title: Bacteria from hydrocarbon seep areas growing on   short-chain alkanes.
abstract: Marine hydrocarbon seeps introduce large amounts of organic carbon into the environment. Different microorganisms inhabit these unusual environments using the hydrocarbons as an energy source. A recent paper by Kniemeyer et al. shows, for the first time, that sulfate-reducing bacteria isolated from hydrocarbon seeps can oxidize short-chain hydrocarbons anaerobically. This finding is an important contribution to our understanding of the role of microbes in the recycling of chemically inactive carbon compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2628 BC, The Netherlands. g.muyzer@tudelft.nl
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muyzer
authors.forename: Geert M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: van der Kraan
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D005650:Fumarates / Q000378:metabolism; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010802:Phylogeny; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism*; D016999:Sulfur-Reducing Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D005650:Fumarates; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D013431:Sulfates