title: Heterotrophic bacteria from an extremely phosphate-poor lake have conditionally reduced phosphorus demand and utilize diverse sources of phosphorus.
abstract: Heterotrophic Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were isolated from Lake Matano, Indonesia, a stratified, ferruginous (iron-rich), ultra-oligotrophic lake with phosphate concentrations below 50 nM. Here, we describe the growth of eight strains of heterotrophic bacteria on a variety of soluble and insoluble sources of phosphorus. When transferred to medium without added phosphorus (P), the isolates grow slowly, their RNA content falls to as low as 1% of cellular dry weight, and 86-100% of the membrane lipids are replaced with amino- or glycolipids. Similar changes in lipid composition have been observed in marine photoautotrophs and soil heterotrophs, and similar flexibility in phosphorus sources has been demonstrated in marine and soil-dwelling heterotrophs. Our results demonstrate that heterotrophs isolated from this unusual environment alter their macromolecular composition, which allows the organisms to grow efficiently even in their extremely phosphorus-limited environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Mengyin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Organic Geochemistry Group, MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28334, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Elling
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors.forename: CarriAyne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Limnology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Cibinong, West Java, 16911, Indonesia.
authors.forename: Sulung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nomosatryo
authors.affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Earth, Ocean, and Atmosphere Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: Sean A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Crowe
authors.affiliation: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Maciek R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Antoniewicz
authors.affiliation: Organic Geochemistry Group, MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28334, Bremen, Germany.
authors.forename: Kai-Uwe
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Hinrichs
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Julia A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Maresca
mesh_terms: D039903:Actinobacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000378:metabolism; D052836:Heterotrophic Processes / Q000502:physiology*; D060106:Lakes / Q000382:microbiology; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism; D010710:Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism*; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D014867:Water / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D006017:Glycolipids; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010710:Phosphates; D014867:Water; D010758:Phosphorus