title: Diversity and abundance of the arsenite oxidase gene aioA in geothermal areas of Tengchong, Yunnan, China.
abstract: A total of 12 samples were collected from the Tengchong geothermal areas of Yunnan, China, with the goal to assess the arsenite (AsIII) oxidation potential of the extant microbial communities as inferred by the abundance and diversity of the AsIII oxidase large subunit gene aioA relative to geochemical context. Arsenic concentrations were higher (on average 251.68 μg/L) in neutral or alkaline springs than in acidic springs (on average 30.88 μg/L). aioA abundance ranged from 1.63 × 10(1) to 7.08 × 10(3) per ng of DNA and positively correlated with sulfide and the ratios of arsenate (AsV):total dissolved arsenic (AsTot). Based on qPCR estimates of bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene abundance, aioA-harboring organisms comprised as much as ~15% of the total community. Phylogenetically, the major aioA sequences (270 total) in the acidic hot springs (pH 3.3-4.4) were affiliated with Aquificales and Rhizobiales, while those in neutral or alkaline springs (pH 6.6-9.1) were inferred to be primarily bacteria related to Thermales and Burkholderiales. Interestingly, aioA abundance at one site greatly exceeded bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundance, suggesting these aioA genes were archaeal even though phylogenetically these aioA sequences were most similar to the Aquificales. In summary, this study described novel aioA sequences in geothermal features geographically far removed from those in the heavily studied Yellowstone geothermal complex.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Geng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Hailiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yanxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qinghai
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D019843:Archaeal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China; D045482:Hot Springs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D019843:Archaeal Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C078179:arsenite oxidase; D001151:Arsenic