Chemosynthetic symbionts of marine invertebrate animals are capable of nitrogen fixation
Petersen, J.M.; Kemper, A.; Gruber-Vodicka, H.R.; Cardini, U.; van der Geest, M.; Kleiner, M.; Bulgheresi, S.; Mußmann, M; Herbold, C.W.; Seah, B.K.B.; Antony, C.P.; Liu, D.; Belitz, A.; Weber, M. (2016). Chemosynthetic symbionts of marine invertebrate animals are capable of nitrogen fixation. Nature Microbiology 2016: 16195. dx.doi.org/10.1038/NMICROBIOL.2016.195
In: Nature Microbiology. Springer Nature: London. ISSN 2058-5276, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Petersen, J.M.
- Kemper, A.
- Gruber-Vodicka, H.R.
- Cardini, U.
- van der Geest, M., more
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- Kleiner, M.
- Bulgheresi, S.
- Mußmann, M
- Herbold, C.W.
- Seah, B.K.B.
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- Antony, C.P.
- Liu, D.
- Belitz, A.
- Weber, M.
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| Abstract |
Chemosynthetic symbioses are partnerships between invertebrate animals and chemosynthetic bacteria. The latter are theprimary producers, providing most of the organic carbon needed for the animal host’s nutrition. We sequenced genomesof the chemosynthetic symbionts from the lucinid bivalve Loripes lucinalis and the stilbonematid nematode Laxus oneistus.The symbionts of both host species encoded nitrogen fixation genes. This is remarkable as no marine chemosyntheticsymbiont was previously known to be capable of nitrogen fixation. We detected nitrogenase expression by the symbiontsof lucinid clams at the transcriptomic and proteomic level. Mean stable nitrogen isotope values of Loripes lucinalis werewithin the range expected for fixed atmospheric nitrogen, further suggesting active nitrogen fixation by the symbionts.The ability to fix nitrogen may be widespread among chemosynthetic symbioses in oligotrophic habitats, where nitrogenavailability often limits primary productivity. |
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