title: A hydrophobic ammonia-oxidizing archaeon of the Nitrosocosmicus clade isolated from coal tar-contaminated sediment.
abstract: A wide diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaeota exists and plays a key role in the N cycle in a variety of habitats. In this study, we isolated and characterized an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon, strain MY3, from a coal tar-contaminated sediment. Phylogenetically, strain MY3 falls in clade 'Nitrosocosmicus' of the thaumarchaeotal group I.1b. The cells of strain MY3 are large 'walnut-like' cocci, divide by binary fission along a central cingulum, and form aggregates. Strain MY3 is mesophilic and neutrophilic. An assay of13C-bicarbonate incorporation into archaeal membrane lipids indicated that strain MY3 is capable of autotrophy. In contrast to some other AOA, TCA cycle intermediates, i.e. pruvate, oxaloacetate and α-ketoglutarate, did not affect the growth rates and yields of strain MY3. The attachment of cells of strain MY3 to XAD-7 hydrophobic beads and to the adsorbent vermiculite demonstrated the potential of strain MY3 to form biofilms. The cell surface was confirmed to be hydrophobic by the extraction of strain MY3 from an aqueous medium with p-xylene. Our finding of a strong potential for surface attachment by strain MY3 may reflect an adaptation to the selective pressures in hydrophobic terrestrial environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, 28644, South Korea.
authors.forename: Man-Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, 28644, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Geol
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 59, AB Den Burg, 1790, The Netherlands.|Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.021, Utrecht, 3508, TA, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jaap S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sinninghe Damsté
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 59, AB Den Burg, 1790, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W Irene C
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Rijpstra
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853-8101, USA.
authors.forename: Eugene L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, 28644, South Korea.
authors.forename: So-Jeong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, 28644, South Korea.
authors.forename: Heeji
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, 28644, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ok-Ja
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Si
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics in Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
authors.forename: Melina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerou
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics in Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, A-1090, Austria.
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schleper
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-Gu, Cheongju, 28644, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Keun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Rhee
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism*; D001105:Archaea / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D003033:Coal Tar; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D002244:Carbon; D000641:Ammonia; D003033:Coal Tar