Molecular Fingerprint and Dominant Environmental Factors of Nitrite-Dependent Anaerobic Methane-Oxidizing Bacteria in Sediments from the Yellow River Estuary, China: e0137996

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 9
• Main Authors: Yan, Pengze, Li, Mingcong, Wei, Guangshan, Li, Han, Gao, Zheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-09-2015
• Subjects: Bacteria
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137996

Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo) is performed by "Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera" (M. oxyfera), which connects the carbon and nitrogen global nutrient cycles. In the present study, M. oxyfera-like bacteria sequences were successfully recovered from Yellow River Estuary sediments using specific primers for 16S rRNA and pmoA genes. A M. oxyfera-like sequences analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene revealed greater diversity compared with the pmoA gene; the 16S rRNA gene sequences retrieved from the Yellow River Estuary sediments belong to groups A as well as B and were mainly found in freshwater habitats. Quantitative PCR showed that 16S rRNA gene abundance varied from 9.28 plus or minus 0.11103 to 2.10 plus or minus 0.13105 copies g-1 (dry weight), and the pmoA gene abundance ranged from 8.63 plus or minus 0.50103 to 1.83 plus or minus 0.18105 copies g-1 (dry weight). A correlation analysis showed that the total organic carbon (TOC) and ammonium (NH4+) as well as the ratio of total phosphorus to total nitrogen (TP/TN) influenced the M. oxyfera-like bacteria distribution in the Yellow River Estuary sediments. These findings will aid in understanding the n-damo bacterial distribution pattern as well as their correlation with surrounding environmental factors in temperate estuarine ecosystems.