Environmental genomics reveals a single-species ecosystem deep within Earth.
DNA from low-biodiversity fracture water collected at 2.8-kilometer depth in a South African gold mine was sequenced and assembled into a single, complete genome. This bacterium, Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator, composes >99.9% of the microorganisms inhabiting the fluid phase of this particular fracture. Its genome indicates a motile, sporulating, sulfate-reducing, chemoautotrophic thermophile that can fix its own nitrogen and carbon by using machinery shared with archaea. Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator is capable of an independent life-style well suited to long-term isolation from the photosphere deep within Earth's crust and offers an example of a natural ecosystem that appears to have its biological component entirely encoded within a single genome.
Chivian
Dylan
D
Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. DCChivian@lbl.gov
Brodie
Eoin L
EL
Alm
Eric J
EJ
Culley
David E
DE
Dehal
Paramvir S
PS
DeSantis
Todd Z
TZ
Gihring
Thomas M
TM
Lapidus
Alla
A
Lin
Li-Hung
LH
Lowry
Stephen R
SR
Moser
Duane P
DP
Richardson
Paul M
PM
Southam
Gordon
G
Wanger
Greg
G
Pratt
Lisa M
LM
Andersen
Gary L
GL
Hazen
Terry C
TC
Brockman
Fred J
FJ
Arkin
Adam P
AP
Onstott
Tullis C
TC
D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D017753:Ecosystem; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods*; D006046:Gold; D008906:Mining; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009068:Movement; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010459:Peptococcaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013019:South Africa; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D014871:Water Microbiology
D013431:Sulfates; D002244:Carbon; D006046:Gold; D000641:Ammonia