Tsukamoto Yuya, Kakegawa Takeshi
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8564, Japan.
Department of Earth Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.
Life (Basel). 2022 May 30;12(6):816. doi: 10.3390/life12060816.
Manganese (Mn) oxides are widespread on the surface environments of the modern Earth. The role of microbial activities in the formation of Mn oxides has been discussed for several decades. However, the mechanisms of microbial Mn oxidation, and its role in complex microbial communities in natural environments, remain uncertain. Here, we report the geochemical, mineralogical, and metagenomic evidence for biogenic Mn oxides, found in Japanese hot spring sinters. The low crystallinity of Mn oxides, and their spatial associations with organic matter, support the biogenic origin of Mn oxides. Specific multicopper oxidases (MCOs), which are considered Mn-oxidizing enzymes, were identified using metagenomic analyses. Nanoscale nuggets of copper sulfides were, also, discovered in the organic matter in Mn-rich sinters. A part of these copper sulfides most likely represents traces of MCOs, and this is the first report of traces of Mn-oxidizing enzyme in geological samples. Metagenomic analyses, surprisingly, indicated a close association of Mn oxides, not only in aerobic but also in anaerobic microbial communities. These new findings offer the unique and unified positions of Mn oxides, with roles that have not been ignored, to sustain anaerobic microbial communities in hot spring environments.
锰(Mn)氧化物广泛存在于现代地球的表面环境中。微生物活动在锰氧化物形成过程中的作用已被讨论了数十年。然而,微生物锰氧化的机制及其在自然环境复杂微生物群落中的作用仍不明确。在此,我们报告了在日本温泉泉华(硅华)中发现的生物成因锰氧化物的地球化学、矿物学和宏基因组学证据。锰氧化物的低结晶度及其与有机物的空间关联支持了锰氧化物的生物成因。通过宏基因组分析鉴定出了被认为是锰氧化酶的特定多铜氧化酶(MCOs)。在富含锰的泉华中的有机物中还发现了纳米级硫化铜块。这些硫化铜的一部分很可能代表了多铜氧化酶的痕迹,这是地质样品中锰氧化酶痕迹的首次报道。令人惊讶的是,宏基因组分析表明锰氧化物不仅与需氧微生物群落密切相关,而且与厌氧微生物群落也密切相关。这些新发现赋予了锰氧化物独特且统一的地位,其作用不可忽视,即在温泉环境中维持厌氧微生物群落。