Genomic and transcriptomic evidence for scavenging of diverse organic compounds by widespread deep-sea archaea

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 8933
• Main Authors: Li, Meng, Baker, Brett J., Anantharaman, Karthik, Jain, Sunit, Breier, John A., Dick, Gregory J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17-11-2015; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Pub. Group
• Subjects: 631/158/2446/2447; 631/208/212/2019; 631/326/26; Archaea - genetics; Archaea - metabolism; Carbohydrate Metabolism - genetics; Carbohydrates; Carbon - metabolism; Carbon Cycle - genetics; Caribbean Region; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Gene Expression Profiling; Genomics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrothermal Vents - microbiology; Lipid Metabolism - genetics; Lipids; multidisciplinary; Oceans and Seas; Proteins - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Seawater - microbiology; Caribbean Region
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9933

Microbial activity is one of the most important processes to mediate the flux of organic carbon from the ocean surface to the seafloor. However, little is known about the microorganisms that underpin this key step of the global carbon cycle in the deep oceans. Here we present genomic and transcriptomic evidence that five ubiquitous archaeal groups actively use proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids and lipids as sources of carbon and energy at depths ranging from 800 to 4,950 m in hydrothermal vent plumes and pelagic background seawater across three different ocean basins. Genome-enabled metabolic reconstructions and gene expression patterns show that these marine archaea are motile heterotrophs with extensive mechanisms for scavenging organic matter. Our results shed light on the ecological and physiological properties of ubiquitous marine archaea and highlight their versatile metabolic strategies in deep oceans that might play a critical role in global carbon cycling.
The contribution of marine archaea to the ocean's carbon cycle is unclear. Here, Li
et al
. analyse the genomes and transcriptomes from five deep-sea archaeal groups to reveal their metabolic characteristics, suggesting a crucial role in modulating the carbon cycle in deep oceans.