Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, Wageningen, 6708 WE, The Netherlands.
Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, Den Burg, Texel, 7197 AB, The Netherlands.
Environ Microbiol. 2021 Mar;23(3):1348-1362. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.15434. Epub 2021 Feb 25.
Methanol is an ubiquitous compound that plays a role in microbial processes as a carbon and energy source, intermediate in metabolic processes or as end product in fermentation. In anoxic environments, methanol can act as the sole carbon and energy source for several guilds of microorganisms: sulfate-reducing microorganisms, nitrate-reducing microorganisms, acetogens and methanogens. In marine sediments, these guilds compete for methanol as their common substrate, employing different biochemical pathways. In this review, we will give an overview of current knowledge of the various ways in which methanol reaches marine sediments, the ecology of microorganisms capable of utilizing methanol and their metabolism. Furthermore, through a metagenomic analysis, we shed light on the unknown diversity of methanol utilizers in marine sediments which is yet to be explored.
甲醇是一种普遍存在的化合物，作为碳源和能源，在微生物过程中发挥作用，作为代谢过程中的中间产物，或在发酵中作为终产物。在缺氧环境中，甲醇可以作为几种微生物类群的唯一碳源和能源：硫酸盐还原微生物、硝酸盐还原微生物、产乙酸菌和产甲烷菌。在海洋沉积物中，这些类群争夺甲醇作为其共同的底物，采用不同的生化途径。在这篇综述中，我们将概述甲醇到达海洋沉积物的各种途径、能够利用甲醇的微生物的生态学及其代谢。此外，通过宏基因组分析，我们揭示了海洋沉积物中甲醇利用者未知的多样性，这有待进一步探索。
