Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems

ABSTRACT The recent discovery of complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) contradicts the paradigm that chemolithoautotrophic nitrification is always catalyzed by two different microorganisms. However, our knowledge of the survival strategies of comammox in complex ecosystems, such as full-scale wastew...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Yuchun Yang, Holger Daims, Yang Liu, Craig W. Herbold, Petra Pjevac, Jih-Gaw Lin, Meng Li, Ji-Dong Gu
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2020
Materias:	comammox Nitrospira cyanase full-scale WWTPs homoacetate fermentation metabolic versatility Microbiology QR1-502
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/e829222d367a4825939c652d8a1bf670
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:e829222d367a4825939c652d8a1bf670
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:e829222d367a4825939c652d8a1bf6702021-11-15T15:57:03ZActivity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems10.1128/mBio.03175-192150-7511https://doaj.org/article/e829222d367a4825939c652d8a1bf6702020-04-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mBio.03175-19https://doaj.org/toc/2150-7511ABSTRACT The recent discovery of complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) contradicts the paradigm that chemolithoautotrophic nitrification is always catalyzed by two different microorganisms. However, our knowledge of the survival strategies of comammox in complex ecosystems, such as full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), remains limited. Analyses of genomes and in situ transcriptomes of four comammox organisms from two full-scale WWTPs revealed that comammox were active and showed a surprisingly high metabolic versatility. A gene cluster for the utilization of urea and a gene encoding cyanase suggest that comammox may use diverse organic nitrogen compounds in addition to free ammonia as the substrates. The comammox organisms also encoded the genomic potential for multiple alternative energy metabolisms, including respiration with hydrogen, formate, and sulfite as electron donors. Pathways for the biosynthesis and degradation of polyphosphate, glycogen, and polyhydroxyalkanoates as intracellular storage compounds likely help comammox survive unfavorable conditions and facilitate switches between lifestyles in fluctuating environments. One of the comammox strains acquired from the anaerobic tank encoded and transcribed genes involved in homoacetate fermentation or in the utilization of exogenous acetate, both pathways being unexpected in a nitrifying bacterium. Surprisingly, this strain also encoded a respiratory nitrate reductase which has not yet been found in any other Nitrospira genome and might confer a selective advantage to this strain over other Nitrospira strains in anoxic conditions. IMPORTANCE The discovery of comammox in the genus Nitrospira changes our perception of nitrification. However, genomes of comammox organisms have not been acquired from full-scale WWTPs, and very little is known about their survival strategies and potential metabolisms in complex wastewater treatment systems. Here, four comammox metagenome-assembled genomes and metatranscriptomic data sets were retrieved from two full-scale WWTPs. Their impressive and—among nitrifiers—unsurpassed ecophysiological versatility could make comammox Nitrospira an interesting target for optimizing nitrification in current and future bioreactor configurations.Yuchun YangHolger DaimsYang LiuCraig W. HerboldPetra PjevacJih-Gaw LinMeng LiJi-Dong GuAmerican Society for Microbiologyarticlecomammox Nitrospiracyanasefull-scale WWTPshomoacetate fermentationmetabolic versatilityMicrobiologyQR1-502ENmBio, Vol 11, Iss 2 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	comammox Nitrospira cyanase full-scale WWTPs homoacetate fermentation metabolic versatility Microbiology QR1-502
spellingShingle	comammox Nitrospira cyanase full-scale WWTPs homoacetate fermentation metabolic versatility Microbiology QR1-502 Yuchun Yang Holger Daims Yang Liu Craig W. Herbold Petra Pjevac Jih-Gaw Lin Meng Li Ji-Dong Gu Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems
description	ABSTRACT The recent discovery of complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) contradicts the paradigm that chemolithoautotrophic nitrification is always catalyzed by two different microorganisms. However, our knowledge of the survival strategies of comammox in complex ecosystems, such as full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), remains limited. Analyses of genomes and in situ transcriptomes of four comammox organisms from two full-scale WWTPs revealed that comammox were active and showed a surprisingly high metabolic versatility. A gene cluster for the utilization of urea and a gene encoding cyanase suggest that comammox may use diverse organic nitrogen compounds in addition to free ammonia as the substrates. The comammox organisms also encoded the genomic potential for multiple alternative energy metabolisms, including respiration with hydrogen, formate, and sulfite as electron donors. Pathways for the biosynthesis and degradation of polyphosphate, glycogen, and polyhydroxyalkanoates as intracellular storage compounds likely help comammox survive unfavorable conditions and facilitate switches between lifestyles in fluctuating environments. One of the comammox strains acquired from the anaerobic tank encoded and transcribed genes involved in homoacetate fermentation or in the utilization of exogenous acetate, both pathways being unexpected in a nitrifying bacterium. Surprisingly, this strain also encoded a respiratory nitrate reductase which has not yet been found in any other Nitrospira genome and might confer a selective advantage to this strain over other Nitrospira strains in anoxic conditions. IMPORTANCE The discovery of comammox in the genus Nitrospira changes our perception of nitrification. However, genomes of comammox organisms have not been acquired from full-scale WWTPs, and very little is known about their survival strategies and potential metabolisms in complex wastewater treatment systems. Here, four comammox metagenome-assembled genomes and metatranscriptomic data sets were retrieved from two full-scale WWTPs. Their impressive and—among nitrifiers—unsurpassed ecophysiological versatility could make comammox Nitrospira an interesting target for optimizing nitrification in current and future bioreactor configurations.
format	article
author	Yuchun Yang Holger Daims Yang Liu Craig W. Herbold Petra Pjevac Jih-Gaw Lin Meng Li Ji-Dong Gu
author_facet	Yuchun Yang Holger Daims Yang Liu Craig W. Herbold Petra Pjevac Jih-Gaw Lin Meng Li Ji-Dong Gu
author_sort	Yuchun Yang
title	Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems
title_short	Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems
title_full	Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems
title_fullStr	Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems
title_full_unstemmed	Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems
title_sort	activity and metabolic versatility of complete ammonia oxidizers in full-scale wastewater treatment systems
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/e829222d367a4825939c652d8a1bf670
work_keys_str_mv	AT yuchunyang activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems AT holgerdaims activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems AT yangliu activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems AT craigwherbold activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems AT petrapjevac activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems AT jihgawlin activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems AT mengli activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems AT jidonggu activityandmetabolicversatilityofcompleteammoniaoxidizersinfullscalewastewatertreatmentsystems
_version_	1718427062367158272

Activity and Metabolic Versatility of Complete Ammonia Oxidizers in Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Systems

Ejemplares similares