic soils

Candidatus Dormibacterota is an uncultured bacterial phylum found predominantly in soil that is present in high abundances within cold desert soils. Here, we interrogate nine metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), including six new MAGs derived from soil metagenomes obtained from two eastern Antarctic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental Microbiology
Main Authors: Montgomery, K, Williams, TJ, Brettle, M, Berengut, JF, Angelique, E, Zhang, E, Zaugg, J, Hugenholtz, P, Ferrari, BC, Ray, Angelique
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Wiley 2021
Subjects:
Antarctic Regions
In Situ Hybridization
Fluorescence
Metagenome
Nutrients
Phylogeny
Soil
anzsrc-for: 0603 Evolutionary Biology
anzsrc-for: 0605 Microbiology
Antarctic
Calvin
Antarc*
Antarctica
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/unsworks_81289
https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/bitstreams/72b89dd3-7ff3-43e0-9d5e-d17b78b27892/download
https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15610
Description
Summary:Candidatus Dormibacterota is an uncultured bacterial phylum found predominantly in soil that is present in high abundances within cold desert soils. Here, we interrogate nine metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), including six new MAGs derived from soil metagenomes obtained from two eastern Antarctic sites. Phylogenomic and taxonomic analyses revealed these MAGs represent four genera and five species, representing two order-level clades within Ca. Dormibacterota. Metabolic reconstructions of these MAGs revealed the potential for aerobic metabolism, and versatile adaptations enabling persistence in the ‘extreme’ Antarctic environment. Primary amongst these adaptations were abilities to scavenge atmospheric H2 and CO as energy sources, as well as using the energy derived from H2 oxidation to fix atmospheric CO2 via the Calvin–Bassham–Benson cycle, using a RuBisCO type IE. We propose that these allow Ca. Dormibacterota to persist using H2 oxidation and grow using atmospheric chemosynthesis in terrestrial Antarctica. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed Ca. Dormibacterota to be coccoid cells, 0.3–1.4 μm in diameter, with some cells exhibiting the potential for a symbiotic or syntrophic lifestyle.

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